Air Transport World magazine, the leading monthly magazine covering the global airline industry, selected Cathay Pacific Airways as its Airline of the Year for 2006. “One of the world's largest and most profitable airlines," Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific "is respected and admired among peers for its unwavering commitment to safety, technical excellence and customer service, †ATW's editors said.
ATW Editorial Director J.A. Donoghue added: "Cathay Pacific has been among the elite of the world's airlines for several decades. Its dedication to airline business fundamentals helped it to survive potentially devastating events such as the SARS crisis and 9/11 with its employee group intact and happy and its string of profitable years undisturbed."
Other award winners include VLM Airlines, named ATW's Regional Airline of the Year. Based in Antwerp, Belgium, VLM " is a rarity among Regionals today. It is independently owned, flying in its own livery without business links to a larger carrier, connecting busy business centers in Western Europe with a fleet of Fokker 50s and staying profitable for seven consecutive years." ATW's editors said.
JetBlue Airways received ATW’s Passenger Service Award for its innovations. "It has changed passenger perceptions and raised expectations of what a 'budget' airline can and should be," the editors said. These innovations include automating passenger processing, leather seats with generous pitch and Live TV entertainment with a choice of 36 channels throughout the airplane, amenities unheard of in a so-called Low Cost Carrier.
Gol, "The Intelligent Airline", received the Market Leadership Award for bringing the Low Cost Carrier revolution to the Brazilian market. Gol " is transforming the way people travel in Brazil," pricing its product to compete with intercity bus lines. "With a route network that encompasses 47 destinations served by more than 430 daily flights," Gol has captured nearly one-third of the Brazilian domestic market.
Korean Air was named the Phoenix Award winner, presented to airlines that have gone through a major transformation. " In the late 1990s Korean's management decided a complete overhaul was needed and the company began to methodically move in the right direction." Today Korean's goal of becoming one of the best ten airlines in the world by 2010 "is highly credible," ATW said.
ATW
ATW Editorial Director J.A. Donoghue added: "Cathay Pacific has been among the elite of the world's airlines for several decades. Its dedication to airline business fundamentals helped it to survive potentially devastating events such as the SARS crisis and 9/11 with its employee group intact and happy and its string of profitable years undisturbed."
Other award winners include VLM Airlines, named ATW's Regional Airline of the Year. Based in Antwerp, Belgium, VLM " is a rarity among Regionals today. It is independently owned, flying in its own livery without business links to a larger carrier, connecting busy business centers in Western Europe with a fleet of Fokker 50s and staying profitable for seven consecutive years." ATW's editors said.
JetBlue Airways received ATW’s Passenger Service Award for its innovations. "It has changed passenger perceptions and raised expectations of what a 'budget' airline can and should be," the editors said. These innovations include automating passenger processing, leather seats with generous pitch and Live TV entertainment with a choice of 36 channels throughout the airplane, amenities unheard of in a so-called Low Cost Carrier.
Gol, "The Intelligent Airline", received the Market Leadership Award for bringing the Low Cost Carrier revolution to the Brazilian market. Gol " is transforming the way people travel in Brazil," pricing its product to compete with intercity bus lines. "With a route network that encompasses 47 destinations served by more than 430 daily flights," Gol has captured nearly one-third of the Brazilian domestic market.
Korean Air was named the Phoenix Award winner, presented to airlines that have gone through a major transformation. " In the late 1990s Korean's management decided a complete overhaul was needed and the company began to methodically move in the right direction." Today Korean's goal of becoming one of the best ten airlines in the world by 2010 "is highly credible," ATW said.
ATW
