V Australia bags three passenger experience awards

[Greg McDonald]

Congrats to V Aus:

QANTAS didn't get a mention, but V Australia has picked up three awards at this year's Passenger Choice Awards.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association offers the travelling public the chance to vote on which airline has the best product, service and innovations.

V Australia was voted best airline in the Asia and Australasia region, while also picking up Best Food and Beverage; and Best In-Flight Entertainment User Interface.

Taking out the top gong for Best Overall Passenger Experience were Emirates and Virgin America.

“V Australia would like to thank our guests who took the time to vote for us. Clearly, we are providing the best level of product and services for them," Virgin Australia Group Executive, Martin Daley, said.

“From our Luke Mangan designed in-flight meals to the award-winning seat-back entertainment system, which offers a wealth of entertainment options and a vibrant easy-to-use touch-screen, we have a great winning combination,” he says.

All in all it was a pretty good day for the Virgin brand, which claimed more than half of the awards on offer.

Qantas, meanwhile, has been left high and dry, failing to claim a single award this year or last.

The now-annual Passenger Choice Awards were launched last year and decide on the best airline in 14 different categories, based solely on the independent votes of travellers.

Here's a full list of the 2011 winners:

Best Overall Passenger Experience - Emirates
Best Overall Passenger Experience - Virgin America
Best in Region: Africa - South African Airways
Best in Region: Americas - Virgin America
Best in Region: Asia and Australasia - V Australia
Best in Region: Europe - Virgin Atlantic
Best in Region: Middle East - Emirates
Best Inflight Publication - Avianca
Best IFE User Interface - V Australia
Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications - Oman Air
Best Inflight Video - Virgin America
Best Cabin Ambiance - JetBlue
Best Food & Beverage in conjunction with IFSA - V Australia
Best Ground Experience - Virgin America

[Andrew P]

yawn, another poll

[Arthur T]

Congrats to Virgin Australia for their Hard Work and High Quality Managment by JB!
Tho I am quite shocked traditional HQ Airlines such as Singapore or Cathay did not make into the list...

[Kieran Wells]

Looking forward to flying them next year!!!

[D Chan]

Emirates best in Middle East region? and Virgin Atlantic best in Europe? seriously ... give me a break! :rolleyes:

[Ash W]

This survey is not a random passenger survey, instead it is reliant upon airlines encouraging passengers to actively go to the website below and provide feedback by doing the survey. This may well explain some of the awards as it is more of a popularity contest.

http://www.passengerchoiceawards.com/

[Owen H]

These 'surveys' are always a complete joke.

Just another way for various companies to get cheap advertising.

[Bernie P]

Let alone, offer an insight into product development to meet the needs of travelling public...??? :rolleyes:

[Andrew P]

that website has no internet bot blocks, so easy to lodge multiapplications automatically

also how do you effectively compare an airline with only 5 planes with say one wirh 132 planes (CX) & 107 (SQ),

[Ash W]

The questions in the survey also seem to be directed at expectations of long haul flights rather than short haul. So airlines with largish short haul flying wheer for example IFE is limited or meal services basic would struggle whereas niche market (Virgin America for example) or long haul only airlines will do better.

[Rob R]

I'm sure if QF won the awards then some of the replies would be different.

[Ash W]

Rob, think many would disagree and say the same about Qantas and it's awards. Like for example it is current #8 according to Skytax in front of Emirates who are #10. In the same awards Turkish is number 9. How?

[Grant Smith]

Wow... And I thought SkyTrax was a joke...

[Laurent Sanhard]

congrats to V Australia on getting the awards ! I agree with Rob , seems that some people just can't accept that Qantas is not the airline it used to be , .......credit where credit is due , :o

[Ash W]

Ummm, actually Dave if you read what I wrote I was surprised that Qantas beat Emirates in Skytrax! It really speaks volumes about what these 'awards' are all about. I take them all with a grain of salt, especially when you consider the science behind how the results are collected.

Like I mean to say how could an airline like Avianca have the best inflight publication, or an airline like Virgin Atlantic be the best in Europe or, yes V Australia be the best in Asia and Australasia when it has a couple of routes compared to quality competitors like Singapore, Thai, Cathay, Air New Zealand and yes Qantas.

[Nigel C]

The awards seem to be well stacked towards the Virgin group of companies...perhaps they just advertised the survey better than most?

[Ash W]

Careful Nigel, you might get accused of being a Qantas sympathiser, for stating the bleeding obvious.

[Nigel C]

I like Qantas as much as I like all the airlines....really!