Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

firecat69

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by firecat69 »

I'll cross Katmandu off my list of places to visit. HeHe
fountainhall

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by fountainhall »

Kathmandu's international airport is no great shakes, but far better than the domestic one.
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Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by gerefan »

Hate BA, even if it’s our national airline. They charge me £140 to reserve my seats... in Business Class!
Old aeroplane, cobwebs on the ceiling. TV colourless.
And finally, they didn’t even carry toothpicks.
Top of my No Fly List.
firecat69

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by firecat69 »

Travel and Leisure 2018 Awards for International Airlines .
Not quite the same as SKYTRAX . I think their list might be better!

https://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds ... ines-in-us
fountainhall

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by fountainhall »

I agree the Skytrax awards seem skewed more towards the Gulf and Asia - for whatever reason. I also agree that as far as the airlines are concerned, having Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic as included in the T&L poll does seem to give its results a more global reach. T&L are also more open about their survey methodology which invites voting via Travel + Leisure magazine, T+L tablet editions, newsletters, social media, and travel and leisure.com.

Yet their poll numbers are only in the region of 300,000 against Skytrax' far larger figure of nearly two million. I also suspect the T&L readership who vote is more upmarket than the average Skytrax voter. But since we know little about the average Skytrax voter, who knows? Given that, though, I started to have doubts when I read this -
"Several voters appreciated Taiwanese carrier Eva Air’s “excellent service” and cheerful Hello Kitty planes."
That Hello Kitty theme runs the gamut from special Hello Kitty check-in counters, to Hello Kitty livery, barf bags, snack mix, coasters, champagne, menus with Hello Kitty items, slippers, napkins, pillows, in flight purchase items - even toilet paper and the air freshener in the toilets!

Image

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I reckon if I found myself likely to be on a Hello Kitty plane, I'd immediately change to another carrier!
firecat69

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by firecat69 »

I don't pay much attention to Airline advertising since I figure they are no better then any other business and will lie through their teeth to get your money. There may be a few exceptions but certainly not in the Airline Industry. But despite their Kitty BS, I have had nothing but good experiences on EVA.

One thing for sure they used to serve a really delicious cheeseburger by request in Business which blew away most of the meals I have had on an airplane. But then again I am a simple guy!
Jun

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by Jun »

I've been content with my travels on EVA, ANA and Singapore airlines.
For London to BKK, I have been so pleased with EVA, I've not yet even tried Thai air. Actually, despite having used about 9 airports in Thailand, I've not used Thai air there either.

As for the airports, well Changi is good, but I don't see why it's top of the list.
The main MTS line doesn't go to the airport, so you have to change to another one. Then, a very long walk or transit train is needed, as the MTS doesn't serve all terminals. The airport is functional, but excels at nothing. Immigration can be slow & last time, I had to wait nearly an hour for checked luggage.

I actually prefer the ambience & connectivity at BKK, although of course some of the cleaning & maintenance is at a level which would never be tolerated in Singapore.

Healthrow has gone from a national embarrassment to being something quite respectable. The new Terminal 2 has a direct connection to the underground. Take a lift direct to departures. For economy, swiftly check in by machine. For other classes, the counters are behind. Security is usually less than 10 minutes. The departure terminal is bright & spacious, with a good range of food outlets & shops & a very nice lounge is available at about £36 for 3 hours. What more do you need ? Upon coming back home, immigration is a doddle, taking as little as 30 seconds with the machines. The only thing they need to improve is the baggage handling. That is about as slow as BKK.

Also, it kind of depends on what you want from an airport. Even airports like Phnom Penh can be delightful. I recall arriving, walking briskly from seat 1A to immigration, spending a couple of minutes there, having a quick bathroom stop, then my bag was already on the carousel. Changi will never beat that.

Worst airport ever ? Well, the old KL LCCT was like an overcrowded corrugated iron bus station. One large overcrowded waiting area & very poor displays with updates on departures. Access via a bus from the main terminal. Thankfully, Malaysia recognized the error & this has been replaced with a proper terminal.
London Luton is also dismal for a variety of reasons.
firecat69

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by firecat69 »

I hope this happens around the world before I am too old to bother with travel.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ne ... 13271.html
fountainhall

Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

Post by fountainhall »

At Taipei's main airport, departing is now a piece of cake. On entry you give index fingerprints. No exit card is required. All passengers do is place their passport on one piece of glass and their two index fingers on another. Within 10 seconds if not less you are through. Hong Kong residents have thunbprints embedded in their ID cards for entry and exit. At the first gate the ID card is inserted. After 5 seconds it is returned and you pass to the next gate where just one thunbprint is required. That also takes about 5 seconds. So fast.

Heathrow uses iris scans. For whatever reason, it has not worked for me on two occasions. The result is a lot of time wasted making others in the queue really pissed off. I fail to understand why iris scans are thought to be superior to fingerprinting.
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Re: Skytrax Best Airlines for 2018

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