Notably, Qantas, the famously secure Australian provider that topped the listing for the previous few years, took a steep nosedive all the way down to seventh place. That was as a consequence of a “slight improve in incidents coupled with the fleet age,” AirlineRatings.com’s editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas told CNN. Whereas the web site doesn’t specify, it doesn’t escape discover that Qantas made a high-profile gaffe in October, when a Boeing flight en route from Perth to Adelaide needed to be diverted as a consequence of a gas imbalance, which was categorised as a “severe incident.” (An imbalance happens when the gas tanks on the left and proper wings of the place include unequal quantities, making one facet heavier than the opposite.)
Qantas was changed by a brand new champion from the land down beneath: Air New Zealand, which received the highest spot largely as a consequence of its COVID-19 security protocols, Thomas informed CNN. “The final two years have been extraordinarily troublesome for airways with Covid-19 slashing journey and Airline Rankings editors have notably targeted on the lengths airways are enterprise to retrain pilots forward of a return to service,” he stated. “Air New Zealand is a frontrunner on this subject with complete retraining.”
However, it appears like extra storms forward for Qantas as current information suggests it might have slacked on its retraining routine: A leaked memo from the airline reported Wednesday revealed that a few of its pilots, who returned to work in December after months away from the job as a consequence of pandemic cutbacks, are a bit rusty and have been making errors equivalent to commencing take-off with the parking brake nonetheless on. (We’ve reached out to Qantas for touch upon the memo.)
Again within the northern hemisphere, 5 United States-based carriers made the Australian web site’s so-called “who’s who” of airways, together with Alaska Airways—which was highest up at No. 8—and American Airways, Delta Air Traces, and United Airways, which introduced up the rear at No. 13, 18, and 19 respectively. Nonetheless, Southwest Airways, which took thirteenth place final yr, was kicked off the listing completely this yr.
The remainder of the highest twenty is populated by carriers from throughout the globe, together with the United Arab Emirates’ Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, and British Airways.
See the full ranking here.
