Emirates Scoops Accolades At BTME Awards

Dubai-based Emirates won four awards including the ‘Best Airline Worldwide’, at the Business Traveller Middle East (BTME) Awards 2012.

The annual event, conducted by our sister magazine BTME and hosted by Motivate Publishing and Panacea Publishing, also awarded the carrier ‘Best Regional Airline Serving the Middle East’ and the ‘Airline with the Best First Class Serving the Middle East’. Meanwhile Skywards excelled in the ‘Best Airline Frequent Flyer Programme’ category.

While Qatar Airways received the ‘Airline with the Best Business Class’ award, Etihad picked up the ‘Airline with the Best Cabin Crew’ and ‘Airline with the Best Economy Class’ awards, and flydubai won ‘Best Low-cost Airline serving the Middle East’.

As in previous years, Dubai International Airports won two titles – ‘Best Airport in the Middle East for Duty Free Shopping’, and ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ – although it lost out to rival Singapore Changi in the ‘Best Airport in the World’ category.

Unlike airlines, no single hotel brand dominated the hotel category awards.

Hilton won the coveted ‘Best Hotel Brand Worldwide’ while InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) was awarded the ‘Best Hotel Brand in the Middle East’.

Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, the five-star hotel opposite Emirates Palace, won the ‘Overall Best Business Hotel in the Middle East’ while Ritz-Carlton picked up the prize for ‘Best New Business Hotel’ for their property at DIFC.

“This year’s winners were a good mix of established and new operators, which shows that the Middle East’s travel industry is not only maturing, but also becoming more competitive,” said Ian Fairservice, managing partner and group editor of Motivate Publishing.