The Frequent Flier

The World Airline Awards, issued by Skytrax, were presented this month and it may come as no surprise to American frequent flyers that not a single airline from the United States cracked the top 10.

More than 17.9 million airline travelers from over 100 different nationalities took part in the 10 month survey that measured 38 different items of customer satisfaction. Asiana Airlines was named 2010s airline of the year.
In the North American airline category, Air Canada was the highest finisher followed by Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines

“This is a fantastic achievement for Air Canada,” said Edward Plaisted, Skytrax Chairman. “They are clearly meeting and exceeding their customer’s expectations to have been named the Best Airline North America, amongst such a choice of different airlines across this large continent.”

When it came to frequent-flyer programs, Oneworld Alliance -anchored by American Airline- was named the world’s best frequent-flyer program. Star Alliance, which includes airlines like United, US Airways and Air Canada, was awarded second place.

The World Airline Awards began in 1999 and this year was presented in Hamburg where more than 40 airlines from around the world gathered for the announcement.
Winners of other categories:

• Best low-cost airline: 1. AirAsia; 2. Air Berlin; 3. Virgin Blue
• Best regional airline: 1. Dragonair; 2. Silkair; 3.Bangkok Airways
• Most-improve airline:1. Garuda Indonesia; 2. Hainan Airlines; 3. Oman Air
• Best leisure airline: 1. Thomson Airways; 2. TUIFly; 3. Monarch Airlines
• Best in-flight entertainment: 1. Emirates; 2. Singapore Airlines; 3. Virgin Atlantic
• Best cabin staff: 1. Singapore Airlines; 2. Malaysia Airlines; 3. Asiana Airlines
• Best airline alliance: 1. Oneworld; 2. Star Alliance; 3. SkyTeam
• Best trans-Atlantic airline: 1. Virgin Atlantic; 2. British Airways; 3. Lufthansa
• Best trans-Pacific airline: 1. Cathay Pacific; 2. Singapore Airlines; 3. Asiana
• Best first-class airline: 1. Etihad; 2. Singapore Airlines; 3. Qantas
• Best business-class airline: 1. Qatar Airways; 2 Singapore Airlines; 3. Etihad
• Best premium economy class: 1. Qantas; 2. Air New Zealand; 3. ANA
• Best economy class: 1. Malaysia Airlines; Qatar Airways; 3. Singapore Airlines