Air Canada named best Airline in North America by Skytrax World Airline Awards
The country’s largest airline, Air Canada, was named the Best Airline in North America by the 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards at the International Paris Air Show on June 20.
This is the sixth time in the past eight years that Air Canada has been recognized as the best airline in the continent by Skytrax, which surveys 20 million air travellers from over 105 countries worldwide on their flight experiences.
The survey covers 325 airlines and evaluates standards across 41 categories including front-line products and onboard environments.
“We are delighted to be recognized as the Best Airline in North America by Skytrax based on the opinions of those who know us best: our customers,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada, in a release.
“This award is a significant milestone in the transformation of Air Canada into one of the world’s leading carriers and is all the more meaningful given the increased competition in our industry.”
Since 2010, Air Canada has expanded its Canadian flights to all six inhabited continents. The airline has also introduced a new fleet of Boeing 777s and state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Air Canada has faced challenges
Air Canada has faced its own set of challenges regarding customer satisfaction.
In May, the company was ranked last in a study of customer satisfaction with North American airlines, by consumer insights company J.D. Power.
In the ranking, Air Canada had a total score of 709 out of 1,000, and fell behind traditional carriers including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and even United Airlines.
See also
- Air Canada ranked worst major airline in North America for satisfaction
- Air Canada will now let you bid to upgrade your seat on select flights
J.D. Power ranked the carriers based on cost and fees, in-flight services, aircraft, boarding and deplaning, baggage care, flight crew, check-in, and reservation.
However, Air Canada is still the only Four Star network carrier in North America on the Skytrax ranking, which is considered the global benchmark for the aviation industry.
With files from Kenneth Chan