Air AZ Wins Airline Of Year Award

MELBOURNE, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Air New Zealand has been named 'Airline of the Year' for a second time by global aviation industry magazine, Air Transport World. A panel of the magazine's editors said the award recognised the airline for its industry-leading innovation and motivation of its staff, which resulted in exceptional performance across market position, customer service, financial performance, fiscal management and operational safety. The magazine's chief editor, Geoffrey Thomas, said the airline was at the cutting edge of the industry and competitors now looked to the South Pacific to see what revolutionary idea the airline would come up with next. "The secret to its success is its constant reinvention, refinement of its product and a dedication to its staff," Fairfax NZ News quoted Thomas as saying. New Zealand's national carrier also took out the top award in 2010. The award will be presented on Feb 13 on the eve of the Singapore Air Show. Qantas's carrier for regional Australia, QantasLink, was named the Regional Airline of the Year. "QantasLink is more than a regional airline. It's a lifeline to millions of Australians who live sometimes thousands of kilometres from a capital city and hundreds of kilometres from the nearest town," Thomas said. -- BERNAMA