SIR STELIOS HAJI-IOANNOU HONOURED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES WINS BEST BUSINESS CLASS FOR 5th SUCCESSIVE YEAR
JETBLUE RETAINS BEST LOW COST AIRLINE TITLE
SEOUL INCHEON INTERNATIONAL WINS BEST AIRPORT British Airways was the big winner at the 25 th Anniversary OAG Airline of the Year Awards that were held in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal at a gala dinner on Tuesday 17 April at The Landmark in London . Her Royal Highness presented the coveted Spirit of Flight trophy for Airline of the Year to British Airways CEO, Willie Walsh. British Airways also picked up awards as Best Transatlantic Airline, Best Europe-Asia/Australasia Airline, and best airline based in Western Europe , and was shortlisted in three other categories. British Airways last won the OAG Airline of the Year Award back in 1988 and now ties with Singapore and Virgin Atlantic in having won the title on five separate occasions since the inception of the awards in 1982. “British Airways performed solidly in just about every category it was eligible for,” says Alan Glass, CEO of OAG. “The people that matter, the world’s frequent fliers, made it very clear in the way they voted that they like what BA is offering them. British Airways is a very worthy recipient of this year’s OAG Airline of the Year Award.” Other multiple winners on the night were Continental Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Continental Airlines retained the “Best Business Class” title for a fifth successive year as well as being voted best airline in North America for a fourth consecutive year – just pipping American Airlines who were commended. Singapore Airlines retained “Best International First Class” and was voted the best airline in Asia . Last year’s Airline of the Year, Cathay Pacific, retained its crown as “Best Transpacific Airline”. Reflecting the global reach of the OAG awards, regional winners on the night for best airline included Singapore Airlines (Asia), Qantas (Australasia / Pacific), Continental Airlines (North America), Aeromexico (Central/South America and the Caribbean), Emirates (Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent), South African Airways (Africa), British Airways (Western Europe), and CSA Czech Airlines (Central/Eastern Europe). All the regional winners were eligible for “Airline of the Year.” Seoul Incheon International fought off extremely stiff competition to win the “ Best Airport ” crown. It just edged out last year’s winner Singapore Changi which was commended, and also beat Amsterdam Schiphol, Dubai International, New York JFK and San Francisco International. Korea was a double winner with Korean Air, shortlisted for the first time this year, winning “Best Economy Class”. JetBlue won Best Low Cost/No Frills Airline for the second time, beating AirAsia, bmibaby, easyJet, Southwest Airlines and Virgin Blue. “OAG’s worldwide customer and subscriber base have spoken and voted in record numbers this year,” adds Duncan Alexander, managing director at OAG. “ A total of 42 different airlines received nominations this year in 15 regional and global categories. As in previous years the results have thrown up some interesting surprises as well as some perennial favourites. On behalf of OAG and its customers, we congratulate all the winners and nominees for representing the very best in global air travel.” Lifetime Achievement Award EasyJet founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, was presented with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award by HRH The Princess Royal. His Lifetime Achievement Award recognised the impact that EasyJet and the easyGroup had made on the European aviation and travel scene. Alan Glass praised Stelios for his remarkable entrepreneurial achievements in a comparatively short ‘lifetime’. Outstanding Service Award The recipient of the Outstanding Service Award was Maria Sabbah, BMED sales manager in Lebanon . The award recognised her dedication and inspiring leadership during the aftermath of the air attacks on Beirut and its international airport. Maria, who received her award from BMED CEO, David Richardson, helped hundreds of stranded passengers from all airlines to find their way home safely from Lebanon . During the award ceremony, which was hosted by sports broadcaster Steve Rider, the CEO of Visit London, James Bidwell, took the stage to welcome the gathered airline and travel industry executives to London. He told them that air travel was vital to the city and the UK’s continued prosperity, as well as its position as an international economic hub. He recognised, however, the need to balance the economic importance of tourism with measures to improve the sustainability of the city and looked forward to working with the airlines. The annual “OAG Airline of the Year Awards” celebrates the very best in global air travel and publicly recognises the highest standards within the industry. The Awards are in association with TravelPlus; Le Royal Hotels was the Official Sponsor of the event, and Boeing was the champagne reception sponsor. The Winners and Nominees for the 25 th OAG Airline of the Year Awards OAG Airline of the Year 2007: British Airways
Aeromexico, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Emirates, Qantas, South African Airways, Singapore Airlines Best Airline Based in Asia : Singapore Airlines
Cathay Pacific , Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Thai Airways Best Airline Based in Australasia/Pacific: Qantas
Air New Zealand, Air Tahiti Nui, Virgin Blue Best Airline Based in North America: Continental Airlines
Air Canada , American Airlines (Commended), Delta Air Lines, United Airlines Best Airline Based in Central/S.America & Caribbean: Aeromexico
Copa Airlines, LAN Airlines, Mexicana, TAM Brazilian Airlines Best Airline Based in Western Europe : British Airways
Air France , KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic Best Airline Based in Central/Eastern Europe : CSA Czech Airlines
Aeroflot Russian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, MALEV Hungarian Airlines Best Airline Based in the Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent : Emirates
El Al, Etihad, Jet Airways, Qatar Airways (Commended) Best Airline Based in Africa: South African Airways
Air Mauritius, Egyptair, Kenya Airways Best Transatlantic Airline: British Airways
American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic Best Transpacific Airline: Cathay Pacific
Air New Zealand , American Airlines, Qantas, United Airlines Best Europe – Asia/Australasia Airline: British Airways
Air France , Emirates, Lufthansa, Qantas Best Low Cost/No Frills Airline: JetBlue
AirAsia, bmibaby, easyJet, Southwest Airlines, Virgin Blue Best Economy/Coach Class: Korean Air
American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Singapore Airlines Best Business/Executive Class: Continental Airlines
American Airlines, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic (Commended) Best International First Class: Singapore Airlines
British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Korean Air, Best Airport : Seoul Incheon International
Amsterdam Schiphol, Dubai International, New York JFK, San Francisco International, Singapore Changi (Commended) - ENDS- For further information about OAG or the 25 th Anniversary Airline of the Year Awards please contact: Christopher Pickard at DBA Tel +44 (0)20 7930 8033 Email: chris@dbapr.co.uk About the Awards - These annual awards were established in 1982.
- The awards are presented by OAG to recognise and celebrate the achievements of airlines and airports around the globe
- The award is a specially commissioned bronze figure called “Spirit of Flight” by sculptor Sara Ingleby-Mackenzie
- These Awards are based on votes polled from a worldwide audience of business travellers who subscribe to OAG travel information and planning products.
- Votes are collected, processed and analysed by an independent research company.
- Sponsors of individual award categories:
787 Dreamliner: Best Airline based in North America
Airport Express Alliance : Best International First Class
Boeing: Best Transatlantic Airline
Hahn Air Systems: Best Low Cost/No Frills Airline
Odgers Ray & Berndtson: Best Airline based in Middle East/Indian Sub-continent
Peel Airports Group: Best Economy/Coach Class
Powertraveller: Best Transpacific Airline
Sabre Airline Solutions: Best Business/Executive Class
Sabre Travel Network: Best Airline based in Western Europe
SideStep: Best Airline based in Asia
TravelPlus: Best Airport
TTG: Best Europe – Asia/Australasia Airline
Zagreb Airport : Best Airline based in Central/Eastern Europe - Ends-
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