Qatar Airways has been named “Best Economy Long-Haul Experience” by SKIFT, a recognised leader in world travel trends and information, the airline said in a statement.
“Having received such prestigious honours for our Business Class, we are proud to be recognised for our commitment to all of our world travellers,” said Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar al-Baker.
He added, “Our vision has always been to create the world’s finest travel experience in the air and on the ground in every seat on every flight for both business and leisure passengers. We are honoured by this recognition and inspired to set new standards for our hospitable, 5-star service.”
The award joins Qatar Airways’ other distinctions, including “World’s Best Business Class” from Skytrax, which it has won for the past two consecutive years.
The study, which included all major international airlines, was a comprehensive evaluation of the user experience, designed to “determine the best cabin experiences around the world”.
The final decision came after the evaluation of all aspects of the airline user experience, including website, economy cabin comfort, inflight meals, added perks (Wi-Fi, in-seat power, etc.) and overall design aesthetic.
While acknowledging the quality of previous passenger rating systems, SKIFT’s study aims to minimise bias and deliver a data-driven evaluation.
“We chose a system which put the very subjective ‘best’ in an objective context,” said SKIFT’s Marisa Garcia.
She added, “We also wanted to consider the overall passenger experience point-to-point, and to give ratings which, though always subjective, could be justified as equitable.”
Skift’s recognition comes just weeks after Qatar Airways launched the brand-new Airbus A350 from the manufacturer’s headquarters in Toulouse, France.
Qatar Airways was the first airline in the world to offer the state-of-the-art aircraft, and successfully completed the inaugural passenger flight between Doha, Qatar and Frankfurt, Germany, on January 15, 2015.
The airlines has also seen rapid growth in just 18 years of operation. Today, it is flying a modern fleet of 146 aircraft to 146 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America, and South America.
Qatar Airways flies daily to Washington DC, New York, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami (starting November 2015, currently five-times a week), and Chicago non-stop from the airlines hub in Doha, Qatar. All of these routes are operated with the airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 777 aircraft, the backbone of the fleet.