The Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022 were held at the Langham Hotel in London on Friday, marking the first time the event had been held in person since 2019.
Skytrax, a UK-based airline and airport review and ranking site, conducted more than 14 million customer surveys in more than 100 countries between September 2021 to August 2022 to find out the world's current favorite airline.
The winner for the current favourite airline was given to Doha-based Qatar Airways.
World’s Best Airline For 2022 – Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is no stranger to the podium. Since the awards' inception in 1999, Qatar Airways has won the top prize a total of seven times. On Friday, the Qatari flag carrier also won eight more awards, including Best Business Class, Best Business Class Seat, and Best Business Class Lounge Dining. That's a lot of stuff to bring back in hand luggage.
Only two months ago, the airline ranked first in AirlineRatings.com's list of the world's best airlines.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker stated in a statement that the top award has always been a goal of the company. "To win it for the seventh time and pick up three additional awards is a testament to all of the hard work of our incredible employees," he said, noting that the airline has been ranked first seven times since the awards began in 1999.
Skytrax Survey Rankings For Other Airlines Across World
Skytrax said in a statement that the Top 20 list was compiled from customer surveys that were "independent and impartial." Customers were polled on topics such as customer service, comfort, and cleanliness, and over 350 airlines were named in the survey results.
Singapore Airlines, the world's new No. 2 carrier, won nine awards, including Best Cabin Crew, Best First Class, Best First Class Seat, and Best First Class Catering.
Emirates, the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, finished third and received awards for Best In-Flight Entertainment, Best Economy Class, Best Economy Class Catering, and Best Prem ium Economy Class Seat.
Japan's ANA (All Nippon Airways) came in fourth and was also named World's Cleanest Airline, which is no small feat given that two years of Covid-19 has made customers especially conscious of hygiene and cleanliness standards. It also received four additional awards, including Best Airport Services.
Qantas, the Australian airline, finished fifth in the survey of more than 350 airlines conducted in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese.
Delta Air Lines was the top airline in the United States, taking home six region-specific award categories, while Turkish Airlines was the top carrier in Europe, winning four awards, including the highly competitive Best Airline in Europe title.
In one of the biggest surprises of the event, Irish airline Ryanair, which has never shied away from controversy in its 37-year history, won Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe for the first time. This customer success must be attributed in large part to its emerging this summer as one of the region's more reliable airlines, canceling relatively few flights and even offering "rescue" flights in July and August to help people stranded by competitors' cancellations, reports CNN, Travel.