LAST WEEK OAG PRESENTED ITS 24TH ANNUAL AIRLINE OF THE YEAR AWARDS. The awards are awarded based on a poll of frequent business travelers and have grown in prestige over the course of the near two and half decades since their inception. Taking the top prize this year was Cathay Pacific, which also took home the awards for Best Airline Based in Asia and Best Transpacific Airline. For Cathay, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the awards capped off a year of accolades. Last year the airline was named Airline of the Year 2005 in the world’s largest passenger poll conducted by Skytrax. In October, the readers of trade magazine TTG Asia named Cathay Pacific Airline of the Year, as did industry staple Air Transport World this January.
Other winners at last week’s ceremony included: South African Airways, Best Airline Based in Africa; Emirates, Best Airline Based in Middle East & Indian Sub-Continent; Continental, Best Airline Based in North America; British Airways, Best Airline Based in Western Europe and Best Transatlantic Airline; JetBlue for Best Low Cost/No Frills Airline; and a new special award for Airline of Choice for Travelers with a Disability, which went to American Airlines. For a complete list of winners, visit http://www.oag.com.
