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SIA bags world's best airline title

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Carrier overtakes Qatar Airways in global survey of more than 20 million travellers

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has dethroned Qatar Airways to clinch the title of world's best airline, following a global survey of more than 20 million travellers.

The last time SIA took home the gold was in 2008. Last year, it came in second in the ranking done by London-based research firm Skytrax.

The national carrier also bagged the top spot in three other categories in the latest ranking - Best First Class, Best First Class Airline Seat as well as Best Airline in Asia.

The awards, which were presented yesterday evening in London, are based on surveys of travellers who rated more than 335 airlines between August 2017 and May 2018.

Accepting the trophy on behalf of SIA, chief executive Goh Choon Phong said: "I dedicate it to the 26,000 SIA group employees who focus every day on delivering the world's best travel experience to our customers."

He noted that the recognition is based on direct feedback from customers who have more airlines to choose from in the highly competitive global environment.

"This will further motivate us to improve upon the three main pillars of our brand promise - product leadership, service excellence and network connectivity - to ensure we retain our competitive advantage, and continue to meet and exceed customer expectations."

Skytrax chief executive Edward Plaisted said: "A key 'wow' factor for customers is consistency and this proved to be a real asset for Singapore Airlines, who scored highly across both product and service."

The Skytrax win comes about three months after SIA received a similar honour in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards for Airlines 2018.

Besides bagging the title of "Best Airline in the World" from the international travel planning and booking site, SIA landed awards in seven other categories. Award winners were selected based on reviews by global travellers focusing on outstanding service, quality and value.

Amid challenges that have put pressure on yields and profits, SIA has stressed repeatedly that it will continue to invest in new products and services to enhance the customer experience, even as it pushes for efficient operations.

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