Japan Airlines Named Airline of the Year

Japan Airlines Named Airline of the Year

January 28, 2002

Air Transport World, the leading monthly magazine covering the global airline industry, selected Japan Airlines as its Airline of the Year for 2002. The editors singled out JAL for remaking itself into an efficient, aggressive competitor, shaking off its traditional ways of doing business.

Led by President and CEO Isao Kaneko, Japan Airlines accelerated an attack on costs, slashing unit costs 38% and personnel costs 48% since 1992, said ATW Editor-in-Chief J.A. Donoghue, leading to record profits in its most recent fiscal year. Despite the business downturn after Sept. 11, JAL held true to its vision by fashioning a merger agreement with Japan Air System that will make Japan Airlines the third-largest carrier in the world.

Other award winners include SkyWest Airlines of St. George, Utah, named ATW's Regional Airline of the Year for the second time. Forging alliances with both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, SkyWest over the past five years has grown revenues at a compound annual rate of 21% while remaining consistently profitable. The airline, which celebrates its 30th year of service in 2002, flies to 89 cities with a fleet of 124 regional jets and turboprops.

Boeing was selected to receive ATW's Airline Technology Achievement Award for the benefits it has brought to airlines by developing its superb 777 line of long-range twinjets. While creating the largest and longest-range twinjet ever, Boeing insured the 777's success by pioneering important improvements in the development process.
British Airways received the Passenger Service Award for leading the industry into a new era of creativity and comfort in passenger accommodations. Following up its precedent-setting first-class "cabin'' concept, BA's design of its new Club World business class took the idea of an airline seat and started over, taking chances and making it work.

JetBlue Airways of New York has been so successful in its two short years of existence that it was selected to receive ATW's Market Development Award. Launched by experienced managers, JetBlue selected New York Kennedy Airport as the base from which to "offer a superior product with everyday low fares,'' the magazine said.

Lufthansa Cargo continued Lufthansa's tradition of excellence, winning the Cargo Development Award by pursuing "a path of strong and profitable growth, maintaining leadership in the traditional airfreight segment while developing innovative products to narrow the divide between the airport-to-airport and integrated freight and express components of the market,'' the magazine said.

The awards will be presented in Singapore at Air Transport World's Gala Awards Dinner on Monday, February 25, at the Swisshotel Singapore -- The Stamford on the eve of the Asian Aerospace Airshow.

Air Transport World is the leading monthly trade magazine serving the airline and commercial aircraft manufacturing industries. Published by Penton Media, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, it is read by more than 330,000 professionals around the world involved in all facets of the airline industry.

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