Asiana Airlines, South Korea’s second-biggest carrier, said Thursday it received the top marks from a high-rated customer satisfaction index, for ninth consecutive year. According to Asiana, it was ranked No. 1 in the aviation sector of 2023 Korean Customer Satisfaction Index Awards held at Jung-gu, Seoul. This is the 25th time Asiana Airlines has won the category since the customer survey for the aviation sector was first initiated in 1995. Organized by Korea Management Association Consultants, the KCSI awards are based on customer satisfaction surveys conducted through one-on-one interviews made during household visits. Held over four months from April to August, the interviews were conducted on adults aged 18 to 65 who have used the company's services at least once, within 2023. During the survey, Asiana said it received positive feedback for increasing the number of international flights to meet growing travel demand. It added it was positively reviewed in developing up-cycled products, and practicing environmental, social and governance management through multiple social contribution activities. It also got favorable reviews for its joint promotional events held with different industries, such as hotels, it said. "We are grateful to our customers for choosing us as the best airline for the ninth consecutive year," said Won Yoo-seok, CEO of Asiana Airlines, during the award ceremony. "We will repay (our customers) with better service, so that we can live up to the trust and support of customers who use Asiana," he added.<br/>
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India's aviation regulator said on Thursday it suspended Tata Group-owned Air India's chief of flight safety for a month after it found some lapses in the accident prevention work conducted by the airline. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said an internal audit found deficiencies in the availability of necessary technical manpower as per the flight safety manual, among other relevant rules. Some of the checks claimed to have been done by Air India were not carried out as per regulatory requirements, the regulator added. "We acknowledge and accept the DGCA's finding and regret the failure of one of our audit staff to fully comply with the process and documentation requirements," an Air India spokesperson said. "We are sparing no effort to uplift the culture of safety and diligence to contemporary standards, through clarifying requirements, training and stricter consequence management. We will continue these efforts for as long as it is needed to effect the necessary changes." The developments come just a month after the Tata group unveiled a new logo, branding and plane livery for Air India as part of a multi-million-dollar transformation of the former state-run carrier. Since taking control in 2022, the salt-to-software conglomerate has spent millions of dollars to update Air India's old planes, while also placing an order for hundreds of new jets.<br/>
Fire, floods and stomach bugs have gripped the South Island ahead of what was expected to be a busy travel period over two weeks of spring school holidays. A state of emergency has been declared in both Queenstown and Southland, while Queenstown’s drinking water is subject to a boil water notice following a cryptosporidium outbreak. Demetria Makarios and her family were due to fly to Queenstown on Sunday for a week. “We’re currently unsure if we should travel – the water issue has made it not so appealing, but now a state of emergency?” Makarios said she had been waiting and watching for guidance from tourism bodies and the council since hearing about the emergency. Air New Zealand chief operational integrity officer David Morgan announced on Friday that the airline would be offering “flexibility” for flights booked to or from Queenstown, Invercargill and Dunedin. “Customers booked from September 21 to September 28 can change their booking to any time before Thursday, October 5, including to another Air New Zealand destination free of charges,” he said. Customers still have to pay the difference if changing to a destination with a more expensive fare, but don’t have to pay a fee. Or, they can take a credit, valid for 12 months, and book another time, the airline said. The airline had previously revealed that Queenstown was to be the most visited destination in the country during school holidays, with an expected 49,000 travellers from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.<br/>