Thaindian News

Amsterdam, July 30 (IANS) Eight global carriers that fly to India, including Lufthansa, Finnair and Cathay Pacific, have been ranked among the 11 most innovative carriers in the world by a website here that analyses consumer trends in the aviation industry.

The list of Airlinetrends.com includes All Nipon, Emirates, KLM, Virgin and Asiana which all fly to India. Also on the list are Air New Zealand, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, but they do not have operations in and out of India.

The Netherlands-based portal ranked the airlines on various parameters of innovativeness like brand campaigns and services which have also been an inspiration to other airlines.

The website described Finnair as one that has found itself a niche in transferring traffic between Europe and Asia, including India, a strategy that has proved to be successful.

“Finnair’s innovativeness stems from its desire to serve customers even better in a way that’s tailored to their needs,” said Arja Suominen, who serves the carrier’s corporate responsibility and communications department.

The research also commended the modern wellness services of the Finnair spa and saunas as well as the stylish Finnair lounge located in Helsinki Airport. Last week, Finnair flew the world’s longest commercial flight to date using biofuel.

In the next few weeks, it will fly a series of four flights altogether using biofuels in both engines of its aircraft.

Lufthansa, the portal said, has products that caters to both the low-cost and premium segments, and has emerged as a strong brand associated with quality, thoroughness and innovation, resulting in high-yield premium traffic.

Cathaty, on the other hand, was hit by the financial crisis since it banks heavily on business travellers, but responded well with some innovative steps such as a fee for extra legroom in economy class, the portal added.