This Country Has Both the Top Airline and Airport of 2018, According to AirHelp
AirHelp, a startup that advocates for air passengers' rights, released its 2018 list of the world's best and worst airports and airlines.
The rankings are based on a combination of quality of service, on-time performance, airline claims processing and airport feedback from passengers on social media. The company evaluated 72 airlines and 141 airports around the world in 2018, utilizing internal data and a number of other resources to arrive at the custom score.
Qatar Airways, which has held a place in the top three since AirHelp's first report in 2015, finally claimed the coveted No. 1 spot this year. The airline earned the top spot after making improvements to its claims processing and on-time protocols. The ranking upset led Singapore Airlines to fall to fourth place, behind Lufthansa and Etihad Airways after Qatar. The five lowest-ranked airlines were Air Mauritius, easyJet, Pakistan International Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines and WOW Air.
“As competition stiffens between airlines, those that put passengers first will come out the winners in the long run," AirHelp CEO Henrik Zillmer said regarding the 2018 AirHelp Score. He went on to congratulate Qatar Airways for consistently putting customers first, saying, "We hope more airlines take note of what these impressive competitors are doing, and ensure claims processing and on-time performance improve this year."
The Big Three US carriers earned a mediocre showing in the ranks, with American Airlines at No. 24, and United Airlines and Delta Airlines both falling below the 50% waterline in the list, at No. 38 and No. 48, respectively.
Airports also experienced some ranking shifts as well. In addition to the best airline, Qatar also scored the title of best airport. Qatar's Hamad International Airport (DOH), was followed by Athens International Airport (ATH) and Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND).London Stansted Airport (STN) and Kuwait International Airport (KWI) earned the lowest rankings. Only six US airports made it into the global top 50%, with Seattle (SEA) and San Francisco (SFO) the only two to break the top 50 spots at No. 34 and No. 46 – Denver barely missed the cut at 51.Zillmer did not mince words explaining the US airport rankings: "It is clear the US is in need of significant improvement, with overbooked flights and cancellations making national headlines month after month, and the consistent mistreatment of US consumers."
AirHelp, which helps travelers claim airline refunds for flight delays, said that "top performers have a common denominator": customer focus. "They excel at on-time performance and at claim processing, and this is correlated with the feedback that passengers are giving on quality of service," Zillmer noted. "It is clear that to make it to the top, you need to care for the passenger before, during and after their flight."
At the end of the day, Zillmer stressed how important it is that "top-performing airlines focus on giving flyers the best experience possible, both in the air and on the ground."
"The AirHelp Score assesses how airlines treat travelers under all circumstances - when all goes according to plan and when it doesn’t," Zillmer said. "Passengers want to be treated fairly by airlines, and this is particularly the case when flights inevitably get delayed, cancelled or when travelers are denied."
Since TPG also published its own list of Best and Worst Airline Rankings earlier this year, we reached out to AirHelp for additional insight on the company's scoring system, which pulled all of the the 2018 AirHelp Score data between December 2017 and March 2018. For simplicity's sake, AirHelp wrote off flight delays of 15 minutes or less as being on-time.
For airports, on-time performance and quality of service each accounted for 45% of the overall score, while the final 10% was reserved for passenger sentiment, which was aggregated from 184,000 English-language tweets about 141 airports. For airlines, AirHelp evenly weighted on-time performance, quality of service and claim processing, each of which comprised 33.33% of the overall airline score. To assess the claims process, AirHelp looked at customer data to evaluate the claims handling experience, the turnaround time involved, and the speed at which valid claims were paid out.
Photo by Florian Wehde on Unsplash.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.