Changi Airport Singapore tops Safe Travel Barometer for airports
AIR CHINA, China Southern and AirAsia topped the January 2021 chart put together by Safe Travel Barometer, a travel tech solution provider that has created a tool to monitor and benchmark traveller experience and Covid-10 health and safety protocols in today’s travel reality.
Topping the initiatives of 86 airlines in Asia Pacific, China’s Air China and China Southern Airlines achieved the highest Safe Travel Score of 4.1 among full-service carriers, while AirAsia led among APAC low cost carriers with a Safe Travel Score of 4.0.
Compared to other regions, APAC has the highest share (8%) of airlines with a Safe Travel Score of 4.0 and above. In addition to the top few, airlines which followed suit at 4.0 include All Nippon Airways, Qantas Airways, Vistara and Cathay Pacific.
“Despite the regional diversity, Asian carriers continue to introduce a slew of measures in conjunction with airports and destinations to enact air corridors. These are trying times for the airline industry, where regulations and compliance pertaining to travellers’ health play a central role. We believe that health will emerge as the fourth standard of travel, much like passports, visas, and security. This will fundamentally alter how airlines and travellers comply with destination regulations,” said Virendra Jain, co-founder and CEO, Safe Travel Barometer.
Safe Travel Score takes into consideration various initiatives announced by suppliers. These are sub- categorised into Covid-19 safety protocols; traveller convenience; and service excellence.
In the Middle East and African region, Qatar Airways inched past Emirates with a Safe Travel Score of 4.3 out of 5. Although Emirates had the same score, Qatar led by virtue of its lead in two sub categories. Overall, 10 percent of the airlines in the region achieved a Safe Travel Score of 4.0 and above. Other top airlines include Emirates (4.3), Etihad Airways (4.1), and Turkish Airlines with 4.0.
Safe Travel Barometer pointed out the Middle Eastern airlines as the most progressive carriers in terms of traveller-centric policies and implementation of hygiene initiatives. With the roll out of vaccines and travel bubbles opening up, the region’s position looks a lot more promising, it said.
The report noted that low ratings “may not always be reflective of poor initiatives, but also the lack of clear or available information on its websites or related official channels”.
A similar methodology was used to access airports. The Safe Travel Score for airports is based on 34 airport initiatives, categorised into the same three baskets as for airlines.
In this barometer for airports, Changi Airport Singapore came up tops for Asia Pacific airports with a Safe Travel Score of 4.4. Following closely are Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai, Beijing Capital International Airport and New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport . All scored 4.3.
In the Middle East and African regions, Abu Dhabi International Airport took top honours with a score of 4.4. Following that was Qatar’s Hamad International Airport and Dubai International Airport with 4.3.
