News

Air Berlin stands for quality. This is also reflected in our awards.

07.07.2010

Franz-von- Mendelssohn-Medaille		July 2010: Special distinction awarded to Air Berlin
		The Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Berlin Chamber of Crafts have awarded the "Franz-von-Mendelssohn medal" for social commitment and dedication for the sixth time now. Air Berlin was honoured with the special prize for its overall concept in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Matthias von Randow, authorised representative of the Board of Executive Directors of Air Berlin, accepted the award in Berlin.

Skytrax		May 2010: Air Berlin again wins World Airline Award
		Air Berlin won the "World Airline Award" for the sixth time in succession. This award is bestowed by Skytrax, the London-based consultancy company. Other contenders for first place in the category "Best Low-Cost Airline Europe" included Easyjet and Norwegian. In the period from July 2009 to April 2010 more than 17.9 million airline travellers from 100 countries took part in the world’s largest passenger survey.

Clever reisen!		April 2010: Clever reisen! with Air Berlin
		In the current issue (2/2010) of Clever reisen! travel magazine, Air Berlin came out on top twice. In the first instance the magazine took a close look at Europe’s scheduled airlines. This involved scrutinising the services offered by 12 carriers in 13 sub-categories. Air Berlin gained full marks in the categories of departure airports, low-cost fares, age of fleet and accident statistics, and was awarded the accolade of "Europe’s youngest fleet". In the second instance the topbonus frequent flyer programme was rated a winner and earned Air Berlin the title "Best package for Business Class bonuses North America and Asia".

Spain Tourism Award		March 2010: Another gold star for Air Berlin
		This year Air Berlin again received the "Spain Tourism Award" (STAR) during Spanish Night on the first evening of ITB 2010. This is already the second time in succession that Air Berlin has been awarded the gold star of the Spanish tourist office in the category "Best German airline operating services between Germany and Spain". The winner had been selected by fvw readers using an online voting system prior to the award ceremony, with more than 600 travel agencies from all over Germany taking part. State Secretary Joan Mesquida handed the award to Álvaro Middelmann, Director Spain and Portugal at Air Berlin.

Loyalty Award		February 2010: "My Route" is an all-round success
		The magazine Airline Business and Global Flight, a management company specialising in frequent flyer schemes, have conferred the "Loyalty Award 2010" on Air Berlin. The Loyalty Awards are bestowed annually at the Loyalty Conference for outstanding success and innovations. The panel of judges recognised Air Berlin for "My Route", a benefit newly introduced under the topbonus frequent flyer scheme. "My Route" allows Air Berlin’s status customers to collect double award miles on a designated favourite route within Europe. Johannes Ganser, Head of Customer Loyalty & Cooperation Air Berlin, accepted the award on 23rd February in Kuala Lumpur. That same evening he also collected the public’s award on behalf of Air Berlin. The winner is selected by more than 200 participating frequent-flyer and customer loyalty experts working in the travel industry.

Reiseblick		February 2010: Air Berlin again voted number one in Switzerland
		Readers of "ReiseBlick", the largest Swiss travel magazine, cast their votes again in 2009 to select the Airline of the Year. They rated 36 airlines on the basis of criteria such as price-performance ratio, catering and punctuality. In the "Short-Haul" category Air Berlin came up trumps again – just like last year – and was awarded top spot ahead of Swiss and Easy Jet.

GOLF JOURNAL Travel Award		January 2010: Air Berlin voted top airline by golfers
		Air Berlin has received the GOLF JOURNAL Travel Award 2010 for the first time. Almost 1,200 readers took part in the survey conducted by the golf magazine and awarded first place to Air Berlin in the category "Golfers’ Favourite Airline". Air Berlin clearly impressed readers and was well ahead of competitors such as Lufthansa and Condor.

Business Travel Award		January 2010: Air Berlin gains "Business Travel Award 2010"
		Air Berlin gained the "Business Travel Award 2010" in the category "Best Short-Haul Airline". The competition included major companies, such as British Airways and bmi. The award was bestowed by an independent panel of journalists and experts from the travel industry primarily in recognition of Air Berlin’s excellent price-performance ratio, a factor that is becoming increasingly important in the price-sensitive business travel segment. The "Business Travel Awards" were created as the result of a merger between the "Buying Business Travel Diamond Awards" and the renowned "Business Travel World Awards".

oekom research		December 2009: Air Berlin gains award for sustained performance
		For the first time Air Berlin has been awarded "Prime" investment status by the sustainability rating undertaken by oekom research AG. Companies designated as "Prime" are ones that meet the industry-specific minimum requirements for ecological and social sustainability as defined by oekom research, with oekom’s corporate ratings also placing them among the leading companies in their field. The bestowal of this seal of approval makes Air Berlin one of the best of a total number of 10 companies from the transport and logistics sector that have been evaluated. oekom research is one of the leading sustainability rating agencies in the German-speaking area. The analyses conducted by oekom research are incorporated in more than 75 funds and currently influence around 90 billion euros of assets under management.

Danish Travel Award		November 2009: Air Berlin receives Danish Travel Award for the third time>
		Air Berlin has won the Danish Travel Award 2009 in the category of "Best Low Fare Airline". This is already the third year in succession that the second largest German airline has won the award, thereby once again prevailing over the competition in Denmark. In the category of "Best European Airline" Air Berlin was in third place. The Danish Travel Awards have singled out the best companies within the travel and tourist industry for the past 14 years.

Clever reisen!		September 2009: Air Berlin reveals its sporty side
		In its 4/09 issue, the travel test magazine "Clever reisen!" checked out the charges applied by 13 airlines worldwide for carrying sports equipment. In the Europe/America/Middle East category Air Berlin was rated as "very good value" and came top in an international comparison, beating Lufthansa, Air France/KLM and British Airways. Air Berlin passengers do not have to pay for the carriage of golf equipment weighing up to 30 kg. The charge for carrying diving equipment and bicycles up to 30 kg starts at just € 25 one way.

smavel.com		September 2009: Air Berlin: Top marks for transparency and value for money
		For the second time in a row the travel website "smavel.com" has voted Air Berlin the outright winner in its airline comparison survey. Air Berlin is once again the airline of choice on account of its good price-performance ratio, transparency during the reservation process, service on board, generous rates for children as well as favourable terms and conditions for the carriage of pets and special baggage. Condor, the charter airline, also scored excellent marks.

European Business Award		April 2009: Air Berlin wins award for friendly service
		On 7th April Thorsten Scherzer, Sales Manager Air Berlin, collected the European Business Award on behalf of Air Berlin in Rome. In the "Customer Focus" category Air Berlin prevailed over numerous European businesses, including Dell and Deutsche Telekom Kundenservice GmbH. This is an annual award that was first conferred in 2006. The independent award is designed as recognition of successful and innovative companies in the EU.

Skytrax		April 2009: Air Berlin: Europe’s best low-cost airline
		That was the conclusion reached by the UK-based consultancy firm Skytrax, which bestows the World Airline Award every year. More than 16 million people took part in an independent passenger survey and selected their favourite airline in various categories. On 1st April Thomas Ney, Senior Executive Air Berlin, collected the prize in Hamburg.

Spain Tourism Award		March 2009: Air Berlin: The "Star" in Spain
		Travel agency employees took part in an online vote to select the winner of the Spain Tourism Award, or "Star" in short. Air Berlin was voted the best German airline operating flights to Spain. The "Star" was first awarded by the Tourist Board on the occasion of Spanish Night. Secretary of State Joan Mesquida handed over the prize to CEO Joachim Hunold.

Wanderlust Travel Award		February 2009: Air Berlin: Top low-cost airline 2009
		In February Air Berlin was nominated as "Top Low-Cost Airline 2009" by readers of Wanderlust magazine. Wanderlust is the UK’s leading travel magazine for adventurous, independent-minded travellers. The "Wanderlust Travel Award" is bestowed annually. This is the second time in succession the Air Berlin has prevailed over competitors such as Air Asia and Easy Jet.

Reiseblick		January 2009: Air Berlin again voted "Airline of the Year"
		The readers of "ReiseBlick", Switzerland’s largest travel magazine, awarded Air Berlin first place in the "Short Haul" category. More than 1,000 readers took part in the survey, which evaluated 53 airlines in total. The survey focused on the criteria of quality and satisfaction during the check-in procedure and on board, as well as sense of security, punctuality and price-performance ratio.

Urlaub Perfekt		2008: Only the best for our younger passengers
		As a result of this year’s survey conducted by the travel magazine "Urlaub Perfekt", Air Berlin was again voted the most child-friendly airline. More than 1,000 travel agency employees took part in the survey, which evaluated nine airlines. The child-friendly service (child discount, free seat reservation, free carriage of a cot) allowed Air Berlin to prevail over competitors such as Condor and Lufthansa.

World Travel Award 2008		December 2008: World Travel Award 2008 for Air Berlin
		Air Berlin has won the World Travel Award in the category of "World’s Leading Budget Airline" for the second year in succession. Other nominees included Easyjet, a low-cost airline from the UK, and JetBlue Airways from the US. The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 and are considered to be one of the greatest accolades that the tourist industry can bestow. The ratings are based on assessments by 167,000 industry experts from all over the world.

Telegraph Travel Award 2008		November 2008: Air Berlin again receives Telegraph Travel Award
		This is the second year in succession that Air Berlin has received the Telegraph Travel Award in the category of "Best Low Cost Airline". More than 25,000 readers of the UK’s Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers took part in the survey and ranked Air Berlin in first place.

Danish Travel Award		October 2008: Danish Travel Award for Air Berlin
		This is already the second year in succession that Air Berlin has come out on top in the category of "Best Low Fare Airline" at the Danish Travel Awards 2008. By winning the award, the airline has once again prevailed over the local competition in Denmark. In the category of "Best European Airline" Air Berlin was in second place after SWISS. The Danish Travel Awards have singled out the best companies within the travel and tourist industry for the past 13 years.

Skytrax		August 2008: Air Berlin: Best Cabin Staff Northern Europe 2008
		At the "World Airline Awards 2008" Air Berlin came top in the category "Best Cabin Staff Northern Europe". UK consultants Skytrax concluded that Air Berlin’s cabin staff is the friendliest of all participating airlines in Northern Europe.

smavel.com		August 2008: Air Berlin: Best price-performance ratio
		According to a study carried out by the "smavel.com" travel portal, Air Berlin offers its customers the best value for money. Air Berlin scored highly in terms of its service, onboard catering, 20 kg free baggage allowance per passenger, generous child discounts and favourable conditions for the carriage of pets and special or bulky items of baggage. Lufthansa and Condor were in second and third place respectively.

Publituris 2007		June 2008: Air Berlin: once again the best "low cost" airline
		For the second time in a row, "Publituris”, the Portuguese tourism journal, selected Air Berlin as winner in the category of “Best Low Cost Airline". This coveted prize is awarded annually by a panel of 14 judges who single out a winner from the five best companies in 32 different categories. The award is conferred on successful companies operating in the tourist industry.

Sunday Times Travel Magazine		June 2008: Air Berlin: one of the best "Short-Haul Airlines" in 2008
		Air Berlin is among the winners of the “Sunday Times Travel Magazine Awards” in the category of “Best Short-Haul Airline”. The magazine collected reports and ratings from its numerous readers for twelve months and selected Air Berlin as among the best in this category.

Capital		May 2008: Air Berlin again comes out top in Capital survey
		This is the fourth time in succession that Air Berlin has been voted best low-cost carrier in a reader survey conducted by Capital, the German business magazine. More than 1,000 readers and online users gave their verdict based on their experience of around 17,000 flights and voted Air Berlin joint favourites with Condor.

Wanderlust Travel Award		February 2008: Wanderlust Travel Award 2008 for Air Berlin
		Air Berlin has won the Wanderlust Travel Award for the first time. Readers of the British Wanderlust travel magazine voted for Air Berlin as their favourite in the Top Low-Cost Airline category, with a total of ten airlines evaluated. Air Berlin stood against major names in the airline business such as Bangkok Airways and Virgin Blue.

Travelchannel		January 2008: Air Berlin voted best low-cost airline in 2008
		Just like last year, Air Berlin has again come out on top in the category of "best low-cost airline", based on an airline survey conducted by "travelchannel.de". Second place was awarded to NIKI. The assessment was based on a grade point system in each of six different categories. Between the middle of October to the end of November 2007 travelchannel.de, flug.de and travel-overland.de asked its customers to rate an economy class flight that they had taken in the previous 12 months. A total of 8,188 people sent in their responses.

Danish Travel Award		November 2007: Air Berlin again voted best airline
		Air Berlin has again been crowned best low-cost airline. The DANISH TRAVEL AWARD is the first such accolade the airline has received from a Scandinavian country. The prize has been awarded to the best 19 companies in the travel and tourism industry for 12 years now. 1,741 frequent flyers, travel managers and travel agents took part in the appraisal and selected their favourite. Air Berlin came top in the low-cost carrier category, well ahead of Sterling Airline in second place, with third place going to Sky Europe.

Skytrax		August 2007: Air Berlin is Europe’s best low-cost carrier
		This was the result of an independent passenger survey carried out by Skytrax, a London-based consultancy. More than 15 million business travellers and holidaymakers from 93 countries took part in the survey. Skytrax also selected Air Berlin as the second best low-cost airline in the world. Those taking part in the survey rated the airlines both on the ground and in the air. Aspects such as user-friendliness of the website, check-in and boarding procedures, baggage handling and friendliness of employees were put to the test. During the flight it was a question of onboard facilities, the condition of the aircraft and the service provided by the staff.

Capital		July 2007: Air Berlin again comes out top in Capital’s survey
		This is the third time in succession that Air Berlin has been voted best low-cost carrier in a reader survey conducted by Capital, the German business magazine. With an average rating of 2.2, Air Berlin outperformed Condor (2.3) and Germanwings (2.5). The assessments were based on about 30,000 flights taken by over 1,400 respondents, with points being awarded in seven categories: price-performance ratio, feeling of safety, service, comfortable seats, catering, punctuality and bonus schemes.

Cash		April 2007: Air Berlin again judged best low-cost airline
		Cash, the Swiss business journal, has judged Air Berlin the clear winner in the low-cost airline category for the second time now. Cash’s airline ratings lend equal weight to recent passenger experiences, to the appraisals of frequent flyers from the management sector and to the assessments of the international trade press. The key factors in terms of flying experience were online booking, ground service, comfortable seats and cabin, entertainment, catering and onboard service.

Urlaub Perfekt		March 2007: Air Berlin: The best services for children
		Air Berlin is the most family-oriented airline. The travel magazine "Urlaub Perfekt" came to this conclusion in its latest edition. Eight holiday airlines and low-cost carriers were compared in the categories prices, service, comfort, catering and entertainment. Air Berlin was the only airline to be given the rating "very good", as it offers altogether the best and most reasonably priced services for children, according to the reasons given. The Irish airline Ryanair was given the rating "unsatisfactory".

ReiseBlick		January 2007: Air Berlin: Test winner in Switzerland
		The readers of "ReiseBlick", Switzerland’s largest travel magazine, chose Air Berlin as Airline of the Year in the "Short Haul" category. A total of 58 airlines in the long haul, medium haul and short haul categories were rated for friendly service, catering, safety, on-time rate, price-performance ratio, legroom, entertainment and child-friendliness.

Business Travel World		January 2007: Air Berlin awarded best Short Haul Business Airline
		Air Berlin was commended by Business Travel World for offering a business service at low cost and for developing a domestic UK network to complement its fast growing schedule from the UK. The judges gave 2 awards in this category one to Air Berlin and one to British Airways. In the time in which Air Berlin has been flying in the UK business traveler feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Travelchannel		January 2007: Air Berlin is the best low-cost carrier 2006
		Just like last year, we were voted "Airline of the Year" in the "Low-Cost Carrier" category as a result of the airline test conducted by the online travel agency "travelchannel.de". 19,124 users of "travelchannel.de" who had flown in Economy Class in the previous 12 months took part in the survey – and these were primarily holidaymakers. Points were awarded for service on board and on the ground, frequent flyer schemes, safety and value for money. Of all the low-cost carriers Air Berlin came out on top, with its Austrian partner, NIKI, gaining second place, and third place going to Condor.

Capital		July 2006: Air Berlin is a "Capital" winner - again
		Air Berlin has come out on top in the reader survey carried out by Capital, the business magazine, achieving first place as the best low-cost carrier, just as it did the year before. With an average rating of 2.2, Air Berlin was ahead of its competitors (Deutsche BA 2.3, Germanwings 2.4). This was the 20th time that Capital had asked its readers and online users to rate various airlines. Points were awarded for price-performance ratio, sense of safety, service, comfortable seats, catering and punctuality. Air Berlin gained the best individual scores (1.8) for its price-performance ratio and sense of safety.

Skytrax		June 2006: Air Berlin voted best low-cost airline in the world
		Air Berlin is the best low-cost carrier in the world. That is the result of an independent passenger survey carried out by London consultants Skytrax. More than 13 million passengers from 94 countries took part worldwide – business travellers as well as holiday-makers. Points were awarded for categories such as user-friendliness of the website, check-in and boarding procedures, baggage handling and friendliness of employees. During the flight it was a question of onboard facilities, the condition of the aircraft and the service provided by the staff. Additional points were awarded for cleanliness, comfortable seats and good food.

Cash		April 2006: Air Berlin: Top among low-cost airlines
		Air Berlin came out top in the CASH Airline Rating of April 2006, which looked at a total of 10 low-cost airlines. The independent assessment by CASH, the Swiss business journal, allocates one third of marks each to the evaluation of frequent flyers among business people/managers, experiences obtained during new CASH flight tests and the most recent airline tests conducted by international publications. Air Berlin has won out on account of the complimentary food and drink served onboard, the efficient online booking procedure, the extensive frequent-flyer awards and comparatively high flexibility in terms of rebooking and cancellation options.

HolidayCheck		February 2006: Air Berlin again voted favourite airline
		HolidayCheck, the free and independent opinion portal for hotel reviews, has asked its users to vote for their favourite airline in the travel forum. The features assessed included comfort and service, a sense of safety and the price/performance ratio. Air Berlin came out clearly on top in the charter/low-fare airline, with 904 of the votes cast, followed by Thomas Cook/Condor with 467 votes and LTU with 389. Details relating to this survey are available online at: http://www.holidaycheck.de/reisemagazin.php

Skytrax		February 2006: Air Berlin: Low Cost Airline Service Excellence Award 2006
		The London-based consultants Skytrax has conferred the "Low Cost Airline Service Excellence Award" on Air Berlin, as the airline providing the best service in Europe. Research was based on a survey of 3,424 business travellers from 59 countries; more than 800 criteria were incorporated in the results. In the study marks were awarded primarily for long-term quality features relating to customer service. The remarkable thing is that Air Berlin was the only European airline to make the final round. The reasons given for presenting the award to Air Berlin are as follows: "Air Berlin has proved that low cost does not mean having to dispense with customer service. The airline constantly offers a high standard of quality that many national carriers would be pleased to achieve."

ADAC Traveller		January 2006: Air Berlin is the best low-cost airline on the german market
		We achieved first place in the test of low-cost airlines conducted by "ADAC Traveller" magazine. The level of fares in relation to the advertised prices was checked out in 100 test bookings - as were the route network, the flight schedules, the online booking procedures and the additional benefits of websites and service. Out of six airlines - Germanwings, Easyjet, Ryanair, HLX, dba and Air Berlin - we scored highest and were test winners, closely followed by dba. Germanwings was able to gain third place.

Travelchannel		January 2006: Air Berlin voted best low cost carrier 2005
		Air Berlin was again awarded the title "Airline of the Year" in the low-cost carrier category of an airline survey conducted by the online travel company "travelchannel.de". 11,168 users of "travelchannel.de" who had flown economy class in the previous 12 months took part in the survey - so these were primarily holidaymakers. Points were awarded for service on board and on the ground, frequent flyer schemes, safety and value for money. Air Berlin achieved first place among the low-cost carriers, with its Austrian partner NIKI securing second place, and Condor in third place.

The Guardian		September 2005: Air Berlin voted best short-haul airline 2005
		Air Berlin has come out top in The Guardian's 2005 Travel Awards short-haul airline category, rising two places from last year's survey. In winning the category Air Berlin beat national flag carriers including British Airways, SAS and Lufhansa as well as low cost airlines Easyjet and Ryanair. Readers of The Guardian, The Observer and Guardian Unlimited were asked to rate the quality of service on ther short-haul 17,500 votes were submitted in all and Air Berlin garnered the most positive response to their service.

Capital		August 2005:Air Berlin is voted Airline of the Year 2005, low-cost category
		Over 1,000 people who took part in the great airline survey named Air Berlin as their top budget airline, making it the clear winner, ahead of Deutsche BA and Germanwings. Points were awarded in seven categories: for price-performance ratio, feeling of safety, service, comfortable seats, catering, punctuality and bonus schemes.

Skytrax		June 2005: Air Berlin is Europe's best low-cost carrier
		More than 12 million travellers for 94 countries took part in the independent passenger survey conducted by the London consultancy firm. The result: in the European rankings Air Berlin is in first place, followed by Vueling (Spain) and Easyjet (UK). Worldwide Air Berlin is in second place, after JetBlue (USA) and ahead of Virgin Blue (Australia). Points were awarded for check-in, boarding procedure, on-ground and on-board service, cleanliness, punctuality and condition of the aircraft.

Reise & Preise		April 2005: Air Berlin is the best low-cost carrier and best holiday airline in Europe
		In a survey conduct by the German travel magazine "Reise & Preise" , Air Berlin was voted the best airline twice over. In the "Low-cost Carrier" category Air Berlin was given a rating of 1.71, and in the "Holiday Flights Europe" category, the second largest German airline scored 2.07. In both categories Air Berlin was well ahead of its competitors. 5,500 readers and online users "predominantly frequent flyers" took part in the survey. Air Berlin scored particularly well in the categories " feeling of safety", "state of the cabin", "staff helpfulness" and "price-performance ratio".

Stift. Warentest		January 2005: Air Berlin is rated top by Stiftung Warentest
		In a comparison of 15 airlines conducted by "test" (issue 2/05), a consumer magazine published by the German independent consumer association Stiftung Warentest, Air Berlin came out on top with a quality rating of "good". The airline dba also scored 2.2. Air Berlin's on-board service was singled out for particular praise. It was said to be even better than on Lufthansa. Other key factors contributing to Air Berlin's positive rating included the good quality of product information, easy booking facilities and straightforward terms and conditions of business.