Sophistication-seeking foodies might covet Qantas, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific with all their stomachs, but a new set of 2019 Travel Awards suggests there is a crucial name missing from that list: Japan Airlines.
Travel search engine Kayak.com is the one doling them out, after conducting traveller-based surveys of its audience to bring us its inaugural Travel Awards.
The scores, which are calculated from ratings and reviews from travellers, compare food, boarding, entertainment, crew and comfort between Asia-Pacific airlines, and have placed Japan Airlines at #1 for 2019.
As Kayak.com reveals in its methodology section, “In order to qualify for selection as best airline in 2019 for a category, an airline must have had a minimum of 150 new reviews published within 2018 with a minimum overall rating of 6.1 for the category.”
As ESCAPE reports, “Japan Airlines is renowned for its fine dining, award-winning seats and signature omotenashi-style approach to customer service.”
Customer feedback on Kayak.com appears to support this claim: “I hope to always find the great deals I have with Japan Airlines and continue with a smooth travelling experience as this one!”
However, despite these rave reviews, Japan Airlines came in at 7th in the more established Skytrax Best Airlines In Asia rankings this year, 10th in the world in AirlineRatings.com’s annual awards for 2019, and fifth in TripAdvisor’s 2019 airline rankings.
So much as you might like to celebrate with an $800 sushi train feast, for now, at least, we would suggest you maintain your calm…
That said, Asian airlines dominated the Kayak awards, with Qantas being the only Australian airline to rank in Kayak’s results, landing at eighth for Best Airline Entertainment, ninth for Best Airline Boarding, and 10th for Best Airline Crew.
ANA Airlines (the largest carrier in Japan), meanwhile, came in at second – so there may be more opportunities for sake-related celebration in the years to come.
See the full list below.
2019 Best Airlines In The South Pacific
1. Japan Airlines
2. ANA
3. EVA Air
4. Singapore Airlines
5. Asiana Airlines
6. Korean Air
7. Air New Zealand
8. Bangkok Airways
9. Thai Airways
10. Cathay Pacific