Qantas and Jetstar have been recognised as having the two leading airlines in the Australia-Pacific region in the 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards, while Air New Zealand was awarded for its premium economy product.
Qantas was awarded Best Airline Australia-Pacific and Jetstar Airways awarded Best Low Cost Airline Australia-Pacific. Qantas was also ranked one of the top ten airlines globally and Jetstar Airways was voted the number two low-cost carrier in the world.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the result put Qantas and Jetstar among the best airlines in the world as judged by over 18 million passengers from 160 different countries.
“Skytrax is a leading indicator of passenger satisfaction. For both Qantas and Jetstar Airways to be recognised as two of the best reflects our investment in creating great travel experiences,” said Joyce.
“We now have one of the youngest fleets of any legacy airline in the world. We have invested in more training, new lounges and better on-board products. We pride ourselves on safety and on being the most on-time airline in Australia. The Skytrax result shows how these efforts add up to create a superior experience for passengers.”
Some of the key customer service-related improvements delivered by Qantas on key routes in the past 12 months include mattresses for international business class, updates to menus and wine lists, an all-new lounge in Singapore, the use of iPads to stream inflight entertainment and benefits of the Qantas-Emirates partnership.
Jetstar was voted Best Low-Cost Airline Australia-Pacific for the third consecutive year and said the result was a credit to its staff.
Jetstar Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said: “This year we will welcome the Boeing 787 to our international fleet, which will improve the customer experience with inflight entertainment in every seat, a quieter trip and reduced jetlag due to improved cabin humidity.”
In the same period, Jetstar has completed cabin refurbishments of its A320s, introduced new amenity kits with Bloom Cosmetics and revamped its in-flight catering. On the ground, Jetstar has also introduced online ‘live chat’ to offer customers a more convenient way to answer queries.
Air New Zealand’s premium economy class, meanwhile, took home awards for Best Premium Economy Class, Best Premium Economy Class Seat and Best Premium Economy Class Onboard Catering on board its Boeing 777-300 fleet.
“Air New Zealand’s Premium Economy cabin has proven extremely popular with customers since it was first introduced in 2011. To be recognised in all three categories at these awards is a huge achievement and testament to our staff who work hard to consistently deliver a premium customer experience,” Air New Zealand GM of customer experience Calum Laming.
Air New Zealand’s Premium Economy cabin offers customers more space and privacy with the state-of-the-art Spaceseat as well as the enjoyment of New Zealand-inspired food and wine and gate to gate entertainment.
The World Airline Awards are the global benchmark of airline excellence. The awards are determined each year by the Skytrax airline passenger satisfaction survey of more than 18 million airline passengers from over 160 countries.
The study covers over 200 airlines and measures passenger satisfaction across more than 40 key performance indicators of airline product and service including onboard seat comfort, food and staff service.
