Come fly with me....

[Gob]

Emirates has been named the best airline in the world for 2013, while Qantas has soared back into the top 10 in this year's annual World Airline Awards.

Qantas fell out of the World Airline Awards' top 10 for the first time last year, dropping to number 15 from number eight in 2011. The airline's ranking had sunk every year since 2008, when it peaked at number three.

This year it has climbed five places to be rated the 10th best airline in the world. Virgin Australia was not far behind in 13th place.

The World Airline Awards are determined by passenger surveys conducted by research firm Skytrax, who surveyed more than 18 million passengers.

As always, it was Middle-Eastern and Asian carriers that dominated the top spots, with no airlines from the US or Europe cracking the top 10.

Last year's No.1 airline, Qatar Airways, dropped one place to number two, while Singapore Airlines remained in third place for the second year in a row.

Emirates president Tim Clark said the awards were regarded as the industry's benchmark for excellence.

"To be voted 'world's best airline' by millions of discerning travellers really is something for our 60,000 strong workforce to be proud of," he said. Emirates recently began an alliance with Qantas which saw Australia's national carrier make Dubai its new hub for flights into Europe.

Qantas was also awarded Best Airline Australia-Pacific and budget offshoot Jetstar Airways won Best Low Cost Airline for our region.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the result put Qantas and Jetstar among the best airlines in the world.

“Skytrax is a leading indicator of passenger satisfaction. For both Qantas and Jetstar Airways to be recognised as two of the best reflects our investment in creating great travel experiences,” said Mr Joyce.

“We now have one of the youngest fleets of any legacy airline in the world. We have invested in more training, new lounges and better on-board products. We pride ourselves on safety and on being the most on-time airline in Australia. The Skytrax result shows how these efforts add up to create a superior experience for passengers."

Qantas' worst result came last year in the wake of Joyce's grounding of the airlines fleet during an industrial dispute, which saw tens of thousands of passengers stranded without warning around the world.

A surprise result was also the continued rise of Garuda Airlines, which moved from number 11 to number 8. The airline, which was banned by the European Union from flying to Europe due to safety concerns until mid-2009, has made great efforts to improve its safety and service levels in recent years.

Turkish Airlines, which recently signalled its intention to become the world's first airline to fly non-stop between Australia and Europe, also made the top 10. Turkish Airlines is currently the fastest growing carrier in the world.

World's best airlines 2013

1. Emirates

2. Qatar Airways

3. Singapore Airlines

4. ANA All Nippon Airways

5. Asiana Airlines

6. Cathay Pacific

7. Etihad Airways

8. Garuda Indonesia

9. Turkish Airlines

10. Qantas

Best inflight entertainment
1. Emirates

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Cathay Pacific

4. Turkish Airlines

5. Qatar Airways

6. Qantas

7. Virgin Atlantic

8. Etihad

9. Air New Zealand

10. Virgin Australia

Best cabin staff
1. Cathay Pacific Airways

2. Asiana Airlines

3. Malaysia Airlines

4. EVA Air

5. Singapore Airlines

6. ANA All Nippon Airways

7. Garuda Indonesia

8. Qatar Airways

9. Hainan Airlines

10. Thai Airways



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-new ... z2Wdr0S3ui

[Big RR]

I haven't flown most of those airlines, but those that I have (Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Malaysian) do stand out as among the best airlines I have flown. The US airlines could learn something from them, but I'll bet they won't; some airlines strive to be like high end botiques; most US airlines are content to be Walmart. I recently spent 11 hours flying from NY to Hawaii on two crammed 737s with extra rows and my knees in the back of the seat in front of me (and at only 6 foot tall, that's saying a lot)--no food, no entertainment (OK, you could pay around $10 for TV on each leg of the flight), crammed overheads, packed planes. I wish I could have driven.

[Daisy]

Cookie loves Emirates, he hasn't such good things to say about Qatar and Etihad let someone sit in the seat that he had pre-booked and wouldn't move them, he created a massive stink until they found him a better place and gave him free champagne for the duration of the flight. He's now got his "gold" card for Emirates and has started getting free upgrades into Business Class where there is space available, he's going to stick with them when he can. And we should soon have enough airmiles for me to have a cheeky week in Thailand on the cheap

He uses Garuda when he's flitting between Bangkok and Jakarta, they give plenty of legroom and nice service.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Haven't been on an airline lately. They have all been equally bad except for when we went on our honeymoon to hawaii on united (I think) but then again, being drunk for 12 hours tends to dull the pain.

[Gob]

I've done Emirates, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore airlines, hardly surprising as they are the main carriers in this region. Emirates does stand out.

When we go back to the UK in October we're flying BA/Qantas, looking forward to that trip. Emirates/BA/Qantas are now in partnership, so I hope the others will adopt Emirates standards.

We're also racking up huge amounts of airmiles with Qantas, enough to get a upgrade each for our next but one trip back, which will be around 2016.