Admittedly, when many of us pick the next airline to fly with we have only one thought on our mind (thankfully, the old question of “how’s this airline’s safety record?” rarely needs asking these days)…”which is cheapest?”
But on those occasions when prices are all but equal, or when you feel a little burned by a bad experience from the last cheapest airline you went with, it’s worth knowing how airlines shape up against one another in the customer satisfaction stakes.
You won’t go far wrong if you pick any of the airlines shortlisted for the Passenger Choice Awards (the winners will be picked on September 17).
The Passenger Choice Awards are great because they’re based on a yearlong survey of passengers’ travel experiences. Categories range from Best Cabin Ambiance and Best Inflight Video to awards for the best overall airline in the five regions of the world.
Check out the finalists in each category below. Effectively the survey is running constantly, so it’s a decent barometer of how airline performances rise and fall. The voting for next year’s awards kicked off on July 1. To take the survey, visit www.passengerchoiceawards.com.
Best Overall Passenger Experience (Up to 50 Inflight Entertainment equipped planes)
AIR NEW ZEALAND
KINGFISHER AIRLINES
SRILANKAN AIRLINES
TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
VIRGIN AMERICA
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Overall Passenger Experience (More than 50 Inflight Entertainment equipped planes)
AVIANCA
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
EMIRATES
GARUDA INDONESIA
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
Best in Region: Africa
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
Best in Region: Americas
AVIANCA
JETBLUE
LAN AIRLINES
TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
VIRGIN AMERICA
Best in Region: Asia and Australasia
AIR NEW ZEALAND
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
KINGFISHER AIRLINES
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
SRILANKAN AIRLINES
Best in Region: Europe
BRITISH AIRWAYS
NORWEGIAN
SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
TURKISH AIRLINES
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best in Region: Middle East
EMIRATES
ETIHAD AIRWAYS
GULF AIR
OMAN AIR
QATAR AIRWAYS
Best Inflight Publication
AIR ASTANA
AVIANCA
GARUDA INDONESIA
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
V AUSTRALIA/VIRGIN AUSTRALIA
VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Inflight Entertainment User Interface
AVIANCA
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS
EMIRATES
VIRGIN AMERICA
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications
EMIRATES
GULF AIR
NORWEGIAN
OMAN AIR
VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Inflight Video
AIR NEW ZEALAND
KINGFISHER AIRLINES
SRILANKAN AIRLINES
TURKISH AIRLINES
VIRGIN AMERICA
Best Cabin Ambiance
AIR NEW ZEALAND
KINGFISHER AIRLINES
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
VIRGIN AMERICA
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Food & Beverage
EMIRATES
SINGAPORE AIRLINES
SRILANKAN AIRLINES LTD.
TURKISH AIRLINES
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Best Ground Experience
AIR NEW ZEALAND
JET AIRWAYS
KINGFISHER AIRLINES
VIRGIN AMERICA
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Featured image: Matthias Rhomberg)
