Emirates named Airline of the Year 2001

Emirates, the Dubai-based international carrier, has been named Airline of the Year 2001 in the largest ever global survey of airline passengers. 2.7 million votes were submitted over a period of nine months from around the world, culminating in the awards process.

Conducted by Skytrax research of the UK, the survey asked passengers to rank airlines by the quality of the product and service provided to passengers.

Soon to come - Emirates Airbus A380, a double-decker

Edward Plaisted, MD of Skytrax, said the survey was unique from a number of perspectives, “This was a truly global voting process and not restricted by influences one often sees with polls conducted on a regional basis. It allows for smaller airlines to compete on an even basis with the world’s majors. We do not look at frequent flyer programs or other commercial influences, but concentrate wholly on the quality of product and service that a customer experiences - the end result portrays the truest picture of a quality airline.”

Emirates award winning in-flight catering - gourmet meals for all

Maurice Flanagan, Emirates Group managing director said, “We are delighted to be recognized by customers in this worldwide airline survey. The award testifies to the unbeatable product that we offer passengers – a combination of the most modern aircraft, latest on-board facilities and the highest standard of service in the sky. We continually set the standard as we further expand our operations around the globe; we will continue to put customers first by redefining the quality of our product.”

Mr. Soonthorn Suree Manager Thailand, Myanmar and Laos

Monthly ranking snapshots were taken throughout the survey process and Emirates was a strong performer during the whole voting period, resulting in scooping the prestigious Airline of the Year title.

Emirates is the world’s fastest growing major airline, operating to 57 destinations in 39 countries around the world from its base at Dubai International Airport.

Second position went to Singapore Airlines, with Cathay Pacific third, British Airways fourth and Thai Airways fifth.

Singapore Airlines just missed out in the Best Airline Asia Award to Cathay Pacific, whilst British Airways outranked by Lufthansa for the Best Airline Europe Award.

Customers were asked to rate airport services (at the home base for an airline), cabin seating standards, onboard catering, in-flight entertainment and cabin staff service. Separate nominations were made for airlines offering the best product, best staff service and regional best airline.

Out of 2.7 million votes cast, 32 percent regularly traveled in First or Business class on corporate business, 24 percent traveled on Economy class for corporate sponsors and 44 percent traveled in Economy class for leisure.

The Skytrax research survey is an independent project, conducted without any form of third party sponsorship or influence. Funding for the project was based on the sale of detailed survey analysis and reports to interested airlines.

Applying a ‘without fear or favour’ policy, Skytrax say the survey provides one of the most meaningful studies of passenger opinions and has become one of the most prestigious recognitions of airline standards.

A sea of riches at the world’s end

It is an old dilemma in the storm tossed Bering Sea: how to harvest a wealth of sea fish without destroying it. The Bering’s 885,000 square miles of frigid, nutrient rich waters lie between Alaska and the Russian Far East, bound on the south by Alaska’s Aleutian chain of islands, and escaping north through the Bering Strait into the Atlantic Ocean.

Frozen waters in the Bering Sea

Half covered with ice in winter and often pushing up 20 foot waves, the Bearing Sea is among the world’s most productive bodies of water. Some 300 species of fish thrive here. Walleye pollock, more than half of all Bering bottom fish, are harvested in the world’s largest single species fishery. The entire 2 million square miles of this sea is a cornucopia of marine life and a mulit-billion dollar commercial industry.

Marine animals have suffered huge population drops due to hunting and some experts believe the food supplies have been reduced. Trawlers from Russia, Japan, and other nations take millions of tons a year from this region. But changing pollock and herring levels have also been linked to solar cycles, and resulting water temperature fluctuations. US factory trawlers and land based plants have been locked in bitter dispute over their right to process Bering Sea Pollock.

Most of the Bearing Sea lies within 200 nautical mile areas which are designated as exclusive economic zones claimed by the United States and Russia, which limit their combined pollock catch to about 2.5 million tons a year. But there is a hole of international waters in the middle of the sea, and here unregulated fishing fleets from Japan, China, South Korea and Poland catch an additional 1.3 million tons. Trawlers harvest cod, sole, sable fish, snow crabs, king crabs, halibut and lobsters. International fishing management groups are constantly hammering out guidelines for the formal allocation of fish quotas.

Fur seals don’t need much elbowroom on St Paul’s Island

Russian fur traders were the first to cash in on the Bering Sea’s ecosystem in the mid-18th century, seeking sea otter and seal skins for trade with China and Europe. Within a hundred years, industrial hunters and fishermen devastated the populations of sea otters, fur seals and whales. The Bering Sea became a victim of its own success. Today’s technology makes the age old problem of depleted population of marine life even more pressing. How much high-tech fishing can the delicate ecosystem take?

In an industry riddled with indecision, there seems to be one thing everyone agrees on. The Bering Sea is one of the most dangerous fishing regions of the world. Each year, more than 30 people die in shipboard accidents, many of them on small boats capsized by 90 mile an hour winds and crushed by 20 foot waves. Locating a boat in trouble is difficult, and the freezing water kills in minutes. Search and rescue flights are hampered by some of the worst weather in the world. Ice can form within 30 seconds on the wings and airfoils of a rescue aircraft. Clouds and fog can bring visibility down to zero.

Attu Island, the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands, is one of the bleakest ends of the earth. Its only inhabitants are a handful of Coast Guardsmen whose lonely task it is to maintain a loran station which broadcasts navigational signals for ships and aircraft. On St. George and St Paul, the native Aleut Indians share their volcanic habitat with some 900,000 fur seals, who engage each spring in what may be the nosiest, and smelliest mating game on earth.

West, across the Bering Straight from the American state of Alaska, lies the Siberian Chukchi Peninsula. In 1948, the Soviet Union closed the Bering Strait and turned its eastern border into a Cold War barricade. It was not until 1988 that the strait opened up again for 2-way traffic on the seas. Terrific storms, heavy seas, and frightful squalls make the waters in this area hazardous for conventional shipping. For the men who work the fishing trawlers, it is a life of hardship and endurance. Today’s marine studies in this region estimate the fish biomass in the Bearing Sea to be some of the highest in the world. But only determined conservation methods will ensure that this rich harvest continues.

Updated every Friday
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Updated by Chinnaporn Sungwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
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