AirlineRatings.com has announced along with its Airline Excellence Awards its Top Ten airlines for 2017.

Heading the list is Air New Zealand followed by Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Etihad Airways, All Nippon Airways, Eva Air and Lufthansa.

To be named in the top ten, airlines must achieve a seven-star safety rating and demonstrate leadership in innovation for passenger comfort.

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AirlineRatings.com developed its unique seven-star ratings system after two years of evaluation and the system is now endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The editors of AirlineRatings.com, some of the most experienced and awarded, look for a consistent level of service, innovation and staff engagement from each major contender.

According to Airlineratings.com Editor-in-Chief “we are looking for leadership and airlines that innovate to make a real difference to the passenger experience particularly in economy class.” 

“In our evaluation we will also consider the considerable audited website feedback from passengers on our website.”

Mr Thomas noted a big mover this year was Australia’s Qantas which jumped up to 2nd spot from 4th while Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic went from 7th up to 5th. 

Qantas produced a stunning financial turnaround in 2016 and will take delivery of its first Boeing 787s in 2017. 
Its customer approval rating is at an all-time high and it continues to innovate with lie-flat beds on all its A330s that operate domestic and regional international flights.

Singapore Airlines which took 3rd position is always at the forefront of airline awards and introduced its new premium economy, revamped business class and the new A350 over the last 12 months.  

Cathay Pacific Airways held number 4 spot and is always in the winner’s circle. It has won numerous awards from Airlineratings.com including Best Business Class in 2013 and 2015 and Best Asia/Pacific Airline for 2016.

Moving into 5th spot are two of the Virgin Group airlines – Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic. Both in their own markets have been taking giant strides. Virgin Australia has introduced its new business class and has completed its makeover from a low-cost carrier to a new world airline while Virgin Atlantic has introduced 787s and ordered A350s.

In 6th position British Airways continues the introduction of 787s and A380s while rolling out cabin enhancements.

Taking 7th position Etihad Airways continues its leading role in global aviation with the world’s best First Class while launching new aircraft such as the 777X. It is also proceeding with its aggressive fleet roll out with 10 787s in service and 65 on order. The airline also has 65 A350s on order.    

In 8th position All Nippon Airways continues its dominance of Japanese aviation. It is the leading operators of the Boeing 787 and a launch customer for the 777X. The airline is at the forefront of cabin innovation.

Taking out 9th spot EVA Air has always been the leader in Taiwanese aviation and has been a leader in introducing cabin innovation such as premium economy in 1992.

At number 10 Germany’s Lufthansa is a byword for operational excellence and professionalism and one of the world’s most respected airlines. 

‘’Whether number 1 or number 10 these airlines are the best of the best – the elite in aviation,” said Mr Thomas. “They are the trendsetters and the benchmark by which all others are judged.” 

Asia Pacific airlines are “deeply concerned’’ about safety oversight in the region and want carriers facing bans because of inadequate national aviation regulatory systems to be given an opportunity to prove they are safe.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, which represents a wide cross-section of the region’s airlines,  used its assembly of presidents on Friday to reiterate its call on South-East Asia’s governments to respect the primacy of standards required by the UN-backed International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). 

It urged governments to strongly support the “No Country Left Behind’’ campaign which aims to address differences in regulatory oversight between countries by helping laggards improve safety oversight implementation and compliance.

AAPA expressed concern about authorities in foreign jurisdictions taking punitive action against airlines and holding them responsible for the shortcomings of regulatory authorities found to be deficient in audits.

The issue arose in Indonesia were the country’s airlines were banned almost a decade ago from flying to the US and Europe because the national safety system failed to meet international standards and due to the nation’s poor record of air crashes.

 Europe scrapped its flight ban on the nation’s flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, in 2009 after it passed a series of international audits. Yet it was not until this year, when the US Federal Aviation Administration upgraded its safety rating for Indonesia to Category 1, that Garuda was able to fly to the US.  Category 1 means that the FAA has found the country complies with international standards.

The Asia-Pacific airline group said any additional restrictions on airlines should be based on transparent criteria and strong evidence while considering their potential extra-territorial impact.

“AAPA also re-iterates the call on governments to allow foreign air carriers the opportunity to demonstrate that their safety systems and performance follow accepted international standards before imposing sanctions or restrictions on them,” it said.

Other areas of concern by member airlines, included government protectionism, security, the environment, taxation and health pandemics.

AAPA said it remained “resolute’’ in its determination to confront barriers imposed by governments that continue to threaten short-term profitability and maximum long-term potential.

The organisation also warned the travelling public was being burdened with a proliferation of government taxes and charges as well as imposts by monopoly services providers.

Some of these were in contravention to ICAO policy, it said.

“A number of airports and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) around the world have increased or are planning to increase user charges without proper consultation with stakeholders,’’ it said “ In addition, a number of governments have recently introduced or increased taxes on air travel including Australia's Passenger Movement Charge and the UK Air Passenger Duty.’’

The airlines called on government to adhere to ICAO polices and carefully consider “the overall economic effects of putting further financial strain on the travelling public and the aviation industry and to refrain from increasing the tax burden in any form’’.

On security, AAPA called for the development of better risk-based aviation security and for government regimes to better co-operate to avoid duplication.
It said government should promote the use of “available technologies’’ and dedicate enough resources to ensure inbound and outbound passenger processing works better.

The organsiation also endorsed ICAO’s move to introduce a global carbon offset scheme next decade to help meet the industry’s CO2 emissions targets.

“The Association goes further in urging governments in Asia to commit the necessary investment in aviation infrastructure to keep pace with growth in demand to ensure improvements in operational efficiencies and reduction in environmental impact,’’ it said.

Members of AAPA include Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways International, Korean Air, China Airlines, Asiana and Malaysia Airlines.
 

Business airfares in the US and Canada are expected to fall next year while ticket prices in Europe and the Asia-Pacific will stay largely flat, according to the latest prediction by American Express Global Business travel.

But the annual forecast by the corporate travel manager warns business travellers using economy class to expect rising charges for extras as airlines try to boost revenue through ancillary fees.

Amex sees the shifting geopolitical landscape, overcapacity and fierce competition generally keeping a lid on fare growth after limited increases in 2016.

“The business travel outlook for next year looked to be similarly subdued with flat to moderate rate increases expected globally across air, hotel and ground transportation,’’ the forecast says.

While demand for global air travel remains at a record high, Amex predicts persistently low fuel prices and strong competition will help keep airline fares in check.

In North America, overcapacity is combining with fierce competition between legacy carriers and low-cost airlines on heavily travelled routes to produce fare decreases.

The forecast predicts US short-haul economy fares will fall by about 3 per cent while international  business fares in the market will fall by about 1.5 per cent. Canada is expected to see a fall of 3.8 per cent on short hall economy flights and 3 per cent on long-haul business.

“However, lower fares will be offset by higher ancillary fees as airlines continue to look for new sources of revenue,’’ it says.

Flyers in Latin America will also see moderate falls in airfares with Argentina topping the short-haul economy table with a reduction of about 6.5  per cent followed by Brazil at 4 per cent.

The forecast expects European fares to stay level with 2016 as airlines face significant headwinds because of the lacklustre economy, security concerns, continued aggressive expansion by low-cost carriers  and pressure from Gulf carrier.

Countries expected to see rises include Germany , up 3 per cent in short-haul economy and 1.5 per cent in international  business,  and Poland, up 4 per cent in economy and 3 per cent in business.

Fares in the UK are expected to fall 2 per cent on short-haul economy routes and 3 per cent in international business despite the impact of Brexit in devaluing the currency.

Business fares in the United Arab Emirates are expected to remain flat on international routes.

There will also be only limited growth in the Asia-pacific with Australian business fares showing no growth on international routes  and just 0.3 per cent in short-haul  economy and Singapore expecting a 1 per cent fall in business fares.

There is no growth expected for Japan and the massive China market should see a 1.5 per cent rise in short-haul economy fares and just 0.8 per cent international business despite surging demand.  Business fare growth in another fast growing market, India, will also be small.

“Airfares will stay flat across much of the Asia-Pacific region, with slight increases depending on route and fare class,’’ the forecast says. “Despite high demand and relative political stability, overcapacity is keeping rates in check.’’
 

Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has vowed to resurrect commercial supersonic flight in 2023, the 20th year since the grounding of Concode, after backing a new technology venture that promises to slash the cost of fares.

Boom Technology, the brainchild of former Amazon executive Blake Scholl, reckons it will be able to have the first commercial flights of its 45-55-seat supersonic transport (SST) in operation just seven years after the project was launched in March this year.

Underlining the urgency of the venture, Boom yesterday "rolled out" a one-third scale model of the new plane, dubbed the XR1 or "Baby Boom", at its hangar in Denver, Colorado – a mere eight months after the project was first announced in March, 2016.

XR1 is scheduled to begin flight testing in a year from now to prove the design before the construction of a full-scale prototype.

Scholl says the venture is keeping costs down by using existing engine technology and new lightweight composites developed for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 over the past decade.

It will also operate within existing regulations, which ban supersonic flight over land.

He says operators will be able to charge the equivalent of current business class fares – about $US5000 return, or a quarter of what Concorde was charging before its demise – with the potential for "enormous" margins at Mach 2.2 or 10 per cent faster than Concorde, taking just three and a half hours for the 5500-kilometre trip between London and New York.

Branson is connected to the project through his space flight company, Virgin Galactic, and its manufacturing arm, the Spaceship Company,  which is providing engineering and construction services, as well as participating in the flight test program.

The Boom Technology team includes engineers from Boeing and NASA, among others.

The Virgin Group has taken options on the first 10 airframes to be built.

“I have long been passionate about aerospace innovation and the development of high-speed commercial flights,” Branson says.

While Branson says the initial focus of commercial services will be over the north Atlantic between Europe and America, the new SST will also be able to halve the travel time between America and Japan or America and Australia.

Even with the necessary fuel stop en route, the travel time between Los Angeles and Sydney, for example, would be under eight hours, instead of the current subsonic 13-14 hours.

“Sixty years after the dawn of the jet age, we’re still flying at 1960s speeds,” says Scholl, who is backed by a number of Silicon Valley venture capitalists.“Concorde’s designers didn’t have the technology for affordable supersonic travel, but now we do."

“Ultimately I want people to be able to get anywhere in the world in five hours for $100. This is supersonic passenger air travel, no bullshit, and it’s actually affordable.”

The Virgin Australia board would be “tenacious” in chasing savings through its Better Business program as it seeks to improve the group’s financial position, chairman Elizabeth Bryan pledged on Wednesday.

Virgin  made a net loss of $A224.7m in financial year 2016 but recorded a  profit on an underlying basis and raised $A1.1 billion in equity to deleverage its balance sheet.

But Australia’s second biggest carrier has been struggling to stay in the black and its first-quarter  results for the current financial year produced underlying pre-tax loss of $A3.6 million compared to a profit of $A8.5m in the same period last year.

Bryan told the carrier’s annual meeting in Brisbane that last year’s net loss reflected the upfront costs of restructuring at the airline in areas such as  fleet and network optimisation and “right sizing’, a euphemism for staff cuts.

She told shareholders the company was still growing and had been forced to fight for its right to exist in an industry known for its volatility.

“But it’s also a company that has to produce profit and profitable investments for its shareholders,’’ she said.

The Virgin chairman said 2017 would be a year in which the Virgin group would maintain an “unwavering focus on improving our financial foundation and ensuring a healthy business’’.

 Responding to a small shareholder disappointed in the company’s languishing share price and lack of dividends, Bryan said the disappointment was widely shared among the airline’s major shareholders.

“None of the shareholders have been happy with the movement of the Virgin share price,’’ she said. “Neither have the board, neither have the management team.

“What we can do about that is what John has outlined to you. We are growing this company, we’re investing in this company, we’re reducing the cost base of this company, we’re making this company operate more efficiently, we’ve reduced the leverage of this company.

“All we can really do is work on the business and allow the improvement in the business to shine through.’’

Chief executive John Borghetti said the trading environment remained  “very tough’’, with domestic consumer sentiment still in the doldrums.

“As evidenced by our recent trading update for the first quarter of financial year 2017, industry trading conditions continue to be challenging,’’ he  said.  “In this environment, we are actively managing capacity in our domestic and international network with total sectors flown in the first quarter of FY17 declining 2.3 per cent on the prior corresponding period.’’

Borghetti said the airline was already making good progress with the Better Business program, which expects  to deliver a net free cash flow of $300m annually by the end of the 2019 financial year.

Progress on plans to reduce the number of aircraft types in the fleet had included the sale of four Embraer 190 jets with a fifth due to be completed this month. A request for proposals for the disposal of leased ATR aircraft and the remainder of the E190s was well underway.

There had also been progress in terms of operating efficiencies, maintenance and engineering changes as well as cutting costs in procurement and supply chain processes.

 The airline chief nominated services to China and the US as among “smart sustainable ways’’ the airline would boost revenue.

 Two Chinese shareholders, the HNA and Nanshan groups, have invested in Virgin and hold a combined stake of about 40 percent.  Virgin is forging a strategic alliance with HNA to boost its access to the growing Chinese travel market and plans to introduce direct flights between Asia and Australia next year.

 It is also planning to increases services to North America to 18 per week with the introduction of five return Melbourne-LA services from April.

Borghetti said the focus for Virgin’s international airline, which recently won the Airline Ratings award for best business class and crew, was to boost non-stop sector flying to America and Asia over a three-year horizon.

“That is our future – Asia and America is our future internationally,’’ he said.

Asked about the Trump victory in the ecent US elections, Borghetti said it was not productive to speculate on what the new president would do but he did not believe it would affect US traffic.

He also confirmed  Virgin's low-cost offshoot, Tiger, would retain its name and continue its international expanision.  Tiger is switching from Airbus A320s to Boeing 737s over the next three years and has already started services Bali.

“This is a three-year horizon we’re talking about,’’ he said. “There will be a Tiger expansion and it will be a narrow- body operation.’’

Separately, Virgin announced Wendesday that it had chalked up a world-first deal to allow investors to earn frequent flyer points when they buy shares in an an initial public offering.

The airline’s majority-owned Frequent flyer scheme, Velocity, has teamed up with financial technology company OnMarket Bookbuilds  in an innovative deal that allows investors to earn one point for every $A4 they spend on their investments in initial public offerings (IPOs) from companies listing on the share market.  OnMarket BookBuilds  offers a website and mobile app that plugs into the Australian Securities Exchange’s infrastructure to enable investors of all types to take part in IPOs.

There is no limit on the number of Velocity points that can be earned.

"We want Velocity members to be able to earn Points in every facet of their lives and we know wealth management is an important consideration for many Australians,’’ Velcoity chief executive Karl Schuster said in a statement.

The new deal is one of a flurry of agreements both loyalty schemes have announced this year as they compete  for members.

Airb’n’b, major supermarket chain Coles and entertainment company TEG  were just some of the partners airline loyalty signed up as the battle  for frequent flyers heated up.

Qantas Frequent Flyer remains the bigger of the two with 11.5 million members at September 30 but Velocity has grown quickly since its launch under former Virgin chief executive Brett Godfrey in 2005 and now has a membership base of more than 6.4 million.

The move by the US full service airlines to give passengers “choice’’ has hit a new level with United Airlines offering a basic economy ticket that restricts carry-on and does not guarantee families can sit together.

The new tickets mean passengers will receive an automated seat assignment at check-in, will be able to take on just one small personal item and will not be eligible for upgrades.

They will be the last to board, unless they have frequent flyer status, and the tickets will not be able to be used in an interline arrangement or combined with normal economy fares.

Passengers will be allowed to take on board a small personal item such as a shoulder bag, backpack or laptop bag.

“Full-size carry-on bags are not allowed unless you’re a Premier member, a primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card, or a Star Alliance Gold member,’’ the airline says on its website. “Basic Economy fares have the same checked baggage policies as regular Economy tickets.‘’

The airline also warns that people travelling in groups may not be able to sit together and that the automatic seat assignment cannot be changed.

It said the new fares were aimed at further meeting customers’ needs and providing more options to price-sensitive travellers.

“Customers have told us that they want more choice and Basic Economy delivers just that,” said Julia Haywood, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “By offering low fares while also offering the experience of traveling on our outstanding network, with a variety of onboard amenities and great customer service, we are giving our customers an additional travel option from what United offers today.”

The move by the US full-service carrier to offer tickets which do not include carry-on comes as cabin baggage has become an increasing problem after airlines started charging for checked luggage.

It is aimed at preventing the migration of passengers to low-cost carriers and part of an increasing trend by service airlines to differentiate services and cabins as ancillary revenues – the charges outside the cost of ticket —  becomes more important.

However, the trend has also seen airlines under the spotlight of competition regulators because the confusing nature of the choices has not always been spelled out clearly to passengers.

AirlineRatings.com the world’s foremost safety and product rating website has selected Air New Zealand as its 2017 Airline of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.

Read: World’s Top Ten Airlines for 2017

AirlineRatings.com celebrates and promotes excellence in the airline industry and the pinnacle of these efforts is its Airline Excellence Awards. Winners include: Etihad Airways, Virgin Australia, Emirates, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian, Flybe, Garuda Indonesia, Scoot, Kulula.com, Virgin America and Delta Air Lines.

Airline of the Year

Air New Zealand is being honored for the fourth consecutive year for its record-breaking financial performance, award-winning in-flight innovations, operational safety, environmental leadership and motivation of its staff. These factors have stamped the airline as an industry trendsetter.

The AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards program combines four major international industry and government audits, with another nine key criteria that include: fleet age, passenger review ratings, profitability, investment rating and key product offerings.

AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said: “In our objective analysis Air New Zealand came out number one in virtually all of our audit criteria, which is an exceptional performance.”

The editorial team, one of the world’s most awarded and experienced, lauded Air New Zealand’s commitment to a young fleet and its continual focus on the environment.  The airline also won Best Premium Economy Class for the third time.

Air New Zealand has been a leader in the airline industry for years and has won countless awards including Air Transport World’s Airline of the Year in 2010 and 2012.

“Quite simply Air New Zealand is an airline of first choice. And given the airline’s location and the country’s size, its performance is even more remarkable,” said Mr Thomas.

“This outstanding performance has seen Air New Zealand catapult to the top tier of the industry in a host of areas.”

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says being recognised once again by the industry is a real highlight for its people in a record year of performance.

“The past 12 months have been exceptional for Air New Zealand – we’ve continued to invest in a streamlined and refurbished fleet, launched three new international routes and rolled out improvements to the customer experience with enhanced inflight entertainment and a multi-million dollar lounge redevelopment programme.

“Above all, the award is testament to the talented team of people who make Air New Zealand great by putting customers at the heart of everything we do.”

Read more about Air New Zealand’s offerings here

Best First Class

This award has been won by Etihad Airways for the third year running because its First Class still leads the industry.

“Etihad’s commitment to excellence appears to know no bounds. The airline’s new First Class and Business Class offerings are quite stunning and have set the bar even higher in luxury travel,” said Mr Thomas.

“In what is an incredible achievement in just over 13 years Etihad Airways has stamped itself not only as a major force in the airline industry but a trendsetter.”

Take a video stroll through Etihad’s exclusive First Class cabin.

Best Business Class

This year Virgin Australia has taken out this much sought after award with its “The Business” suite which is more First Class than Business Class. The major plus for this product is the bed with its triple-layer seat cushion supported by a hammock sub-frame which guarantees a really good sleep.

There is also ample space for gadgets and shelf space to place one’s laptop while having dinner.

Read more about Virgin Australia’s business class here;

Best Premium Economy

Air New Zealand has won Best Premium Economy once again for its lead in this class. The airline is continually innovating in all cabins and this has resulted in higher yields as passengers upgrade their travel experience. “Air New Zealand has shown better than any other airline that passengers will pay more if the product is right and priced accordingly. Its efforts in this space are a lesson to all airlines that passengers want better and are prepared to pay.”

Best Economy

Singapore Airlines picks up Best Economy Class.  The airline has always been a leader in the economy class product going back to the 1960s when as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines it introduced free headsets and free drinks to economy passengers. And the innovation has never stopped with the airline amongst the first to offer seat back videos to economy passengers in the early 1990s
Read Geoffrey Thomas’ review of Singapore Airlines’ service here; https://www.airlineratings.com/editors-travel-reviews/3/singapore-airlines

Best Cabin Crew

Best Cabin Crew award has been won by Virgin Group airlines – Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America.

“These airlines’ cabin crew treat every passenger whether in row 1 or at the back of the bus as a special guest,” said Mr. Thomas. “Their commitment to their passengers is outstanding and is a benchmark of what cabin service should be.”

Best Catering

Qantas has taken out this award for the third year running on the back of the airline’s domestic offering which is the world’s best. Its commitment not only to premium dining, but to economy travel which makes up 90 per cent of passengers is well ahead of the pack.

The airline has introduced an unprecedented four choices of main meal for economy passengers, a doubling in the size of meals, and the ability to order online ahead of the flight.

“Qantas’s catering commitment to both its domestic and international passengers is industry leading,” said Mr. Thomas

Best Lounges

Another win for Qantas. Its lounges have become an Australian air travel institution and Qantas’ overseas offerings are also an industry benchmark. Qantas Lounges not only provide complimentary food and beverages the airline was a leader in installing showers. Importantly the airline’s lounges have robust broadband internet access that can handle demand – something lacking in many other airlines’ lounges. “The Qantas Lounge is the place to be for the savvy traveler,” said Mr Thomas.

Best In-Flight Entertainment

Emirates, which was one of the pioneers of IFE, wins AirlineRatings.com Best IFE award. The airline has an IFE product that few airlines equal. Airlineratings.com editors noted that Emirates was one of the first adopters, particularly for economy class. By 1993 all the airline’s seats were fitted with IFE.

Emirates ICE has a host of features. It allows you to follow the progress of your flight, or take in the view from the aircraft’s external cameras. You can keep in touch with live business, news and sport headlines. As a communication tool it provides phone, SMS or email capability. For entertainment there are 600 channels of premium entertainment.

Best Domestic Class

In an era where domestic offerings are becoming leaner Qantas’s domestic in-flight product is a global standout and in many cases, matches or exceeds international service.

“There is little doubt Australians are the world’s most spoilt passengers with full meal service on all flights across its network, said Mr Thomas.

Qantas offers complimentary beer and wine between capital cities after 4pm on weekdays and on transcontinental flights from lunch time daily. The airline has recently completed the rollout of its lie-flat beds on its A330 fleet which perform most of the transcontinental services.

Best Long Haul Airline

AirlineRatings.com Best Long Haul Airline awards have been won by: Etihad (Middle East/Africa), Singapore Airlines (Asia/Pacific), Virgin Atlantic (Europe) and Delta Airline Lines (The Americas).

These four airlines in their regions set the benchmark. “Etihad Airways is the new kid on the block and is challenging the product leadership of Singapore Airlines, while Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines both have rich histories in pioneering long haul travel and new aircraft designs.”

Best Low Cost Airline

There is no question that the Low Cost Airline market is the most competitive and also the most rapidly growing. Thus competition to be the best is a challenge of balancing product with low prices.

AirlineRatings.com winners are: Virgin America (The Americas), Scoot (Asia/Pacific), Kulula.com (Africa/ Middle-East) and Norwegian (Europe). The four airlines are leaders in their markets with innovations and they are consistently delivering an excellent value proposition. “These airlines may not always offer the lowest fare but what they almost always do is deliver by far the best value,” said Mr Thomas. And these airlines open new routes and bring travel to millions who could previously not afford to fly.

Read our Scoot in-flight review here;

Read our Norwegian in-flight review here;

Read our Virgin America in-flight review here;

Regional Airline of the Year

UK based Flybe has taken out this award for delivering a first-class experience on regional routes around the UK and Europe.
The airline operates more UK domestic flights than any other airline and flies 7 million passengers a year on 149 routes, from 62 destinations in 9 countries. Its hubs are Manchester, Birmingham, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and Exeter.

Airlineratings.com editorial team was impressed by Flybe’s innovation that has resulted in exceptional performance in customer service, product and new route development.

Read our review of Flybe here;

Most Improved Airline

This has been won by Garuda Indonesia in recognition of the dramatic turnaround by the country’s national carrier.

Over the past five years the airline has made enormous strides to improve its in-flight product, operational and fiscal performance.

It has renewed its entire fleet, been approved for European and US operations and is now considered a world class operation.

AirlineRatings.com editors were unanimous in their praise of the professionalism of Garuda Indonesia’s operation and the speed of the airline’s turnaround.

Read glowing passenger reviews of Garuda here;

Etihad Airways is once again a big winner in the 2017 AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards announced on Monday November 14.

The airline won for the third consecutive year Best First Class, Best Long Haul Airline (Middle East/Africa) and also ranked in the AirlineRatings.com Top Ten.

AirlineRatings.com is the world’s only safety and product rating website and promotes excellence and innovation in the airline industry and the pinnacle of these efforts is its Airline Excellence Awards.

Best First Class

Etihad’s First Class product continues to be a clear standout since its introduction in 2015.

According to AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas “Etihad’s commitment to excellence appears to know no bounds. The airline’s new

First Class and Business Class offerings are quite stunning and have set the bar at a new high.”

“In what is an incredible achievement in just over 14 years Etihad Airways has stamped itself not only as a major force in the airline industry but a trendsetter.”

Take a video stroll through Etihad’s exclusive First Class cabin.

Best Long Haul Airline

Etihad’s win for the Middle East/Africa for the third year running comes against stiff competition from Emirates and Qatar Airways.

These three airlines are global giants that are dominating global aviation. “Etihad Airways is the new kid on the block and is challenging the product leadership and reach of its neighbours.”

The airline’s network is far reaching and its network of affiliated airlines in which it has taken a shareholding is growing. The airline operates 125 aircraft to 120 destinations.

Top Ten

To be named in the Top Ten, airlines must achieve a seven-star safety rating and demonstrate leadership in innovation for passenger comfort. AirlineRatings.com developed its unique seven-star ratings system after two years of evaluation and consultation with the industry’s governing body the International Civil Aviation Organization.

For the yearly ranking the editors of AirlineRatings.com, some of the most experienced and awarded, combine four major international industry and government audits, with another nine key criteria that include: fleet age, passenger review ratings, profitability, investment rating and key product offerings to arrive at a ranking.

“We are looking for leadership, airlines that innovate to make a real difference to the passenger experience particularly in economy class,” said Mr Thomas.

For the third year running Etihad Airways has been named in the Top Ten as it continues its leading role in global aviation with the world’s best First Class while launching new aircraft such as the 777X.

It is continuing with its aggressive fleet roll out with 10 787s in service and 65 on order. The airline also has 65 A350s on order.