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World’s Best Airlines, As compiled by SkyTrax |
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| In alphabetical order |
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| 5-star: |
Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Kingfisher Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. |
| 4-star: |
Hainan Airlines, Japan Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Porter Airlines (Canada), Qantas Airways, Silk Air, South African Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue. |
| 3-Star |
includes the bulk of the world’s carriers, plus virtually all US airlines. To quote, the standards mean “satisfactory” in general, “but reflects poor or less-consistent standards of staff service/product quality in selected onboard or airport features”. |
| 2-star: |
Air Malawi, Air Slovakia, Biman Bangladesh, Bulgaria Air and Cubana Airlines. JetStar Pacific, bmibaby, Ryanair, Ghana International, Macedonian Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Siberia Airlines, Sudan Airways, Tajikistan Airlines and Yemenia Yemen Airways. |
| 1-star: |
Air Koryo of North Korea is the only contender. |
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| August 2010 |
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Moneyed Air Cos /
World’s most profitable carriers |
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Compiled by Air Transport World’s ‘World Airline Report’.
Here’s a sobering list, as only one, America’s Southwest, is a discount carrier – all others are full service |
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| 1 |
Qantas |
| 2 |
Lufthansa |
| 3 |
Turkish Airlines |
| 4 |
Singapore Airlines |
| 5 |
LAN (Chile, Peru, Ecuador) |
| 6 |
Emirates |
| 7 |
Aeroflot |
| 8 |
Southwest Airlines |
| 9 |
Air New Zealand |
| 10 |
COPA (Panama) |
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| August 2010 |
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Largest Fleet |
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| As for the world’s largest fleet, excluding regional subsidiaries: |
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| 1 |
United (pending merger between United and Continental) |
11 |
Singapore Airlines |
| 2 |
Delta Air Lines |
12 |
Japan Airlines (JAL) |
| 3 |
American Airlines |
13 |
Qantas |
| 4 |
Air France/KLM |
14 |
China Southern |
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(counted together because of ownership, though they operate separately) |
15 |
Air Canada |
| 5 |
Lufthansa |
16 |
Air China |
| 6 |
Southwest Airlines |
17 |
All Nippon Airways (ANA) |
| 7 |
British Airways |
18 |
THAI Airways |
| 8 |
Emirates |
19 |
Ryanair |
| 9 |
US Airways |
20 |
Korean Air |
| 10 |
Cathay Pacific |
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| US air travelers have never had it worse. Yet we suspect our North American brethren don’t realize how much better it is in other parts of the world, where free meals and complimentary check-in baggage is still the norm. |
| Us airlines made $1.3 billion in the first quarter of 2010 just on luggage and other extra charges, according to the Government Accountability Office. |
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| August 2010 |
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Best Airports |
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Singapore’s Changi airport once again tops the world league for best airport, with Seoul’s Incheon and Hong Kong, Munich, KualaLumpur, Zurich, Amersterdam, Beijing, Auckland and Bangkok, in that order, according to Skytrax. It’s all about the “travel experience,” and savvy tourists value these results when deciding which cities to transit. We’re surprised Bangkok made the list, and Vancouver didn’t, especially with their revamp for the Olympics.
Maybe it’s the poor US connections. Friends recently complained about transiting from Asia to the US via YVR, saying they underwent two customs checks, first Canada, then the US, and consequently missed their US connection. The same thing happened to us – we even had to claim our bags and recheck after lengthy queues for Canadian immigration, followed by barking American officials. www.worldairportawards.com |
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| Washrooms: |
Hong Kong, Incheon, Kansai. After hosting a foodie group to China’s Yunnan province last January, we hope the trickle down theory will filter up from Hong Kong to China. Otherwise, do as we did: travel in winter: it smells less. |
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| Immigration: |
Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Changi. First impressions count, and a smiling face and pleasant demeanour is a great start. So where is Sydney in this category? We’re reminded regularly how friendly Australian immigration officials are – especially considering most overseas travelers arrive grumpy and dismayed after extremely lengthy flights. |
| Best dining: |
Hong Kong, Changi, Munich, in that order. |
| Baggage service: |
Zurich, Copenhagen, Kansai/Osaka |
| Shopping: |
London’s Heathrow, Amsterdam’s Schipol, Changi. So how did Dubai miss the mark? |
| Leisure amenities: |
Changi, Incheon, Munich |
| Security processing: |
Beijing, Incheon, Taipei’s Aoyuan |
| International transit: |
Incheon, Changi, Munich. Frankfurt’s fall is Munich’s gain! |
| Terminal cleanliness: |
Zurich, Incheon, Beijing. |
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| August 2010 |
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World’s Cheapest Cities |
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| What are the world’s cheapest cities? Mercer’s livability and quality of life guides www.mercer.com or compiled regularly for companies looking for new headquarters and expansion. Now they’ve compiled a cheapest list, but overlook potential dangers at your own risk! |
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| 1 |
Karachi, Pakistan. |
| 2 |
Managua, Nicaragua. |
| 3 |
Islamabad, Pakistan. |
| 4 |
La Paz, Bolivia. |
| 5 |
Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan. |
| 6 |
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. |
| 7 |
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
| 8 |
Kolkata, India. |
| 9 |
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. |
| 10 |
Windhoek, Namibia. |
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| August 2010 |
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Stop/Go Back/Wrong Way/Detour |
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| Some European reputations seem less than warranted, at least according to a Tourism Review survey. Mona Lisa ranks number one, but clouded by the perennial complaint of too many fellow tourists clamoring around the site. Other entries not warranting a detour: Dublin Castle; Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid; London Bridge; the interior of Gaudi’s Sagrada Fililia in Barcelona (we’d say the same of Sydney’s Opera House!); St Tropez; Brussels’ Manneken Pis; and those overrated gondola rides through Venice’s fetid waters. |
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Read the full listings on their link |
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http://www.tourism-review.com/article/2098-top-8-most-disappointing-sights-in-europe |
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