Emirates dubbed best int’l airline, US-Bangla best domestic, Saudia best cargo

Dhaka: Based on the opinions of frequent flyers, Emirates has won the Best International Airline, US-Bangla Airlines the Best Domestic Airline, and Saudia Cargo the Best Cargo Airline awards during “ShareTrip–Monitor Airline of the Year 2024” awards held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka on July 5.

This year’s online survey saw participation from over 3,000 frequent travelers. Airlines received Gold, Silver, and Bronze trophies in record number of 23 award categories.

Emirates Area Manager Bangladesh receiving Gold award in the Airline of the Year 2024 category—Photo: Monitor

In special recognition of outstanding contributions to the development and progress of Bangladesh’s travel industry, the Jury Committee presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Taufiq Uddin Ahmed, Founder and Chairman of Galaxy Bangladesh.

Md Fahimul Islam, Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, Government of Bangladesh, attended the event as Chief Guest. Other notable speakers included Kazi Wahidul Alam, Editor of The Bangladesh Monitor; Professor Dr M Sadiqul Islam, Chairman of the Jury Committee; Sadia Haque, Co-Founder and CEO of ShareTrip; Mohammad Saiful Hoque, Country General Manager and CEO of Sabre Bangladesh; and Asif Ahmed, Acting General Manager of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.

A US-Bangla representative receiving Gold award for Best Domestic Airline—Photo: Monitor

The current edition introduced several new award categories, notably “Most Popular Airline Brands in Bangladesh,” under which 12 airlines were recognized. The “Best Airport Lounge” category continued this year, where MTB Air Lounge won Gold, EBL SkyLounge received Silver, and City Bank Amex Lounge took Bronze.

The selection of winners was overseen by an 11-member jury panel comprising distinguished individuals from various sectors. The panel thoroughly reviewed and validated the survey results before declaring the winners.

Taufiq Uddin Ahmed, Founder and Chairman of Galaxy Bangladesh, receiving Lifetime Achievement Award—Photo: Monitor    

First launched in 2007 by the aviation and tourism publication The Bangladesh Monitor, the Airline of the Year Awards aims to honor excellence in aviation. This year marked the 11th edition of the awards.

ShareTrip, Bangladesh’s leading online travel agency, served as the title sponsor, while supporting partners included Eastern Bank, Sabre Bangladesh, Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, and online travel agency BuyTickets.

The full list of winners is as follows:

1.       Best Business Class

•         Qatar Airways - Gold

•         Emirates - Silver

•         Cathay Pacific - Bronze

2.       Best Economy Class

•         Singapore Airlines - Gold

•         Emirates - Silver

•         Qatar Airways - Bronze

3.       Best In-flight Entertainment

•         Emirates - Gold

•         Singapore Airlines - Silver

•         Cathay Pacific - Bronze

4.       Best In-flight Meal in Business Class

•         Qatar Airways - Gold

•         Emirates - Silver

•         Singapore Airlines - Bronze

5.       Best In-flight Meal in Economy Class

•         Biman Bangladesh Airlines - Gold

•         Singapore Airlines - Silver

•         Turkish Airlines - Bronze

6.       Best In-flight Service (Economy Class)

•         Cathay Pacific - Gold

•         Thai Airways - Silver

•         Singapore Airlines - Bronze

7.       Best In-flight Service (Business Class)

•         Emirates - Gold

•         Qatar Airways - Silver

•         Singapore Airlines - Bronze

8.       Best Loyalty Program

•         Singapore Airlines - Gold

•         Emirates - Silver

•         Qatar Airways - Bronze

9.       Best Overall Customer Experience

•         Singapore Airlines - Gold

•         Emirates - Silver

•         Qatar Airways - Bronze

10.     Best Airport Lounge (Bangladesh)

•         MTB (Air Lounge) - Gold

•         EBL (Sky Lounge) - Silver

•         City Bank (Amex Lounge) - Bronze

11.     Best Regional Airline

•         Thai Airways - Gold

•         SriLankan Airlines - Silver

•         Malaysia Airlines - Bronze

12.     Best Long-haul Airline

•         Biman Bangladesh Airlines - Gold

•         Qatar Airways - Silver

•         Turkish Airlines – Bronze

13.     Best Budget Airline

•         Air Asia - Gold

•         Fly Dubai - Silver

•         Air Arabia - Bronze

14.     Cargo Airline of the Year 2024

•         Saudia - Gold

•         Cathay Pacific - Silver

•         Emirates - Bronze

15.     Best On time Performance (Domestic)

•         NOVOAIR - Gold

•         US-Bangla Airlines - Silver

•         Air Astra - Bronze

16.     Most Customer Friendly Airline (Domestic)

•         Air Astra - Gold

•         NOVOAIR - Silver

•         US-Bangla Airlines - Bronze

17.     Best In-flight Service (Domestic)

•         US-Bangla Airlines - Gold

•         Air Astra - Silver

•         NOVOAIR - Bronze

18.     Best Airport Service (Domestic)

•         Air Astra - Gold

•         US-Bangla Airlines - Silver

•         NOVOAIR - Bronze

19.     Domestic Airline of the Year 2024

•         US-Bangla Airlines - Gold

•         NOVOAIR - Silver

•         Biman Bangladesh Airlines - Bronze

20.     Best Freight Forwarder & Logistics Service Provider

•         Expo Freight Ltd - Gold

•         MGH - Silver

•         DSV - Bronze

21.     Best Improved Airline (Compared to 2023)

•         US-Bangla Airlines - Gold

•         Biman Bangladesh Airlines - Silver

•         Kuwait Airways - Bronze

22.     Most Popular Airline Brands in Bangladesh

•         Emirates

•         Qatar Airways

•         Singapore Airlines

•         Biman Bangladesh Airlines

•         Saudia

•         Cathay Pacific

•         Turkish Airlines

•         Air India

•         Thai Airways

•         Malaysia Airlines

•         US-Bangla Airlines

•         Gulf Air

23      Airline of the Year 2024

•         Emirates - Gold

•         Qatar Airways - Silver

•         Singapore Airlines - Bronze

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