AC wins Airline of the Year award (worldwide, not just North America)

[dagger]

I usually don't pay much attention to airline of the year awards when they are only for part of the world, or part of the market, but this one is for Airline of the (whole) World.

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/air-canada-named-2019-airline-of-the-year-by-global-traveler-863014568.html

 

MONTREAL, Dec. 2, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Air Canada has been recognized as the 2019 Airline of the Year by Global Traveler, the leading magazine for luxury business and leisure travellers.

Air Canada has been recognized as the 2019 Airline of the Year by Global Traveler, the leading magazine for luxury business and leisure travellers. (CNW Group/Air Canada)

"I am very pleased that Air Canada has been named the 2019 Airline of The Year by Global Traveler. The success we have had transforming our airline into a leading global carrier is being recognized worldwide and we continue to invest in new aircraft, onboard services, airport amenities and a new Loyalty program to build on our leading position. Mostly, however, this award recognizes the hard work of our employees and their commitment to deliver customer service excellence every day, for which I thank them," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada. 

Global Traveler's staff submitted nominations to an advisory board, whose members chose the winners based on a series of factors after thorough research. The panel weighed the nominees' financial data, safety records, product offerings, onboard menus and overall image as a brand before selecting Air Canada as Airline of The Year. 

Since 2010, Air Canada has embarked on a $12 Billion capital expenditure program to elevate the travel experience which has included:

• An expanded global network connecting over its Canadian gateway hubs to nearly 220 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and North and South America. Air Canada is one of only a few airlines in the world to serve all six inhabited continents; 
• A wide body fleet renewal program that introduced Boeing 777s and state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners and that includes a significant refurbishment of the A330 fleet to the Dream cabin; 
• A narrow body fleet renewal which continues this month with the delivery of the airline's first Airbus A220-300 aircraft; 
• Best in class cabin interiors across its wide-body fleet, featuring lie-flat direct aisle access Signature Class seats and a Premium Economy cabin offering increased pitch and width; 
• Signature Class Service internationally and year-round on select North America transcontinental flights including between Toronto and Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles; Montreal and Vancouver; and Vancouver and New York (Newark). Signature Class features an end-to-end premium travel experience with exclusive services and amenities; 
• BMW Chauffeur Service for select customers connecting to international flights at the Toronto global hub; 
• New international, domestic and U.S. Maple Leaf Lounge concepts, including the Air Canada Signature Suite for eligible customers travelling in Signature Class internationally from the Toronto Pearson global hub, featuring a la carte dining with a menu created by celebrated Canadian Chef David Hawksworth; and the Air Canada Café, a first in North America, where eligible customers departing on a domestic flight from Toronto-Pearson can enjoy a premium coffee shop experience with grab and go snacks. 
• Enhanced onboard amenities such as signature dishes prepared by Canadian celebrity chefs David Hawksworth, Antonio Park and Vikram Vij, coupled with wine pairings by world-renowned sommelier Veronique Rivest; a revamped Skyriders program with special amenities for the youngest travellers and families; in-flight Wi-fi connectivity on all narrow-body aircraft, and progressive implementation onboard the wide-body fleet, complementing Air Canada's personal seatback in-flight entertainment system, which offers more than 1,000 hours of free digital audio-visual content. 
• Ongoing customer service training initiatives for customer-facing in-flight, airport, baggage and call centre employees; 
• Technological innovations to facilitate customer interactions, including a new website compatible with all types of devices for a consistent experience, ongoing refinements of mobile technology, and increased investments in artificial intelligence to further develop customer-focused capabilities and information management;

This win builds on other recent accolades such as being named Best Airline in North America for the third consecutive year at the 2019 Skytrax World Airline Awards, as well as the Best Airline for Family Travel by the Wherever Awards and the Favourite Airline for Millennial Travellers by the Trazee Awards. Air Canada was also named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers (2020) for the seventh consecutive year and was recognized for Diversity in Leadership at the 2019 Airline Strategy Awards.

[Guest]

see also my post https://theairlinewebsite.com/topic/503957-aircanada-news-jazz-news-rouge-news/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-1837000

 

[Maverick]

Well, just for a bit of balance...

 

 

Air Canada ranked one of the worst major airlines for passenger satisfaction

 

Tyler Jadah

|

Dec 4 2019, 9:29 am

CNW Group/Air Canada

Canada’s largest airline has been ranked as one of the worst in the world when it comes to passenger satisfaction, according to a new report.

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The report, put together by consumer insights company JD Power, was split into two categories, measuring passenger satisfaction with airline carriers flying from North America to Europe and Asia.

In the Asian category, Air Canada ranked as the ninth worst airline, out of 11 spots and the 10th worst in the European section.

• See also:
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  • Travel magazine names Air Canada as its “Airline of the Year”
  • These are the most bike-friendly cities in Canada: report

The study is based on responses from 6,287 passengers, fielded from September to October 2019. It is based on passenger satisfaction in nine categories: in-flight services, cost and fees, aircraft, flight crew, check-in, boarding, immigration, baggage, and reservation.

Among carriers flying from North America to Europe, Turkish Airlines ranked the highest in passenger satisfaction with a score of 833. Virgin Atlantic ranks second with 829, and British Airways and Delta Air Lines rounded out the top three with a score of 815.

Air Canada’s score was 787, beating only Norwegian Airlines at 767. The European average is 809.

jdpower.com

Among carriers flying from North America to Asia, Japan Airlines ranks highest with a score of 869 followed by Delta Air Lines (861) and Korean Air (854).

Air Canada finished third from the bottom with a score of 811, followed by China Eastern Airlines (810) and United Airlines (808.) The Asia average is 830.

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jdpower.com

 

“For the world airline industry, air carriers are recognized globally by Skytrax. Air Canada has been ranked Best Airline in North America by Skytrax for three consecutive years and in eight of the last 10 years,” Air Canada told Daily Hive in a statement.

“In its evaluation, Skytrax undertakes an extensive annual survey of more than 21 million air travellers versus the 6,287 by JD Power. Air Canada is also the only Skytrax, Four-Star rated network carrier in North America, based on assessment of more than 1,000 aspects of airport and onboard products and services.”

Air Canada says it has received consistent recognition for its products and services in the form of a wide range of other awards, most recently being named Airline of the Year by Global Traveler.

https://dailyhive.com/calgary/air-canda-passenger-satisfaction-worst

 

 

[QFE]

JD POWER , typical, 6287 are right and 21 million are wrong. They should stick to rating pick up trucks!

[mrlupin]

From the JD power site... No bias there... Go USA! lol

[FA@AC]

I have never understood Air Canada's long standing fixation with Skytrax.  Who chooses an airline based on its Skytrax ranking?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, FA@AC said:

I have never understood Air Canada's long standing fixation with Skytrax.  Who chooses an airline based on its Skytrax ranking?

I guess someone must as they have been around for quite some time., they were established in 1989,  https://skytraxresearch.com/about-us/

Quote

 

our background
Established in 1989, we are the international air transport rating organisation, based in London, UK.

With a unique knowledge base and expertise of quality issues affecting the air transport industry, Skytrax deliver innovative thinking to help make change happen.

World Airline and Airport Rating is the professional, unified Quality classification system of airline and airport standards worldwide.

 

 

[j.k.]

JD Power ranking says as more about the expectation of that cross section of the population that is the airline's passengers as it does the airline.

I don't think many Canadians are ever satisfied. IMO the level of entitlement in our society in general is growing exponentially... people see these amazing Instagram or Influencer posts and are **bleep** that it isn't their reality when they take a trip, when the fact is, it really isn't anyone's...

It's all attitude.

Just MHO.

[Kip Powick]

8 minutes ago, j.k. said:

I don't think many Canadians are ever satisfied. IMO the level of entitlement in our society in general is growing exponentially...

agree +5000 and a lot of their feelings of being entitled originate through social media platforms.

I don't belong to one Social Media platform...and don't want to....

To show you just how gullible the public is....very recently a rumour started on Facebook that Sex Trade  bad guys are using white cargo vans to kidnap girls and force them in the sex trade. The rumour mushroomed on social media , some police departments actually put out warnings....women were advised never to park beside a white van, report any white vans seen near colleges and high schools etc......... and many companies that use the white cargo vans for business had the drivers threatened and accosted. Now the authorities who had a kneee jerk reaction to the false rumours are trying to walk the narrative back....but rest assured there will be some that believe everything on all the social media platforms is real.. 

Just how I feel ..............but  the only thing I like about Facebook is that everyone on it today, will be dead in 100 years.

[boestar]

Like....Ummmmm..... Climate Change Crisis.....Maybe?

 

[Guest]

Air Canada Named Best North American Airline for International Travel by Business Traveler USA

Provided by Air Canada/CNW

MONTREAL, Dec. 9, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ – Air Canada was named Best North American Airline for International Travel for the 12th consecutive year at the 2019 Best in Business Travel Awards by readers of leading frequent business traveller magazine Business Traveler USA.

“We are delighted to be consistently recognized as a North American leader in international travel by those who frequently fly a variety of airlines. We have strategically linked more than 50 US cities to our powerful global network through our Canadian hubs with easy and seamless connections. Our extensive schedule together with our state-of-the-art aircraft, customer-focused products and award-winning service all validate the ongoing initiatives we are undertaking in our journey towards becoming a global champion. I want to thank our 33,000 dedicated employees worldwide for their incredible work transporting our customers safely and comfortably in a very competitive global market,” said Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada.

Business Traveler USA invites its readers annually to select the top travel providers across the globe, noting that business travellers are always the first to identify the best products and services essential to success and return on the traveller’s investment.

More information about Air Canada’s array of services for business travel ranging from small to medium to large corporations is at: www.aircanada.com/businesstravel

Business Traveler USA‘s Best North American Airline for International Travel is the latest award won by Air Canada this year, following:

• Global Traveler – 2019 Airline of the Year
• The Trazees – Favorite Airline in North America in 2019;
• 2019 Skytrax World Airline Awards including: Best Airline in North America for the third consecutive year, World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining, Best Airline Staff in Canada, Best Business Class in North America and Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness in North America;
• Global Traveler Leisure Lifestyle Awards – Best Premium-Economy Class and Best for Onboard Entertainment;
• The Freddie Awards’ 210 Award for the airline in the Americas whose loyalty program value vote rating was trending higher, recognizing the growing appeal of Aeroplan;
• PAX International Readership Awards – Outstanding Food Service by a Carrier in North America and Best Business Class Amenity Kit in the Americas;
• TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards – Best Business Class in North America;
• One of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2020) for the seventh consecutive year;
• Diversity in Leadership at the 2019 Airline Strategy Awards.