MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

LAN and TAM Airlines awarded as Best South American Airlines by Skytrax

This year the Award ceremony was held at the Paris International Air Show at Le Bourget

LAN Airlines and its affiliates and TAM Airlines, members of LATAM Airlines Group, were once again recognised as the Best Airlines in South America, receiving first and second place, respectively, according to World Airline Survey, conducted yearly by Skytrax, the prestigious English company dedicated to the world airline and airport industry.

Through professional audits and research on product and service quality, Skytrax, provides unique expertise and quality analysis. This year the Award ceremony was held at the Paris International Air Show at Le Bourget, a worldwide event in the airline industry where the best airlines are distinguished, according to the opinions of over 10 million passengers’ from more than 100 countries.

Enrique Cueto, CEO LATAM Airlines Group, stated: “We are extremely proud to see that both airlines from LATAM Airlines Group, LAN and TAM, were honoured as being the best in the region. The satisfaction of these seasoned passengers motivates our daily efforts to deliver an excellent, consistent, and distinguished product with the purpose of providing the best travel experience.”

In the past five years, LAN and TAM have alternated back and forth between first and second place in the “Best Airline in South America” category. In 2009 and 2010, LAN won first place and TAM second, which is the scenario for 2013. In 2011 and 2012, the reverse was true, TAM won first and LAN second.

The World Airline Survey, a main reference tool regarding passenger satisfaction levels, uses a unique analysis format that considers passengers’ experience and perspective.

Skytrax awards analyse passenger experience in the world airline and airport industry by using 40 categories related to product and service quality, such as: check-in experience, boarding process, seat comfort, cabin conditions, catering, onboard entertainment and various service items. In this case, nearly 200 international airlines were evaluated.

Adding to the company’s recognition, the Oneworld Alliance – where LAN is a member (and later will be joined by TAM in a date expected within the second quarter 2014) along-side some of the most distinguished international companies – was recognised as the best airline alliance in the world.