Industry Awards recognise Qantas Lounges and Economy Offering

Qantas has been recognised as having the world’s best lounges and Economy class cabins, across both its domestic and international networks.

AirlineRatings.com’s review of over 450 international airlines across the globe awarded Qantas ‘Best Economy’ and ‘Best Lounge’ offerings in addition to placing the national carrier in its top five list of all world airlines.

Qantas Domestic CEO, Lyell Strambi, said it was great to see Qantas’ strong product and service offering acknowledged within the industry.

“We are delighted to be recognised for the ‘Best Economy’ and ‘Best Lounge’ categories in addition to our placement amongst the world’s top airlines,” said Mr Strambi.

“Awards like this, in combination with the feedback we get directly from our customers, are a credit to the dedicated team who work tirelessly to ensure the best travel experience possible – on the ground and in the air.”

Mr Strambi said the awards followed a number of milestones for Qantas Domestic over the past 12 months.
“We are experiencing our highest domestic customer satisfaction ever, with levels significantly above our previous best. We are also seeing the best results for check-in service in five years and the highest baggage delivery satisfaction levels since 2004. These are all key parts of people’s journey and part of what keeps them coming back to Qantas.

“In 2013, for the fifth straight year, Qantas flights have departed and arrived on-time more often than any other major domestic airline. We are still the only domestic airline that offers a meal and checked-in baggage to every passenger as part of their fare, no matter what time they are flying or which class they are in,” added Mr Strambi.

Qantas International CEO, Simon Hickey, welcomed the recognition of the airline’s international Economy class product in what was a particularly competitive part of the market.
“Economy class is where the majority of airline passengers sit, and in the case of international routes, they can be on board for upwards of eight hours,” said Mr Hickey.

“We have put a lot of effort into maximising the comfort and space of our Economy cabins, particularly on our A380 and reconfigured B747s, and backing that up with great service.”

AirlineRatings.com singled out Qantas’ domestic economy product for special praise, saying: “We found that there is absolutely no doubt that it is world’s best – and by a wide margin. Qantas’ lounges have become an Australian air travel institution and the airline’s overseas offerings are an industry benchmark.”

AirlineRatings.com also named Jetstar the best low cost carrier in the Asia Pacific.