Asiana Airlines has been named the winner of the prestigious Airline of the Year Award. With that, the South Korean carrier edged out perennial heavyweight Singapore Airlines, which came in at No. 2. Asian and Middle Eastern dominated SkyTrax’ global top 10 rankings, which did not include a single North American carrier. Australia’s Qantas was the only carrier not from either of those regions to finish in the top 10.

The rest of the rankings: No. 3 Qatar Airways, No. 4 Cathay Pacific, No. 5 Air New Zealand, No. 6 Etihad Airways, No. 7 Qantas, No. 8 Emirates, No. 9 Thai Airways and No. 10 Malaysia Airlines. Canadian airlines took the top spot in two of the three big categories focusing on North America. Air Canada was named the top North American airline, edging out No. 2 Continental and No. 3 Delta. For the best service among North American Airlines, Canada’s WestJet took the top honor to finish ahead of No. 2 Virgin America and No. 3 Alaska Airlines. And, for the best North American low-cost carriers, Virgin America bested No. 2 WestJet and No. 3 Southwest.

Also of interest to North American passengers, the oneworld alliance — anchored by American — was named the world’s best frequent-flier alliance. That vaulted oneworld into the top spot over the Star Alliance, which includes United, Continental, US Airways and Air Canada as its North American carriers.

Winners of other categories:
Best low-cost airline: 1. AirAsia; 2. Air Berlin; 3. Virgin Blue
Best regional airline: 1. Dragonair; 2. Silkair; 3.Bangkok Airways
Most-improve airline:1. Garuda Indonesia; 2. Hainan Airlines; 3. Oman Air
Best leisure airline: 1. Thomson Airways; 2. TUIFly; 3. Monarch Airlines
Best in-flight entertainment: 1. Emirates; 2. Singapore Airlines; 3. Virgin Atlantic
Best cabin staff: 1. Singapore Airlines; 2. Malaysia Airlines; 3. Asiana Airlines
Best airline alliance: 1. oneworld; 2. Star Alliance; 3. SkyTeam
Best trans-Atlantic airline: 1. Virgin Atlantic; 2. British Airways; 3. Lufthansa
Best trans-Pacific airline: 1. Cathay Pacific; 2. Singapore Airlines; 3. Asiana
Best first-class airline: 1. Etihad; 2. Singapore Airlines; 3. Qantas
Best business-class airline: 1. Qatar Airways; 2 Singapore Airlines; 3. Etihad
Best premium economy class: 1. Qantas; 2. Air New Zealand; 3. ANA
Best economy class: 1. Malaysia Airlines; Qatar Airways; 3. Singapore Airlines

The World Airline Awards were established 1999, and based on the annual World Airline Survey. The 2009/2010 Survey included over 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to domestic carriers, throughout the world. The survey demographics are underlined by more than 100 different nationality of air travelers taking part.

The survey measures over 38 different items of customer satisfaction for each airline’s product and service standards. Assessing the typical customer experience across Airport and On-board environments – from check-in to boarding, while on-board the customers rate seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food and beverages, in-flight entertainment and many aspects of staff service.

Fees actually took the top two spots among the air-travel gripes. With participants rating the annoyances on a 1-to-10 scale (10 being the most annoying), “luggage fees” topped the survey with a score of 8.4. A m0re general category of “added fees” placed second with a score of 8.1.

The next two gripes involved customer-service issues: “Rude or unhelpful staff” garnered a 7.7 rating from respondents while the inability “to reach a live service rep” drew a 7.6 score.

The survey also returned an interesting result on delays. Respondents actually cited “poor communication about delays” as being more annoying than actual “flight delays.” With that, Consumer Reports says that’s a “message to airlines” to “tell passengers what’s going on.”

The New York Post notes that “complaints about noisy kids rated a mere 4.9 on the scale.” Mark Kotkin, Consumer Reports’ director of survey research, tells the Post: “The thinking was that with a crying baby, what can you do about it?”

Survey results: Top air-travel gripes (on a 1-to-10 scale)
1. Luggage charges (8.4)
2. Added fees (8.1)
3. Rude or unhelpful staff (7.7)
4. Can’t reach a live service rep (7.6)
5. Poor communication about delays (7.1)
6. Seatmates who hog your space (7.0)
7. Flight delays (6.8)
8. People who hog carry-on space (6.7)
9. Long waits at baggage claim (5.9)
10. Long lines for security or check-in (5.2)
11. Puny/no snacks (5.1)
12. Crying babies, unruly kids (4.9)
Source: Consumer Reports

About the survey: The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 2,000 interviews were completed among adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place fromJanuary 21-25. The margin of error is +/- 2% points at a 95% confidence level.

Carefreetrip.com will be donating 100% of all bookings revenue for the next two (2) weeks to help with this disaster of a wonderful place! Will you help?

The five airlines that said they would not add such a fee: American, Delta, JetBlue, United and US Airways. The news apparently came at least partially at the behest of Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, long active in aviation industry issues.

Let’s hope they stick to this. We will continue to watch, especially with the impact of the Iceland volcano.

On domestic flights of less than two hours, coach passengers won’t have access to blankets at all. Premium-class passengers on all American flights and coach passengers on longer international flights will continue to get free blankets and pillows.

American (AMR) says the fee is largely a bottom-line decision.

“Everything we do is evaluated in terms of what’s best economically for the company while still providing services customers want,” says American spokeswoman Andrea Huguely.

“I don’t think it’s an unreasonable fee,” says Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst at Forrester Research. “It gives the passenger some control. If they want a blanket they can pay extra for it; if not, they didn’t pay for it as part of their fare.”

How do I get a good Deal this year?

For one thing, keep track of those surcharges, and see if you can avoid flying on popular holiday travel dates. The airlines are banking on these high-demand days, and flexible travelers will benefit from adjusting their schedules accordingly.

Most importantly, compare, compare, compare. It’s a time-worn adage, but it’s also as relevant as ever this year. Airlines are in tough competition for a reduced number of travelers, and it’s fair to assume we’ll see lots of fare wars and competing sales as the summer travel season approaches. Start benchmarking fares to your destination as much as two or three months ahead of time, and monitor them for a few weeks to see what happens. When you find a price you like, you’ll know just how good a Deal you’re getting.

Further, this is a year where discounted last-minute flights may play a larger role in the airline business. Carriers will no doubt try to push up fares in advance of flights, with the hope that public uncertainty about pricing trends will lead people to book early rather than risk watching their fare go up. If you have a strong enough stomach, you may be rewarded with a Deal if wait until a week or two before your trip to book your flight. (Caveat: This won’t necessarily apply to the most popular destinations, such as Europe.)

Dealing with fees

Keep factoring ancillary fees into your fare comparisons, and consider airlines that charge fewer fees than the competition. Most importantly, keep up with all the new fees so that you know exactly what you’ll be paying, and try to travel with only a carry-on if you can.

United has an annual bag fee program that may work for frequent travelers. For $249 a year, you can check an unlimited number of bags on all United flights. If you know you’ll be traveling a lot, and United’s service and fares work for you, this could be a good money-saving option. So far, no other carriers have come out with a similar program.

Choosing an affordable destination

the real bargains will likely be on the ground, and savvy shoppers would be wise to start any search by looking for great hotel deals and worrying about airfare later. Most travelers take the opposite approach—airfare first, hotel almost as an afterthought—but unstable fare pricing in 2010 suggests this may not be the way to go. In fact, this is a good year to base your destination choices on price, since some destinations may offer deals too good to pass up.

Within hotels, high-end properties have generally seen larger price drops than other properties. This has resulted in price compression, where the difference between rates at high-end hotels and those at middle-of-the-pack accommodations has shrunk, making upscale rooms more accessible to budget-conscious travelers.

Airport security issues

You simply need to give yourself extra time. You may not need it here in the States, but consider it an investment in peace of mind. Abroad, give yourself an extra two hours or more beyond what you would normally budget. Again, you may not need it, but you may also be glad you arrived early.

Beyond time, be prepared for some new experiences. The Department of Homeland Security is expected to add roughly 300 whole-body imaging scanners to U.S. airports this year. These scanners can see beneath your clothing and detect some non-metallic items such as bomb-making materials and composite knives. They also create a greyscale image of your body, which many people feel is a violation of privacy. For the average traveler, this will be a very new and potentially unsettling aspect of airport security, but it appears these scanners will nevertheless become a part of the flying experience.

Lastly, keep an eye on the news, as the security situation is constantly evolving. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and foreign security officials may make policy changes, for better or worse, and you don’t want to be surprised at the airport. Make sure you pack in accordance with current restrictions so your security wait time is minimized. Use common sense and check anything that might invite time-consuming additional scrutiny.

SOURCE: USA TODAY

Delta began charging $8 more for the first checked bag and $7 more for a second for Tickets sold starting January 5, 2010. Continental did the same thing beginning with Tickets sold starting Saturday. United will charge $5 more than before. It takes effect on Tickets bought beginning Thursday for travel after January 21.

The three airlines will be charging $25 for the first checked bag and $35 for the second if the bags are checked at the airport. The fee is slightly lower for bags checked in online.

“It’s a match” of Delta’s higher bag fees, Continental spokeswoman Mary Clark says. “But we don’t normally comment on our rationale” for matching competitors’ pricing changes.

An American Airlines spokesman said the airline has not changed their fees, but they’re studying the moves by the other airlines. Southwest Airlines does not charge to check the first two bags.

It’s easy to see why airlines raise service fees. Their final results won’t be announced until later this month, but U.S. carriers are expected to post a combined 2009 loss of about $2.9 billion, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Airlines have cut flights and gone to smaller planes in response to weak passenger numbers and high fuel costs to try to limit losses.

CONTRIBUTING: USA TODAY, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Toronto’s National Post says the CTA “gave Air Canada 30 days to come up with a plan to create a ‘buffer zone’ for each aircraft type when passengers with nut allergies warn them ahead of time.” In its ruling, the CTA says passengers sitting in such zones “will be advised that they can only eat foods that are peanut-free or nut-free and that they will only be offered peanut-free or nut-free foods as part of Air Canada’s onboard snack or meal will also address the risk of other passengers eating peanuts or nuts,” according to the CBC.

Air Canada says it is reviewing the decision. The Globe and Mail of Toronto notes “Air Canada stopped serving peanuts years ago, but the airline still serves cashews and other snacks that contain nuts.” As for WestJet, Canada’s No. 2 carrier, the Edmonton Sun writes it “already has a policy in place, where on-board personnel try to create a voluntary buffer zone around people with nut allergies. WestJet doesn’t serve meals and only has nut-free snacks.”

Still, despite the CTA’s ruling, Sophia Huyer – one of the passengers to present a complaint – says she’s not satisfied. The Globe and Mail writes Huyer “wants all nuts banned from all airlines.” Huyer adds to the Star: “I know no area can be totally nut-free, but if you’re serving nuts, you are actively increasing the risk anyway.”

SOURCE: USA TODAY

The machines could be a central part of a security review President Obama ordered Monday. The review will cover “all screening policies, technologies and procedures related to air travel,” Obama said in Hawaii.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will begin using bodyscanners on all passengers taking flights to the United States following the attempted terrorist attack on a U.S.-bound flight on Christmas Day, the Dutch interior minister said Wednesday.

The millimeter-wave bodyscanners will be in place in about three weeks, Dutch Interior Minister Guusje ter Horst told a news conference at The Hague.

“We’ve escaped a very serious attack with serious consequences, but unfortunately in this world there are individuals who do not shy away from attacks on innocent people,” she said.

Manufacturers say they are close to removing a major obstacle by building machines that can scan under passengers’ clothing in a few seconds. Machines now used at 19 U.S. airports take up to 30 seconds because passengers must stand inside a glass portal with arms raised as a scanner rotates around them.

A machine being tested at a federal lab is “as quick as going through a metal detector,” said Peter Kant, a vice president of Rapiscan Systems, the manufacturer. “You don’t even stop walking.”

Volunteers at Phoenix Sky Harbor will offer gift wrapping past security Dec. 21 through Dec. 24 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations, which will be given to charities, will be accepted. The Container Store and Southwest Airlines are teaming up for free gift wrapping service at the following airports on Dec. 21 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm: Dallas Love Field (Gate 5); Phoenix (D Gates); Denver (Gate C41); St. Louis (Gates 14 and 16) and Baltimore-Washington (Gates B1, B2 and B3). You don’t have to be a Southwest customer to take advantage of it, the carrier says.

So get your gifts wrapped at the airport this year! Happy Holidays!