As we roll into the calmer travel months of September and October, there was a cause of celebration in London on Friday as the industry leaders gathered at the Langham Hotel for the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022 - the first time the event had been held in person since 2019.
Skytrax, a UK-based airline and airport rating and ranking site, conducted more than 14 million customer surveys in more than 100 countries between September 2021 and August 2022 to find out the world's current favorite airline.
Since the awards were introduced in 1999, the newly crowned Qatar Airways has won the top prize a total of seven times. The Qatari flag-carrier also picked up eight more gongs on Friday, including Best Business Class, Best Business Class Seat and Best Business Class Lounge Dining. That's going to be a lot to bring back through hand luggage.
Akbar Al Baker, the group chief executive of Qatar Airways, thanked his incredible employees for their continued dedication and drive and said that to win these awards in the same year that we celebrate our 25th anniversary is even more rewarding. After receiving the award, he told CNN Travel that the secret of the airline's continued success was: Consistent service, consistent product, consistent attention to passengers and absolute dedication from everyone who works in the airline. According to Skytrax, the 2 airline won nine awards, including Best Cabin Staff, Best First Class, Best First Class Seat and Best First Class Catering.
Emirates was third in the UAE flag-carrier and was awarded Best Economy Class Seat, Best Economy Class, Best Economy Class Catering and Best Premium Economy Class Seat.
4 and named World's Cleanest Airline, no mean feat when two years of Covid-19 have meant customers are particularly mindful of hygiene and cleanliness standards. It won four more awards, including Best Airport Services.
Australian airline Qantas came in fifth in the survey of more than 350 airlines, conducted in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese languages.
Delta Air Lines was the leading airline in the US, winning six region-specific awards categories, while Turkish Airlines was the top airline in Europe, taking four awards including the highly competitive Best Airline in Europe title.
Albertine Murasira, a flight attendant for RwandAir, which won Best Air Staff Service in Africa, said the award would encourage the carrier to raise standards.
It's going to encourage us to keep taking care of our passengers. Edward Plaisted, Skytrax CEO, said that while awards celebrated the best of aviation, the industry was still tackling the strains of Covid, staff shortages and fuel price surges caused by the conflict in Ukraine.
He told the ceremony audience that it has not been the happiest times in many respects.
Skytrax believes that the world's top 20 airlines will be the top 20 airlines in 2022.
Singapore Airlines is the World Best First Class Airline: