2017 skytrax places AC back at #1 in N.A.
#107
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,302
I doubt they are that dumb. It is possible however.
More importantly it is pretty obvious that almost nobody is properly qualified to respond. How many people fly many airlines frequently enough to form an opinion with sufficient evidence to be valid (ie not “I flew airline A once and they sucked because blah blah blah”) but not so frequently as to have top tier status on only one of the airlines (not me — I am SE but don’t fly DL and UA and BR 20 times a year) which would inevitably skew their perceptions too and hopefully significantly. If I, as an SE, don’t have a lot better experience than a FOTSG something isn’t kosher in Denmark. Or how many people achieve top tier across many airlines? If you aren’t a member of one of those two groups you can’t really submit a valid response. So it is total bs.
But if you ask me which of AC WS AA DL UA WN B6 etc is best, I'm going to have a problem. I've flown 4 of those 7 in the past 2 years, but my segment count is single-digits in that time frame on 3 of those 4.
So yes, I agree. These polls are meaningless.
#108
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Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
Without getting into specifics (best left for another thread), there is a US legacy I've flown enough to have had multiple experiences with downgrades from paid J. I don't fly them enough to earn status. Nowhere near as much as AC. But I consistently have the same extremely negative experience on them, and I've never had that problem on AC (in fact, the only downgrade that wasn't quickly rectified was a CRA->DH4 downgauge). So I feel like I could have an opinion on certain aspects of certain airlines.
But yeah, I've never given these surveys/awards stuff much thought.
#109
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Join Date: Sep 2012
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I have a friend who loved DL. He said it was way better than UA or AA. But he'd never flown either of those. He just "knew" it was better.
And I suspect most people who answer these surveys have that kind of mindset.
And that's way worse than me giving me opinion on AC v DL or AA v UA. I'm not a FF on most of those, but I've at least flown them all multiple times.
#110
Join Date: May 2003
Programs: UA Silver
Posts: 1,931
If there is one thing with AC it is there very variable level of CS service from one airport to next. I can see how people living near AC hubs might think highly of AC, but routinely connecting through these hubs - particularly YYZ- is often a nightmare. ... and AC irrop recovery is terrible: overall the airline is certainly not #1 in my book. They *do* have much better sched. than WJ (and its partners) but they are redeploying the Q400s and trading for larger but less frequent Rouge flights so we’ll have to see if this is overall positive.
In my experience - with DL, UA, KL, AF, LH and WJ - the US-based carriers are actually not that bad. Certainly I’ve witnessed US-based CS reps going out of their way to solve problems, whereas AC CS often have a “no can’t do” attitude, which I suspect comes from the management rulebook rather than personal desire to be unhelpful. The fiasco of the overloaded phone system doesn’t help either.
AC does seem to treat its top tier members very well, so at least there’s that.
WJ recently started to announce they are the #1 airline in Canada according to TripAdvisor. This only goes to show that WJ flyers hang around TripAdvisor more than AC flyers do.
In my experience - with DL, UA, KL, AF, LH and WJ - the US-based carriers are actually not that bad. Certainly I’ve witnessed US-based CS reps going out of their way to solve problems, whereas AC CS often have a “no can’t do” attitude, which I suspect comes from the management rulebook rather than personal desire to be unhelpful. The fiasco of the overloaded phone system doesn’t help either.
AC does seem to treat its top tier members very well, so at least there’s that.
WJ recently started to announce they are the #1 airline in Canada according to TripAdvisor. This only goes to show that WJ flyers hang around TripAdvisor more than AC flyers do.
#111
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: YYG
Programs: airlines and hotels and rental cars - oh my!
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#112
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 6,358
Get ready for some really long inflight announcements. AC won 5 Skytrax awards today:
Best Airline in North America
World's Best Business Class Lounge Dining
Best Business Class in North America
Best Airline Staff in Canada
Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness in North America
Overall ranked at 31, down 1 spot from 30.
https://www.worldairlineawards.com/a...-winners-2019/
Best Airline in North America
World's Best Business Class Lounge Dining
Best Business Class in North America
Best Airline Staff in Canada
Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness in North America
Overall ranked at 31, down 1 spot from 30.
https://www.worldairlineawards.com/a...-winners-2019/
#115
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: YLW
Programs: AC- SE100 1MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, National Executive, Nexus/GE
Posts: 4,300
Well, you create enough categories, you are always going to have a winner. It is the new snowflake era, everyone gets a ribbon
To be serious, AC Business Class Hard Product is superior for North America, staff are pretty good when not dealing with a B team!
To be serious, AC Business Class Hard Product is superior for North America, staff are pretty good when not dealing with a B team!
#116
Join Date: May 2012
Location: BKK/SIN/YYZ/YUL
Programs: DL, AC, Bonvoy, Accor, Hilton
Posts: 2,917
When the competition are carriers like American, United, Spirit, Frontier etc., it's easier to look good.
I am still in shock over TG being rated 10th best in the world.
I am still in shock over TG being rated 10th best in the world.
#119
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Join Date: Sep 2012
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I'm excited to try Polaris dinner in 11 days so I can compare to SS and make my own dining decision.
Polaris certainly has better breakfast food.
Polaris certainly has better breakfast food.