SIA, Changi are the best

SIA, Changi are the best

HONG KONG (AFP): Singapore Airlines (SIA) and the city-state's Changi Airport swept the board in the OAG Worldwide annual industry awards announced here Tuesday.

Frequent business travelers voted SIA the world's best airline for its services to the Asia-Pacific region, its short-haul first and business class flights as well as its long and short-haul economy services, a statement said.

Australia's Qantas pipped SIA for best Pacific airline and best frequent-flyer program, preventing the Singaporean flag carrier from a clean sweep in the coveted industry awards, international travel information publisher OAG said.

Singapore Changi was voted for the fourth consecutive year as Airport of the Year, the OAG statement said.

In an additional prize the Indonesia manager for British Airways and Qantas, 27-year-old Briton Claire Hatton, was given an "Outstanding Service" award for her role in evacuating about 2,000 foreigners during savage riots that rocked Jakarta last May.

Hatton, who was also given a "People of the Year" award by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was chosen "for her bravery and dedication" in keeping her office open "long after others had closed," the statement said.