United Airlines

World’s worst airlines named in Skytrax rankings…..

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North Korea’s Koryo Air has been named the world’s worst airline again for the fourth year running by Skytrax, which holds the annual World Airline Awards. It is the only airline listed by Skytrax to receive a lowly one-star rating out of a possible five, due to its Soviet-era planes, rudimentary safety belts, and questionable safety.

Bulgaria Air, Bulgaria: Customer rating 6/10. "It seemed that the best I could get from them [the crew] was ignorance".

Koryo Air has been named the world’s worst airline again for the fourth year running by Skytrax, which holds the annual World Airline Awards for best airline in the world.

It is the only airline listed by Skytrax to receive a lowly one-star rating out of a possible five, due to its Soviet-era planes, rudimentary safety belts, and questionable safety.

The next worst airlines, according to the Skytrax rating system, are those given two stars out of five. There are 21 airlines in this category, which Skytrax says indicates “a lower quality performance, below the industry quality average across many of the rating sectors.”

Ryanair is one of these.

Two star-rated airlines (in alphabetical order)

Bahamasair – Bahamas

Passengers saeem to agree with Skytrax here – the customer reviews on the same website give the airline an average 2/10.

“A two-star airline rating,” Skytrax’ website states, “normally signifies poorer or inconsistent standards of product and front-line staff service for the cabin service and the home-base airport environment.”

Biman Bangladesh – Bangladesh

Customer rating: 5/10

“Checking in was totally disorganised.”

Bulgaria Air – Bulgaria

Customer rating: 6/10

“It seemed that the best I could get from them [the crew] was ignorance”.

China United Airlines – China

Customer rating: 8/10 (from only two reviews)

“China United is the only airline that uses Beijing Nanyuan a former military airport in the South of Beijing. Check-in was quick easy but the check-in area is noisy and dilapidated. Toilets at the airport weren’t great.”

Cubana Airlines – Cuba

Customer rating: 4/10

“So many things went wrong with this flight but the customer service or lack of was ridiculous.”

Iran Air – Iran

Customer rating: 5/10

“IranAir does not serve any alcohol but that’s part of the current Iran experience I guess.”

Lion Air – Indonesia

Customer rating: 4/10

“Once seated another passenger showed me his boarding pass that was the same seat as mine.”

Mahan Air – Iran

Customer rating: 7/10 – shortly to be moving out of the two-star catgory perhaps?

“I always select Mahan for my Dubai – Tehran trips. It’s a budget airline but the food service and staff hospitality are on par with any top airlines of the world.”

Nepal Airlines – Nepal

Customer rating: 5/10 (from only two reviews)

“New plane but limited legroom between seats.”

Onur Air – Turkey

Customer rating: 5/10

“The seat was very uncomfortable. Water was not free, they charge 3 Euros for a small bottle.”

Pegasus Airlines – Turkey

Customer rating: 5/10

“I had four flights booked on Pegasus for business and vacation and the four of these flights were delayed – not by a few minutes, at least an hour or hour and a half.”

Rossiya Airlines – Russia

Customer rating: 5/10

“Meal service is the worst in the air.”

Ryanair – Ireland

Customer rating: 5/10

“In Dublin, when I approached the desk to say that we had our boarding passes on a laptop, the customer service worker starting yelling at us. “How am I supposed to stamp your boarding pass if it’s on a device?””

SmartWings – Czech Republic

Customer rating: 5/10

“Flight was on time (sic), but that was the first and last good thing about it. Flight staff was rude, there is almost no service, you get 1 glass of water or cheap soda and one distasteful sandwich, seats were not comfortable and plane looked old.”

Spirit Airlines – USA

Customer rating: 3/10

“Everything negative everyone has said about Spirit is true. Spirit ruined my trip with unnecessary stress and anxiety.”

Sudan Airways – Sudan

Customer rating: 1/10 (from only one review)

“Aircraft very scruffy inside and needed some real attention and cleaning.”

Syrianair – Syria

Customer rating: 2/10

“The cabin staff on the way out smoked behind the curtain and when my husband challenged them about this they actually offered him a cigarette.”

Tajik Air – Tajikistan

Customer rating: 0/10 (from only four reviews)

“The whole plane was as smelly – in brief the worst of all airlines.”

Turkmenistan Airlines – Turkmenistan

Customer rating: 4/10

“Worst airline and customer service I’ve seen miserable staff who don’t smile.”

Ukraine Int’l Airlines – Ukraine

Customer rating: 5/10

“Long drive (again no air-conditioning) to the airplane. It was a very old 737-500, with signs in Portuguese and Russian.”

Yemenia – Yemen

Customer rating: 4/10

“Seats standard economy not too clean though and interior showed serious signs of wear.”

Source…..www.traveller.com.au

Natarajan

 

” The War and Beyond… Aviation History Month …. November ” ….

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Aviation History Month is still underway, and this week we’re looking at airlines from 1940 – 1960. Despite World War II ongoing during the first quarter of the period, aviation still saw a great deal of progression and many new airlines commenced operation.

The War and Beyond - Aviation History Month

July 1940 saw the first operational flight of the Boeing Stratoliner which became the first aircraft to fly with a pressurised cabin. The aircraft flew up to 20,000 feet avoiding turbulence, from Miami, Florida to Latin America.

The Gloster ‘Whittle’ E28/39 first flew on May 15 1941 as the first successful jet aircraft, with the engine designed by Frank Whittle.

April 1947 saw United Airlines introducing the Douglas DC-6 aircraft, the first commercial postwar aircraft to feature full-cabin pressurisation.

In March 1949, Luck Lady II made the first non-stop flight around the world. The Boeing B-50A was in the air for 94 hours and one minute, was refuelled four times by strategically positioned B-29s before touching down.

But to continue our theme, Routesonline have taken a look at some of the airlines that began operation between the periods of 1940 – 1960.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines

Scandinavian Airlines System, as it was originally named, was founded in 1946 and is now the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. It was created after three airlines from Sweden, Denmark and Norway formed a partnership to handle the intercontinental air traffic. By the end of 1947, Scandinavian Airlines had carried more than 18,000 passengers over the Atlantic. This figure was far beyond the 3675 passengers SAS had forecasted for the time.

SAS Saab 90A-2 Scandia, Arne Viking SE-BSK, ready for takeoff [Image by SAS]

Japan Airlines

The national flag carrier commenced operations in 1951, and in the October of the same year launched the first private domestic airline service in Japan during the postwar period with Northwest Airlines in charge of flight operations. The Martin 202 “Mokusei” was the first aircraft to enter service, but in 1952, it crashed on Mt. Mihara in Izu Oshima, killing all 37 passengers on board.

Japan Airlines launches a Boeing 747 jumbo jet (1970) [Image by The Guardian]

Lufthansa

Although the airline originally traces its history to 1926 as the airline ‘Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G’, it was suspended in 1945 following the defeat of Germany in WWII. In order to create a new national airline, a company called Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf (Luftag) founded a new airline in 1953, using many of the staff that worked at the defunct national flag carrier. On 6 August 1954, Luftag acquired the name and logo from the liquidated Deutsche Lufthansa.

The flagship of the Lufthansa fleet: the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation. Their characteristic vertical stabilizers made these aircraft unmistakable. [Image by Lufthansa]

Austrian Airlines

When Austria regained sovereignty over its airspace in 1955 with the signature of the State Treaty, two separate carriers were founded, Air Austria and Austrian Airways. On 4 April 1957, the two companies finally merged to form a single airline, Austrian Airlines.The airline began operations in 1958 with its first service from Vienna – London with one of four chartered Vickers Viscount 779 aircraft.

Austrian Airlines Douglas DC9-MD81 [Image by Austrian Airlines]

You can follow the hashtag #AviationHistoryMonth on Twitter to see what else is going on in the world of aviation history, and follow us at @Routesonline

SOURCE::::

Poppy Marello, IN http://www.routesonline.com
Natarajan

 

Longest and Shortest Dreamliner Routes In the World…

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As United Airlines launches the longest Dreamliner route to date, here at Routesonline we decided to look at the top 10 longest and shortest Dreamliner routes in the world.

Longest and Shortest Dreamliner Routes in the World

United Airlines announced earlier this year that they were introducing a new route between Los Angeles and Melbourne starting from October 26, 2014 using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

The 787-9’s extended range – 13,760 kilometres compared to the 787-8’s 13,197 kilometres enables United to launch the new service, which will be the longest Dreamliner route in the world to date.

Flying times will be approximately 15 hours, 45 minutes’ westbound and 14 hours, 35 minutes eastbound and United has timed the new flights to conveniently connect at Los Angeles with an extensive network throughout the US, Canada and Latin America.

We took a look at the top 10 longest and shortest Dreamliner routes in the world:

Top 10 Longest Dreamliner Routes in the World:

10. United Airlines                            10,655 km

The airline, which operates the route between Houston and Tokyo Narita, introduced a second daily offering in the spring of this year (2014). The route is a distance of 10,655 kilometres and takes 14 hours, 5 minutes.

9. Aeromexico                                   10,680 km

The Monterrey to Tokyo Narita route which takes a little under 14 hours was introduced earlier this year, and the skyteam member operates the route four times weekly. The Carrier started operating the Dreamliner in October 2013, first serving the Mexico City – Monterrey and Mexico City – Tijuana routes.

8. LAN Airlines                                   10,712 km

The South American Airline group operate routes between Santiago and Madrid which takes 12 hours and 40 minutes. LAN took delivery of its first Boeing 787 in late 2012, making it the first South American airline to add the Dreamliner to its fleet. The aircraft is configured with 217 economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout and 30 in business class in a 2-2-2 layout.

7. Japan Airlines                               10,758 km

The Japanese carrier holds two spots in the top ten, with its Tokyo Narita – Boston route as the shorter of the two, operating daily.

6. Hainan Airlines                             10,813 km

The 13 and a half hour Beijing – Boston route is operated by the privately owned airline, configured with 177 economy seats and 36 flat-bed business seats.

5. Japan Airlines                               10,828 km

70km longer than Japan Airlines’ other top ten entry is the Tokyo Narita – New York JFK route. The airline released a second daily flight between the two cities earlier this year, and the flight time is 12 hours, 30 minutes.

4. United Airlines                              11,029 km

The American airline operates a San Francisco – Chengdu route with a flight time of 14 hours, 30 minutes. United 787’s are configured with 30 flat-bed seats in BusinessFirst class, 70 Economy Plus and 113 economy seats.

3. Aeromexico                                   11,249 km

The airline operates its Mexico City – Tokyo Narita route 4 times weekly and the cabin is configured with 32 seats in Premier Business class and 211 economy seats.

2.  Ethiopian Airlines                       11,494 km

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier to take delivery of the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft in 2012. It offers a direct route between Toronto and Addis Ababa which takes approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes and operates three times weekly.

1.  United Airlines                             12,751 km

The newly operated 787-9 Los Angeles – Melbourne route has a flight time of 15 hours, 45 minutes, and is the longest Dreamliner route to date.

The table is soon to change however, with Etihad Airways and China Southern introducing new routes in 2015. Etihad Airways will operate an Abu Dhabi – Brisbane route (12,004 km) and an Abu Dhabi – Washington route (11,383 km) in June 2015 and January 2015 respectively, stealing second and fourth place on our table. China Southern will commence a Guangzhou – San Francisco route (11,075 km) in June 2015.

Top 10 Shortest Dreamliner Routes in the World

10. Ethiopian Airlines                      402 km

Although the African airline holds the number 2 spot in the longest Dreamliner routes in the world, it also claims three spots in the shortest Dreamliner routes list. This is a perfect example of the versatility of the Dreamliner aircraft, with Ethiopian Airlines operating a Lusaka – Harare route, a mere 50 minute flight.

9. All Nippon Airways                     402 km

The first of the Japanese airline’s entries is its Tokyo Haneda – Osaka Itami route with a flight time of 1 hour, 5 minutes with 787-9 aircraft.

8. Qatar Airways                              377 km

The state-owned flag carrier operates a Doha – Dubai with a flight time of 1 hour, 5 minutes. The airline currently has 9 Dreamliner aircraft, with another 51 on order for delivery throughout 2018.

7. All Nippon Airways                     315 km

With a flight time of one hour, the Japanese Airline operates a Tokyo Haneda – Komatsu domestic route. The carrier was the launch customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

6. All Nippon Airways                     261 km

With a flight time of 55 minutes, the Tokyo Haneda – Toyama route is the shortest Dreamliner route the airline offers.

5. Ethiopian Airlines                        253 km

The Paris CDG – Brussels route is the shortest European Dreamliner route in the world, with a flight time of 50 minutes.

4. Qatar Airways                              146 km

From the airline’s base in Doha, the carrier’s shortest route flies to Bahrain in a mere 45 minutes.

3. Arkefly                                             119 km

The Dutch charter carrier became ‘Arkefly’ after the German group, TUI took over the financially struggling Holland Air. The Aruba – Curacao route has a flight time of 35 minutes.

2. Ethiopian Airlines                        116 km

The airline operates the Malabo – Douala route four times weekly with a flight time of 35 minutes.

1. Arkefly                                             74 km

The carrier operates the shortest Dreamliner route in the world, between Bonaire – Curacao with a flight time of 25 minutes. Arkefly has one 787 in operation and one on order.

The Dreamliner operates routes between 74km – 12,751km making it one of the most versatile aircraft available. Used for both international and domestic use, the 787-8 Dreamliner can carry 242 passengers while the longer 787-9 can carry 280 passengers. The new 787-10, launched in June 2013, will extend and complement the family, carrying 323 passengers up to 7,020 nautical miles (13,000 km), or more than 90 percent of the world’s twin-aisle routes.

SOURCE:::: Poppy Marello,
Digital Content Executive, Routesonline  IN http://www.routesonline.com

Natarajan