Cathay Pacific Airways picked up the 2009 Airline of the Year award at the first live SKYTRAX World Airline Awards ceremony held in Hamburg, Germany on 1st April 2009. The SKYTRAX World Airline Awards celebrated their tenth anniversary with around 500 people attending the 2009 Awards ceremony in Hamburg to see the winning airlines receive their accolades. Edward Plaisted (CEO of Skytrax) handed out awards in 34 categories - the winners being selected by the airline industry's most important audience, it's customers. With more than 16.2 million completed Survey interviews during the 8 month survey period and over 97 different passenger nationalities taking part, it is not difficult to see why the WORLD AIRLINE AWARDS™ are so highly regarded, recognised and quoted across the globe - and known as "the respected Air Travel Awards". AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2009 Cathay Pacific : Cathay PacificBest Transatlantic Airline: British AirwaysBest Transpacific Airlines: Asiana AirlinesBest Airline Europe: Swiss Int'l Air LinesBest Airline Middle East: Qatar AirwaysBest Airline North America: Continental AirlinesBest Low-Cost Airline; AirAsiaBest Cabin Staff: Malaysia AirlinesBest Inflight Entertainment: EmiratesBest First Class Lounge: Thai AirwaysBest Business Class Lounge: Virgin Atlantic
AIRLINE OF THE YEAR
1. Cathay Pacific
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Asiana Airlines
4. Qatar Airways
5. Emirates
6. Qantas
7. Etihad Airways
8. Air New Zealand
9. Malaysia Airlines
10.Thai Airways
