QATAR. Qatar Airways has been named ‘Airline of the Year’ by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. The Doha-based carrier has won the main prize, voted by consumers, for an unprecedented sixth time.
Qatar Airways also captured five additional awards including World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge (for its Al Mourjan Lounge), World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat (Qsuite), World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering and Best Airline in the Middle East.
The 2021 Skytrax awards covered the period from September 2019 to July 2021 with the results reflecting a mix of more normal travel times combined with travel during the pandemic, noted Skytrax.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Being recognised as the World’s Best Airline for the sixth time is an incredible achievement for our airline and I want to thank our loyal passengers for this award. Having gone through one of the most challenging years in aviation history, this award is fitting recognition for all the hard work by the entire Qatar Airways family to take care of our passengers. We never abandoned them when they needed us the most, we kept flying to get people home, focused on biosafety to provide customer and employee reassurance and continued to innovate during this period.
“Our goal continues to be the airline of choice for global travellers who are keen to explore with the World’s Best Airline, via the World’s Best Airport. Our constant commitment to our passengers is to provide unrivalled experiences when they travel with Qatar Airways and these awards acknowledge that we continue to get this right.
“As Chair of oneworld, I would also like to congratulate the alliance on receiving the coveted 2021 award for Best Airline Alliance for its commitment to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.”
Skytrax Chief Executive Officer Edward Plaisted said: “To be named as the World’s Best Airline is a great recognition of Qatar Airways high standards, and to win this highest accolade for a sixth time is a remarkable achievement. We congratulate them for this unique success. Voted by customers, the focus of our annual survey is for travellers to make their own, personal choices as to which airline they consider to be best, and it is clear that Qatar Airways has maintained its high standards of innovation and service standards, both in more normal times and through the current global pandemic.”
Qatar Airways was also the first global airline to receive the Skytrax COVID-19 Safety Rating in January 2021 while its home and hub, Hamad International Airport, was recently voted the World’s Best Airport 2021.
*In related news, the deadline to enter The QDF Factor 2021, an initiative between Qatar Duty Free and The Moodie Davitt Report to champion innovation at a time when travel retail needs it more than ever, has been extended to 3 October.
Entries have been pouring in for the event, first hosted in 2020 at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo. It takes the shape of a competition open to all brands, both within and outside the travel retail channel. The QDF Factor offers a top prize of a six-month listing in 2022 at Qatar Duty Free’s award-winning retail offer at Hamad International Airport. The victor will also win a free six-month US$50,000 multi-media advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report.
Winners will be revealed during the Virtual Travel Retail Expo 2021 (11-15 October).
Note: Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker will be one of the keynote speakers in the Knowledge Hub during the Virtual Expo.
