FRANKFURT, Germany – Star Alliance has regained the Best Airline Alliance title at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards™.
Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance said: “Being selected the best airline alliance by more than 18 million travellers is a great honour for Star Alliance. This award is further proof that we are meeting customer expectations to a high degree by providing global reach through our world-wide network, offering enhanced frequent flyer benefits and recognising the value of the international traveller, irrespective of the member airline they are travelling on”.
Star Alliance was the first airline alliance to receive the Best Alliance Award from Skytrax, when the category was first introduced in 2005. It held the title in both 2007 and 2009 (at that time the alliance award was only handed out every two years). Since 2010, the best airline alliance has been selected on an annual basis.
The Skytrax passenger survey for the 2011 awards covered over 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to small domestic carriers, and measured standards across more than 38 different items of airline front-line product and service. The survey was conducted over a 10-month period, surveying more than 18.8 million passengers from over 100 different nationalities across the world.
The World Airline Awards™ are regarded as the primary benchmarking tool for Passenger Satisfaction levels of airlines throughout the world – comprising a unique survey format based on analysis of business and leisure travellers and across all cabin classes (First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy class passengers).
The study analyses customer satisfaction for the Airline Passenger Experience, across the Airport and Onboard environments – check-in to boarding, onboard seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food, beverages, IFE and staff service.
In addition to the overall Star Alliance award, the following member carriers received awards in individual airline categories:
Best Cabin Staff
Asiana Airlines
Best Airport Services
ANA
Best Airline Transatlantic
Lufthansa
Best Airline Business Class
Singapore Airlines
Best Airline Premium Economy Class
Air New Zealand
Best Airline Economy Class
Asiana Airlines
Best Business Class Onboard Catering
Austrian Airlines
Best Premium Economy Onboard Catering
Air New Zealand
Best Economy Class Onboard Catering
THAI
Best Premium Economy Cabin Seats
Turkish Airlines
Best Economy Class Cabin Seats
THAI
Best Airline – Africa
South African Airways
Best Airline – Asia
Singapore Airlines
Best Airline – Australia / Pacific
Air New Zealand
Best Airline – Europe
Turkish Airlines
Best International Airline – North America
Air Canada
Best Airline – C America/Caribbean
TACA Airlines*
Best Airline – South America
TAM Airlines
Best Airline – Southern Europe
Turkish Airlines
Best Airline – Western Europe
Swiss International Air Lines
Service Excellence – Africa
South African Airways
Service Excellence – Asia
ANA
Service Excellence – Europe
Austrian Airlines
Service Excellence – C America/Caribbean
TACA Airlines*
Service Excellence – South America
TAM Airlines
Best Regional Airline – Europe
Aegean Airlines
* future Star Alliance member carrier.