2011 SKYTRAX World Airline Award Winners Announced

PARIS, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Hainan Airlines Again Named "Best Airline China"

Building on the honor of "SKYTRAX Five-Star Airline" in early 2011, Hainan Airlines has made continuous improvement in its service quality and international influence. After winning the awards of "Airline Staff Service Excellence China" and "Best Airline China" in 2010, the Chinese airline was again named the winner of the awards at the awards ceremony during the Paris Air Show held in Paris, France this year. This is the third time Hainan Airlines has received the honor after earning the title of "Best Airline China" in 2008. Such a great achievement has drawn wide attention from the industry.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110622/CN24344 )

In presenting the awards to Hainan Airlines President Chen Ming, SKYTRAX President Edward Plaisted expressed his congratulations to the company, saying Hainan Airlines grew fast in the past year and consistently maintained a very high standard in service and internationalization. As a five-star airline worldwide, Hainan Airlines left a deep impression upon passengers for its services with distinct oriental characteristics, added Edward Plaisted.

Hainan Airlines President Chen Ming said: "We are proud and grateful to receive the awards. The awards only represent recognition for our past performance, and we still have a lot to learn from our prominent counterparts in future. The Five-star honor is just one of the milestones in Hainan Airlines' history rather than the final success. As we maintain our best-in-class services for global passengers, we will continue to strive towards becoming a world-class airline."

The transition from four-star to five-star status in just one year represents an impressive achievement that is rarely seen even among global airlines. The winning of the "Best Airline China" and "Airline Staff Service Excellence China" awards again also fully demonstrates Hainan Airlines' strength and influence on the world stage.

"In terms of the development trend, three alliances - Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam - are emerging in the global aviation market, and airlines are entering an era of allied competition. However, airlines that offer distinct services will definitely gain a larger market share over the next ten years," said SKYTRAX President Edward Plaisted. "The future competition in the aviation market will become increasingly dependent on services rather than the size and market position of companies."