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When it comes to some airline surveys, you’d have to be a bit sceptical. What’s the agenda? Who, precisely, is doing the judging, and what’s in it for them?
The annual Skytrax survey of world airlines, however, is a different cup of tea altogether. As the gold standard for airline appraisal, if such-and-such an airline finds itself in the Skytrax World’s Top 100 Airlines list, then it deserves to be there. If it’s right up there among the top ten, then you can rest assured that that’s an airline that crosses all the t’s and dots all the i’s in terms of service and comfort.
Why? Because it’s passengers who decide which airlines makes it on to the list, and with this year’s just announced, it’s interesting to see that the results come from assessing the responses of more than 20million air travellers. Since the Skytrax people started these annual awards back in 1999, they have prided themselves on the survey being independent, impartial and global. So who are this year’s winners? Well, predictably enough there are a large number of Asian airlines in the coveted top ten category, with Singapore Airlines pipping Qatar Airways to the top position this year in a reversal of last year’s top two rating. Interestingly, Hainan, the Chinese airline that has just begun direct flights from Dublin to Beijing is right up there in the eighth slot.
In terms of European representation, the only one in the top ten is Lufthansa which comes in seventh position.
Looking down the list of airlines, from 1 to 100, I can’t say I’ve flown on even half of them but I have flown on a fair number over the years (although I’ve never had the pleasure of flying with Singapore).
Let’s get the Irish interest out of the way here – Aer Lingus are rated a very reputable 36th, up two places from last year, while Ryanair are further back at 64th, but that’s quite a jump from last year’s 76th slot.
When I think of personal airline experiences – apart from our own Aer Lingus which I use regularly and which is consistently excellent – the ones that have been really superb I can number on one hand. On three fingers, actually.
First up is Etihad, the Abu Dhabi that operates that route directly from Dublin. Every aspect of the Etihad service is first-class, from check-in, to on board facilities, to the overall experience. I was lucky enough to fly in its Business Class section a couple of years ago – and what an overnight experience that was with those incredibly comfortable beds and with a top-notch breakfast the next morning! Meanwhile, my adult son, who was back in Economy (don’t ask!) thought that it was the best airline he had ever flown with – the food was great and nothing was too much trouble for the stewards.
I have waxed lyrical here before about Turkish Airlines, an airline I have used a number of times over the past 20 to 30 years, both on their Istanbul route (from Dublin, and years ago, from London) and on internal flights in Turkey. It’s a wonderful airline – terrific service, really comfortable seats, pleasant staff.
And you’re made to feel like a valued passenger rather than just someone worth extracting money from. On top of that you still get those old-fashioned complimentary courtesies – like a meal and a glass of wine. And a hot towel to help you freshen up just before landing.
Thirdly I’d have to mention Swiss. Some years ago I flew with them when it was Swissair, before it went bankrupt back in 2002. Now under the Lufthansa umbrella as Swiss International Air Lines, I flew with them earlier this year on a flight from Dublin to Zurich. It was a brilairline liant experience – in terms of comfort and service, including the all-in drinks and food on board. And they still continue the airline’s tradition of handing round Swiss chocolates for everyone.
I was interested to see where these three airlines came in the recent Skytrax survey and wasn’t disappointed, or surprised, to see that Swiss was 12th, Etihad was 15th and Turkish Airlines was 18th.
On not such a positive note I also scanned the Top 100 for another airline that I had once travelled with. Air Seychelles. There it was in 82nd position. That it even made it into the Top 100 was a surprise in itself. But that’s a story for another day...