Malaysia Airlines, a premiere carrier operating flights from Kuala Lumpur reached the 7th position in the Top 10 Airlines Worldwide category under the Best in Travel Poll 2010. A travel magazine on Asia called Smart Travel Asia conducted the poll.
Singapore Airlines claimed the top spot, while Cathay Pacific, Emirates, and Thai Airways International took the second, third, and fourth positions respectively. Jet Airways and Virgin Atlantic shared the fifth place. The sixth spot went to British Airways. Lufthansa shared the seventh rank with Malaysia Airlines. Qantas and Korean Air grabbed the 8th and 9th positions respectively, while Qatar and Air France together appeared at the 10th position.
Regions Participating in the Poll
Polling was conducted over a period of three months, spanning May to July, 2010. On average, the voters had taken air trips some 13.56 times in the last 12 months. The poll took into account 20 per cent of the voters from the EU, 60 per cent from Asia, and another 20 per cent from the US. The yearly household earnings of about US$164,501 was also set as the participating criteria. It is to be noted that Malaysia Airlines is also a well known brand in the British market as it operates quite a few flights to and from the UK.
Malaysia Airlines’ take on the Recognition
Mr Muzzaffar Othman, Senior General Manager of Malaysia Airlines observed Asia as the airline’s key market of airline’s operation and expressed delight over receiving the recognition. As per the sources, 60 percent of the participants who voted were based in Asia which, Mr. Othman stated will further boost the airline’s commitment to offer 5 star services to its customers.
Mr. Othman informed that the Malaysia Airlines is on the track for growth and is anticipating the arrival of its new aircrafts from this year till 2014. The new B737-800s are expected to be delivered from October 2010. This will make it the first Asian airline and the second in the world to have the new Boeing Sky Interior. All this translates as better products and services for the airline’s customers.
Mr. Othman was also quoted as saying that ‘In addition, we are constantly looking for ways to improve the travel experience for our customers’. He pointed out the fact that Malaysia Airlines is providing the facility of MHmobile to customers. This allows customers to buy tickets and check-in to their flights at their own flexible times just by using mobile phones. The latest facility of MHmobile also enables customers to view the last five flight activities and their Enrich miles status.
As per Muzzaffar, Malaysia Airlines’ KL Sentral customers can also make bookings, payments, check-in, and hunt cheap deals through the iPad MHkiosk as it uses the MHmobile interference.
Comments of Smart Travel Asia Editor
Commenting upon the ranking, Mr Vijay Verghese, Smart Travel Asia Editor said that the number 5 rank of Malaysia Airlines in the category of Best Cabin Service Worldwide is a very laudable feat as there was stiff competition with more than a 100 airlines being part of the fray. The polling was carried out in a truly global style with 20% of the voters hailing from the UK and 20% from the US. This implies that only those airlines, which enjoy a globally popular brand image, could become part of the list. Mr Verghese also revealed that most reader letters commended Malaysia Airlines on the grounds of ‘willingness of cabin staff to go the extra mile’ and its ‘warmth of service’.
Other Accolades
Malaysia Airlines has remained an award winner. For the 6th consecutive year, it bagged the 5 Star Airline award from Skytrax, in addition to the title of ‘World’s Best Cabin Staff for 6 years. This is the maximum for any airline. In the World Airline Award 2010, Malaysia Airlines won two awards, namely ‘Staff Service Excellence for Asia’ and ‘World’s Best Economy Class’. Furthermore, over 180,000 industry experts voted it as ‘Asia’s Leading Airline’ in the 2009 World Travel Awards global poll.
