Airline of the Year

Air New Zealand has been crowned 2018 Airline of the Year by leading international aviation website AirlineRatings.com.

AirlineRatings.com's panel of six judges, who have a combined 180 years’ experience in aviation, assess airlines on 13 major criteria for the awards each year. These include passenger reviews, in-flight product offerings, safety, profitability, fleet age and environmental policies. 

“In virtually every criteria Air New Zealand is a clear winner or equal first,” says AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas. 

“Quite simply, Air New Zealand is an airline of first choice. And given the airline’s location and the country’s size, its performance is remarkable. No other airline has consistently demonstrated success like Air New Zealand so far this century."

The airline was recognised for its continued record-breaking financial performance, in-flight innovations, environmental leadership, young fleet and motivation of its staff with the judges saying these factors have stamped the airline as an industry trendsetter.

Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says receiving the Airline of the Year accolade for the fifth time is something all 11,800 staff will feel incredibly proud about. 

www.airnz.co.nz