Air NZ takes top AirlineRatings.com award

Air NZ has been named the airline of the year by safety and product-rating website AirlineRatings.com with the way it has responded to engine problem fallout winning praise from judges. It is the sixth time Air NZ has taken the crown for what the Australian-based editors of the site said were for its multi-award-winning in-flight innovations, operational safety, environmental leadership and motivation of its staff. "These factors have stamped the airline as a clear industry leader." The AirlineRatings.com award for 2020, which was judged by seven editors with over 200 years' industry experience, combines major safety and government audits. Most of the other slew of awards in the airline industry are judged by passenger polls which favour the bigger carriers. AirlineRatings.com considered 12 key criteria, including: fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings, and staff relations. Editor in chief Geoffrey Thomas said Air New Zealand came out number one in most of the audit criteria, which is an outstanding performance when it is up against carriers with more resources and scale. The airline achieved the top ranking as it battled fallout from Rolls-Royce engine problems that have at times grounded some of its Dreamliner fleet. Thomas said this made the award even more deserving.<br/>