5 reasons this airline snagged its sixth Skytrax award

Air Canada Named Best Airline in North America by Skytrax World Airline Awards at the Paris Air Show (CNW Group/Air Canada)

Air Canada has done it again by snagging the title of Best Airline in North America by the 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards.

It is the sixth time in eight years Canada’s flag carrier has been named the continent’s best airline by Skytrax, whose survey of almost 20 million air travellers is recognised as the global benchmark of being pretty darn fantastic.

Since 2010, Air Canada has embarked on a $10 Billion capital expenditure program to elevate the travel experience.

Here’s the 5 reasons why they’ve scored their sixth big award from Skytrax.

1. An expanded global network

An expanded global network connecting over its Canadian gateway hubs to 95 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America (Air Canada is one of only a few airlines in the world to serve all six inhabited continents).

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2. A fleet renewal program

A fleet renewal program that introduced Boeing 777s and state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with new Boeing 737MAX aircraft arriving in 2017 and Bombardier CSeries jets entering the fleet in 2019.

3. New International, Domestic and U.S. Maple Leaf Lounges

Air Canada operates 22 award-winning Maple Leaf Lounges, where you can freshen up, fill up, and recharge, or plug in and perform at your peak with state-of-the-art amenities, like high-speed wireless, business centres equipped with the latest technology, and colour printing.

Other highlights include a mobile-free quiet zone, complimentary snacks and beverages, and access to plush showers.

The new and revamped lounges are designed to not only offer a relaxing environment (like all lounges) but to celebrate Canadian design, artistry and craftsmanship. The London lounge, for instance, includes Canadian art and products from 2Loons, a Toronto-based design and production house, laminated glass art walls from Accura Glass, Ontario, and Cloud lamp by Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry.

And if you drop by the new-look Montreal lounge, you’ll notice ceramic pieces by Quebec artisan Pascale Girardin that imitate the sound of rustling leaves, travel inspired photography by Montreal based Nicolas Ruel, special maple wood and Ontario Eramosa marble.

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4. Training initiatives for customer-facing inflight, airport, baggage and call centre employees…

…did we mention including expanded language capabilities?!

There are an estimated 80 languages spoken by Air Canada employees and in addition to English and French, service is available from three call centres in North America in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese.

From nine call centres outside North America service is offered in local languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Hebrew, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese.

5. Technological innovations to facilitate customer interactions

Technological innovations to facilitate customer interactions, including a new website compatible with all types of devices for a consistent experience, ongoing refinements of mobile technology, and increased investments in AI to further develop customer-focused capabilities and information management.

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