London, United Kingdom: After two years of virtual award ceremonies, the Skytrax 2022 World Airline Awards event returned to normal procedures, with airlines from around the world attending the 2022 awards ceremony, held today (Sep 23) at the historic Langham Hotel in London, United Kingdom.
Widely regarded as ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry, the World Airline Awards began in 1999, and remain totally independent and impartial with all of the customer survey costs and awards event paid by the organisers, Skytrax.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “To be named as the World’s Best Airline was always a goal when Qatar Airways was created, but to win it for the seventh time and pick up three additional awards is a testament to all the hard work of our incredible employees. Their continued dedication and drive are to ensure our passengers have the best experience possible when they fly with Qatar Airways. To win these awards in the same year that we celebrate our 25th anniversary is even more rewarding and I want to offer sincere thanks to all our passengers who voted for us. Your support drives us to greater achievements every day, we value your loyalty and aim to create memories of a lifetime when you fly with Qatar Airways.”
Singapore Airlines takes the second position in the world, with Emirates third, ANA All Nippon Airways fourth, and Qantas Airways in the fifth position, out of more than 350 airlines included in the survey results.
Edward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “To receive the 2022 World’s Best Airline award is a great recognition of Qatar Airways’ high standards, and recognises the hard work and dedication from every member of the airline’s staff to satisfy customers. Qatar Airways was the largest airline to have flown consistently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with their network never falling below 30 destinations, and that determination has clearly been well recognised by customers with this award as Airline of the Year 2022. For Qatar Airways to achieve this top accolade for the seventh time is both a unique and remarkable achievement, and we congratulate them for this success.”
Big winners at the awards included Qatar Airways who scooped nine award wins, with Singapore Airlines also receiving nine awards. Delta Air Lines was a success in North America, winning six awards. In Europe, Turkish Airlines was dominant, receiving four awards including the highly competitive Best Airline in Europe title.
India’s Vistara was another key winner, receiving two awards, the Best Airline in India and Southern Asia and Best Airline Staff Service in India and Southern Asia. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer of Vistara said “It is incredibly heartening for all of us at Vistara to win these awards, which reaffirms the steadfast trust our customers have in us and is a true testament to Vistara setting global benchmarks for excellence in operations and service delivery.”
airBaltic celebrated success at the 2022 World Airline Awards for the first time, receiving the awards for the Best Airline in Eastern Europe, the Most Improved Airline in Europe and the Best Airline Staff in Eastern Europe. Martin Gauss, President and CEO at airBaltic: “We at airBaltic are continuously working on improving and innovating. There is an incredible motivation, dedication and passion within the airBaltic team towards what we do. Therefore I am proud and honoured to receive this award today on behalf of our team and to see our work and efforts being recognized on an international scale.”
The World’s Top 20 Airlines in 2022
The top 40 airlines in 2022 reflect a number of changes from earlier year ratings, and Skytrax attributes part of this to the varying operational levels of some airlines due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions during the period of the customer survey. China’s borders effectively still remain closed due to their Covid zero policy which has meant very few international flights being operated for the last 2½ years.
1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Emirates
4. ANA All Nippon Airways
5. Qantas Airways
6. Japan Airlines
7. Turkish Airlines
8. Air France
9. Korean Air
10. Swiss Int’l Air Lines
11. British Airways
12. Etihad Airways
13. China Southern
14. Hainan Airlines
15. Lufthansa
16. Cathay Pacific
17. KLM
18. EVA Air
19. Virgin Atlantic
20. Vistara
Singapore Airlines repeated the previous year’s success by winning the award for the World’s Best Cabin Staff. This award category remains dominated by airlines across Asia, with Qatar Airways being the only non-Asia airline to be ranked in the World’s Top 10.
The World’s Best Cabin Staff in 2022
1. Singapore Airlines
2. ANA All Nippon Airways
3. Garuda Indonesia
4. Thai Airways
5. Japan Airlines
6. Qatar Airways
7. Hainan Airlines
8. Asiana Airlines
9. EVA Air
10. Cathay Pacific
Mr Yeoh Phee Teik, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience, Singapore Airlines, said, “At Singapore Airlines, we aim to provide our customers with a world-class experience every single time that they fly with us. These awards from Skytrax are a recognition of our long-standing commitment to innovation, as well as our continuous investment in our products, services, and our people. We would like to thank our customers for their support, and we assure them that we never take it for granted.”
After two years of Covid-19, there is a much-heightened customer awareness of airline hygiene and cleanliness standards, and Japan’s ANA All Nippon Airways triumphed in the awards by winning the category for the World’s Cleanest Airline, with Singapore Airlines in 2nd and Japan Airlines 3rd.
The World’s Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness in 2022
1. ANA All Nippon Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Japan Airlines
4. Qatar Airways
5. Hainan Airlines
6. Asiana Airlines
7. Korean Air
8. China Airlines
9. Fiji Airways
10. Cathay Pacific
The World’s Best Independent Airport Lounges
Plaza Premium Group, which operates the world’s largest network of international airport lounges was named winner of the World’s Best Independent Airport Lounges category, ahead of Primeclass Lounges in 2nd, and The Pearl Lounge Bahrain in third place.
1. Plaza Premium – LHR
2. Primeclass – MCT
3. The Pearl Lounge – BAH
4. iGA Lounge – IST
5. Plaza Premium – FCO
Plaza Premium Group Founder and CEO, Song Hoi See, said: “We are truly honoured to be awarded the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards for the sixth time, consecutively. Having awarded 2022’s Best Independent Airport Lounge Brand for Plaza Premium Lounge is a testament to our service excellence. The past two years have been challenging for the travel industry due to the pandemic and we would like to dedicate this win to all our colleagues who have been the backbone of our company. They have been our biggest supporters and have really put in their hard work and dedication despite the challenges we’ve been through. We are really proud of this achievement and we will continue to provide award-winning hospitality services across our global network.”
The World’s Best Leisure Airlines
1. SunExpress
2. Air Transat
3. TUI Airways
4. TUIfly
5. Vietravel Airlines
Max Kownatzki, CEO of SunExpress said: “We are thrilled to be recognized by our customers by winning this prestigious award. We always put our customers at the heart of what we do, and we work hard to deliver the very best experience possible to them at every touchpoint, every day. Achieving this great success at the World Airline Awards after two of the most challenging years for the aviation industry is a testament to our efforts. The fact that the award is based on direct feedback from passengers is gratifying and wonderful recognition for our great team. My heartfelt thanks go to our valued guests and every member of our industrious and diligent team, who represent SunExpress with the utmost professionalism and passion every day. We will continue to listen carefully to our customers and to invest in our product and services, both on the ground and in the air.”
The World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airlines
1. Scoot
2. Jetstar Airways
3. Air Canada rouge
4. LEVEL
5. AirAsiaX
Mr. Ng Chee Keong, Scoot Chief Operating Officer said: “We are both honoured and delighted to be recognised once again, as the world’s best long-haul low-cost carrier. As an LCC, our proposition allows consumers to enjoy the same great value for both short and long-haul travels. With border restrictions easing globally, we strive to keep travel accessible while providing customers with great experiences and connections across the world.”
A number of Best Airline Staff Service awards were presented, these being important awards that recognise the combined airline staff service standards across both the airport and the onboard experience. British Airways was the winner of the Best Airline Staff Service in Europe, and Fiji Airways triumphed by winning the Best Airline Staff Service in Australia/Pacific region award.
Managing Director and Chief Executive of Fiji Airways Mr Andre Viljoen said: “It truly is an honour for our airline to be recognized for our commitment to service. I thank all the hard-working staff at Fiji Airways who made this award possible. We won this same award in 2019, and I am proud of the fact that we have not been complacent despite the challenging period that Fiji Airways and indeed the entire aviation industry has faced due to the pandemic. Fiji Airways is focused on major plans to enhance our products and services, to continue evolving and delivering the best to all our guests.”
The World Airline Awards cover all types of travel classes, with an overall Best by Cabin award, Best Seats by Cabin, Best Lounges and Best Onboard Catering by the cabin. The overall winners of these awards are:
The World Best First Class Airline: Singapore Airlines
The World’s Best Business Class Airline: Qatar Airways
The World’s Best Premium Economy Class Airline: Virgin Atlantic
The World’s Best Economy Class Airline: Emirates
