British airlines perform well in the online rankings site
British airlines perform fair very well on Skytrax, the world’s largest online evaluator of airlines. Overall, they are one of the most elite companies on the site, with airlines up to the 4 star category. British airlines have been credited with providing their customers with exceptionally quick services including a speedy check-in as well as a smooth security check. British airlines also tended to have very high ratings in terms of customer service. They were described as being ‘friendly and co-operative.’
Archive for the ‘Airlines’ Category
British Airlines in Skytrax Rankings
February 1st, 2012Around the World – with only one ticket!
January 23rd, 2012
If you were given a ticket and told that you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? It’s a dream held by many. The world is a place filled with variety, different people, cultures, customs and traditions. Almost seven billion people inhabit this planet, they live on seven continents and are spread over 196 different countries. So ask yourself, which one would you visit if you had the chance? Would you travel to where temperatures sore or where they plummet? To lush green jungles, baking desert or flowering forests?
Happy Birthday Virgin Atlantic!
June 22nd, 2009Ok so it may not be the most exciting news ever, but today is the 25th anniversary of the first Virgin Atlantic flight way back in 1974. Since then it has become the UK’s 2nd largest long haul airline. To celebrate its anniversary, Virgin Atlantic is recreating its first flight with the aid of Kate Moss and a few other celebrities. The main reason I wanted to write about this, however, is the amazing advertising campaign which Virgin Atlantic launched earlier this year to celebrate. It recreates the atmosphere of a by-gone era so perfectly and with such style that I just felt that I had to write about the festivities. However, some fun-spoilers have accused the company of creating a sexist advert. Seeing as I’m a woman and I don’t take offence, how can it be sexist?
Final call for Ben Becula and Kirk Wall
October 10th, 2008Flybe are currently searching for anyone with the name Ben Becula or Kirk Wall to celebrate their new destinations in Scotland. From October 27th Flybe will be serving several new regional destinations from Glasgow, including Benbecula, Kirkwall, Stornaway, Barra and Campbeltown, in franchise with Loganair. The first people to contact the airline with similar names to the new destinations will win free return flights with Flybe and will also be invited to the first flight launch. Although it’s bit of a long shot, I think that this competition is an innovative marketing tool from Flybe and it certainly ensures that I remember the names of their new destinations!
The end of paper boarding passes?
September 6th, 2008Air France is currently trialling new boarding passes on mobile phones which don’t leave a paper trail. The trial is taking place on flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam. Passengers only need personal identification as a message containing a secure barcode is sent your mobile phone which is then scanned at the boarding gate. The message contains all the normal information shown on a boarding pass but just in an electronic form. According to Patrick Roux, vice-president of marketing for Air France: “This is the first time customers will be able to travel to and from two countries with an electronic boarding pass”. Although it sounds like a good idea, what happens if the screen of your phone is really scratched and can’t be scanned?
Virgin biofuel flight
February 25th, 2008Yesterday Virgin Atlantic became the first airline to fly a commercial plane on a blend including biofuel. A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 flew from London Heathrow to Amsterdam Schiphol fuelled with a 20% biofuel/80% kerosene mixture in one of its four engines. The biofuel used a combination of coconut oil and babassu nut oil which came from sustainably cultivated crops. However, according to the BBC “Environmentalists have branded the flight a publicity stunt and claim biofuel cultivation is not sustainable”. Greenpeace has said that “last year, a leaked World Bank report said the steep food price rises of around 75 per cent seen over the year were mainly driven by biofuel production in US and Europe”. Now as much I like the idea of air travel being more environmentally friendly it brings about the question, who is right about biofuel? Are airlines just testing biofuels for more publicity or are they really trying to save the planet? Unfortunately we will not know the answers to these for a few years yet…..
