Air is a significant medium of transportation. Technological advancements have entirely changed the way people travel from one place to another. Due to the massive demand for new airplanes was increased. That also paved the way for the improvements design and construction techniques of planes. Soon after World War II, the routes for commercial airplanes were set up in Europe for the very first time. If we look at the importance of airlines, they’ve become too mainstream. We cannot imagine life without them.
Enhancements in the Airline Industry
That has led to improvements and progression of the airline industry. By shortening the travel time, it has changed the way we live and also the way we conduct business. So it can be said that the places that were considered to be remote and far off are not that distant now.
The market for airlines is quite competitive now. This is majorly due to the expansion in the operations. The companies that help people travel from one place to another have expanded their service in both international and domestic services. Initially, the operations of airplane transportation companies were handled by the government. But now the trends have changed. Now, most of the airlines are privately owned and operated. The department of transportation in the US separated the industry into four categories. They are as follows:
| Sr. No | Category | Purpose and Use |
| 1 | International | Planes for international flight. They can house more than 130 people. These flights take passengers anywhere worldwide. Their revenue is reached to a billion dollars in a year. |
| 2 | National | These flights take from 100 to 150 people and are used for transportation nationwide |
| 3 | Regional | The short-haul flights come under the operations of regional airlines. Their revenue is quite less than 100 million dollars |
| 4 | Cargo | These airlines only operate with the purpose to transport goods from one place to another. |
Skytrax World Airline Awards 2018
The Skytrax World Airline Awards is a UK based organization that ranks the airlines as per their customer services, availability and customer opinion. It is the largest annual airline passenger satisfaction survey in the world. The organization surveys the customers that travel through different airline companies. In the 2018’s report, they surveyed more than 20.36 people from August 2017 to May 2018. These awards are known as Passenger Choice Awards. 2018’s event was held on 17th July 2018 at Langham Hotel, London. The awards were handed over to the authorities of companies.
Best Airlines Worldwide:
Skytrax released the results of the survey. It ranked the best airlines out of 335 companies. So following are some of the best airlines:
| Rank | Airline Name | Country |
| 1 | Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| 2 | Qatar Airways | Qatar |
| 3 | ANA All Nippon Airways | Japan |
| 4 | Emirates | Dubai |
| 5 | EVA Air | Taiwan |
| 6 | Cathay Pacific Airways | Hong Kong |
| 7 | Lufthansa | Germany |
| 8 | Hainan Airlines | China |
| 9 | Garuda Indonesia | Indonesia |
| 10 | Thai Airways | Thailand |
Singapore Airlines: The best of 2018
This Singapore based company was started back in 1947. It is majorly owned by the government of Singapore. Their flights take passengers to 62 destinations in 32 countries worldwide. It uses a Singapore Girl as a figure for its corporate branding. It is known to be the best company since 2018 as it won the award of the best airline by Skytrax.
SIA Engineering Company is the subsidiary of it. The company is used to manage the operations of flights and other management tasks of the airline in international flights. Upon winning the award, the CEO, Mr. Hoh Choon Phong stated that it’s his honor to receive the award of being the best company for air transport. He also said that he would dedicate this huge success to more than 26,000 employees of SIA Group.
Qatar Airways:
Qatar Airways is a Qatar based company. The headquarters of the company is located in Doha, Qatar. It was founded back in 1993 and started its operation one year later, in 1994. It connects more than 150 destinations all across the world. Qatar Airways operates in African, Central Asian, South Asian, South American, Middle Eastern and Oceanic regions. The international operations of the company are managed by its subsidiary Hamad International Airport. The company has more than 43,000 employees. It has also been a member of Oneworld Alliance since 2013.
The CEO of Qatar Airways, Mr. Akbar Al Baker received the award for being the second best carrier in the world. In the event, he stated that this achievement depicts the progress of the company. They have become an international airline. Twenty years ago, they started as a regional carrier. Their commitment to innovation has enabled them to reach this milestone.
ANA All Nippon Airways
ANA All Nippon Airways is the largest carrier in the world. They started the company back in 1952. As of the recent facts, they have about 80 international routes. They also have more than 100 domestic routes. They also have a frequent flyer program called ANA Mileage Club. More than 29 million people are a part of this program. ANA All Nippon Airways is known to be the largest operator of Boeing 787. It is also a member of the Star Alliance.
Emirates:
Emirates is a United Arab Emirates-based air Transportation Company. It comes under the direct ownership of The Emirates Group. Emirates Group is further owned and operated by the Government of Dubai’s Investment Corporation.
It has about 180 destinations and operating in 80 countries throughout the world. It is known to be the fourth largest airline as it runs up to 3600 flights every week. The largest nonstop commercial flight from Dubai to Auckland was conducted by Emirates from 2016 to 2017.
EVA AIR:
EVA Air is a company based in Taiwan. Its headquarters are located in Taoyuan City. The company was started back in 1989 and started its operations in 1991. It is owned and operated by Evergreen Group. The airline operates in more than 60 destinations across the globe. The President of EVA Air stated that the company aims to provide world-class travel facilities to its customers. Their aim is to make every journey delightful and relaxing.
Cathay Pacific Airways
Cathay Pacific Airways is a company based in Hong Kong. Their passenger and cargo services are available in more than 70 destinations worldwide. Cathay Pacific operates in Asia, North America, Australia, Africa, and Europe. Its fleet reaches up to 200 aircraft. It is one of the founder members of the Oneworld Global Alliance. The company was founded back in 1946. Hong Kong International is the Hub of Cathay Pacific.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa is the largest German airline that was founded back in 1953. The name of the company comprises of two parts, where ‘Luft’ mean air and Hansa is used for the Hanseatic League. The company takes its passengers to around 220 destinations all across the world. As of 2017, it had a total of 129,424 employees. It got five start certification from Skytrax on 4th December 2017. The company accepted the request from China to list Taiwan as a part of China. Lufthansa’s corporate headquarters are in Cologne.
