A CARRIER from Spain has made it into eDreams' annual 'World's Best Airlines' list, jostling with some of the largest and most luxurious on earth.
Headed up by Qatar Airways, Delta Airlines and All Nippon Airways, in that order, the ranking includes giants such as British Airways, Bangkok Airways, Japan Airlines, Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
This year saw the criteria extended to cover anti-Covid measures, cancellation and rescheduling policies, and speed of refunds.
All carriers were scored out of 5 for each element, based upon passengers' experiences with them, and given an overall ranking out of 5.
Qatar came out top with an across-the-board score of 4.4 out of 5, with its most-valued features being its reimbursement process and speed, given full marks, and extra security measures taken in light of the pandemic, which earned 4.4 out of 5.
US-based Delta Airlines scored an overall 4.11, earning a 5 for its loyalty scheme and also for its hygiene measures, whilst the Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways got 4.09 in total, with 4.9 for its reimbursement efficiency and 4.4 for its extra security.
One of the main complaints among travellers in the past year has been problems with refunds when they or the company itself cancelled their flight due to cross-border entry restrictions and other issues arising through the pandemic – but along with Qatar Airways, a handful scored the full 5, being British Airways, Air Baltic and Bangkok Airways.
Security in Covid terms was described as measures including temperature checks prior to boarding, masks being compulsory throughout the journey, hand-sanitiser wipes and other 'hygiene kit' articles offered to passengers, thorough disinfection, and the use of HEPA air filters.
Many of these are standard on all airlines anyway, especially the HEPA filters, which are the same type as those used in operating theatres, completely renewing the on-board air every few minutes and using bottled oxygen or air from outside the aircraft, where it is too cold for any organism to survive.
IATA and the Spanish Airlines Association (ALA) have both confirmed that air travel is one of the safest forms of transport in times of virus spread due to the in-cabin filter system.
Perception is equally important, however – even if all the hygiene measures are the norm for every airline, scores given reflected how well passengers themselves considered them to be complied with.
In this case, the ones that came out best were Japan Airlines, Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines, all with a 4.4.
One carrier on the 'World's Best' list is Spanish – Binter Canarias, serving the Canary Islands, and one of the few airlines that did not stop or slow its activity during the pandemic, since residents in its home region often need to 'island-hop' for administrative reasons, medical appointments, or even commuting.
Its best score came from its reliability in terms of route-scheduling, which earned a 4.8 out of 5 – in fact, it got the best rating of all for this element, beating Qatar Airways (4.2 points) and KLM Royal Dutch and Turkish Airlines (4.1 points), who were otherwise the highest-scorers for being reliable.
General on-board experience and value for money both earned 4.2 out of 5 for Binter Canarias, although it fell down on the speed and efficiency of its refund management, scoring 2.9, or 58%.
Whilst the regional carrier only gained 2.8 out of 5 for Covid-related security measures, or 56%, the disinfection policy and mask-wearing, among other features mentioned in the list criteria, have been required by law in the whole of Spain since the pandemic first reached Europe.
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