Etihad, Emirates win big at WTA

Etihad Airways and Emirates scooped major awards at the recent World Travel Awards, or WTA, held in New Delhi. Etihad, the national airline of the UAE, brought home top honours as the “World’s Leading Airline” title for the fourth year in a row. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier also received recognition for its Diamond First Class product, named the “World’s Leading First Class”. “I am delighted that Etihad Airways has again been named the ‘World’s Leading Airline’. Particularly in our region, the competition is strong, so this is a fantastic way to round out what has been an exceptional year for us,” Etihad president and CEO James Hogan said. “We have received this award for four consecutive years and every year we have sought to raise our standards even higher.” On the other hand, the website of Dubai’s Emirates — emirates.com — was named the “World’s Leading Airline Website”, and its frequent flyer programme — Skywards was voted the “World’s Leading Airline Rewards Programme”. “Being selected by a global cross-section of voters for these two World Travel Awards is testament to the customer experience we provide,” said Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates vice-president for India and Nepal. “Emirates.com and our Skywards frequent flyer programme are constantly refined and tailored to reflect the needs and feedback of our customers.”From khaleejtimes