Air Canada, Air Transat, & WestJet honoured at Skytrax Awards

Skytrax recently released its list of winners in the 2018 World Airlines Awards.

Three major Canadian carriers, Air Canada, Air Transat, and WestJet, were recognized.

Best Airline in North America

Air Canada was named Best Airline in North America for the second consecutive year at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in London. It is the seventh time in the past nine years the carrier was selected as the best in North America by the World Airline Awards, which are based on passenger satisfaction surveys of approximately 20 million global travellers.

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"We are very pleased that Air Canada has again been recognized as the Best Airline in North America by the highly respected Skytrax World Airline Awards. This is the seventh time in nine years Air Canada has been honoured with this award, demonstrating our successful transformation into a leading global carrier. I thank our 30,000 employees who are the true winners of the Skytrax Award, for delivering superior service while transporting more than 48 million customers a year safely to their destinations," said Calin Rovinescu, president and CEO of Air Canada.

Benjamin Smith, president, airlines and COO at Air Canada attributed Air Canada's "ongoing investments in customer service training, as well as our fleet renewal program, our strategic global network expansion, and the recent launch of Air Canada Signature Service, an end-to-end premium travel experience" as well as the company's employees, for another successful year.

Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, said:

"Air Canada achieved a remarkable success winning this top accolade as the Best Airline in North America for the seventh time. Air Canada demonstrates that it is truly a passenger favourite as it continues to receive such a vote of confidence from customers."

World's Best Leisure Airline

Air Transat was named the World’s Best Leisure Airline at the Skytrax World Airline Awards. Jean-François Lemay, president and general manager of Air Transat, was on hand in London to accept the award at the official ceremony.

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“Being singled out as the World’s Best Leisure Airline is an honour we’re extremely proud of, since it was awarded by our passengers,” Lemay said. “This honour extends to all of our employees, whose commitment, quality service and hard work ensure our passengers a pleasant, memorable experience, so their vacation truly begins the moment they set foot on board. Air Transat takes great pride in having been ranked among the best leisure airlines for seven years running, and to have topped the list for the second time in its history. Once again, I am deeply grateful to our passengers for their trust.”

Best Low-Cost Airline

WestJet was named North America's Best Low-Cost Airline at Skytrax's World Airline Awards for 2018.

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"We're proud to be named the Best Low-Cost Airline in North America as voted on by 20 million global travellers," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "More than 13,000 WestJetters and their dedication and commitment to providing exceptional service are the true winners of this award. We look forward to providing our guests with more products, services and destinations, along with our caring guest experience as we transition to a global airline."

Globally, WestJet also ranked sixth in the Best Low-Cost Airlines category for 2018.
Click here to see the complete list of winners in the 2018 World Airline Awards by Skytrax.