The ratings are in and according to aviation enthusiasts, the following airports have surpassed the mark with flying colours.
HIA passenger terminal and carpark
The results on the world’s best airports are in and to the surprise of many, they’re not what we expected.
Singapore’s Changi Airport, renowned for its hustle and bustle of international cargo and passenger traffic, and beautiful interior designs, took the top spot for eight years in a row.
But this year, the South East Asian airport has been dethroned in an unforeseen twist.
Doha Hamad swapped places with Changi this year, after placing third in the 2020 report.
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport (HIA), says the airport is honoured to be crowned the World’s Best Airport of 2021.
“This is a truly remarkable achievement for HIA and the State of Qatar, and an endorsement from our travellers for our commitment to service excellence,” Al-Meer says.
“As we look towards the future, HIA remains devoted to boosting our efforts in providing the best airport experience to all our passengers.”
The Qatari Hub also won the titles of Best Airport in the Middle East, the World’s Best Airport in the 25 to 35 million Passenger category, and the Best Airport Staff in the Middle East
2nd Place: Tokyo Haneda Airport
Haneda Airport Terminals
Holding position in second place for another year is Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
It’s one of the Japanese capital’s two major airports and is home to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways.
More recently, the Japanese airport saw the arrival and departure of several athletes for 2020s Tokyo Olympic games.
Haneda Airport tarmac at night
In a newly introduced category, Tokyo Haneda Airport was awarded a 5-star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating.
This award follows their success in meeting very high standards of hygiene and safety protocols put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus during their preparation for the Olympics.
Qatar’s airport also received the same award in 2020, being the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to receive the 5-star rating.
3rd Place: Singapore ChangiAirport
Changi Jewel
Despite falling two places from the top, Singapore’s Changi Airport still finds itself in the top five.
This year, the eight-time winner was named the World’s Best Airport in the 10 to 15 million Passenger category and took the awards for the World’s Best Airport Staff and the Best Airport Staff in Asia.
Changi terminals
While it may come to the disappointment of fans who regularly praise the airport for it’s ease, quality food and beverage options and overall comfort, Changi still sits high in third place as one of the most beautiful airports in the world.
4th Place: Seoul Incheon Airport
Seoul Incheon Airport
Sitting comfortably in fourth place is Incheon International Airport in South Korea.
One of the largest and busiest airports in the world, Incheon International seems like something from Futurama.
The airport thrives off delivering the ultimate experience for their passengers, providing plenty of space to relax, unwind and to get lost in Seoul’s culture.
5th Place: Tokyo Narita Airport
Narita Airport Terminal 1
Tokyo is fortunate enough to see both of it’s airports placed in the top 5 with Tokyo Narita International Airport earning a spot this year.
Having placed seventh in 2020, the airport located in the capital’s east advanced two steps higher to make it to fifth place.
While they may have not received the 5-star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating like their Haneda counterpart, Narita International Airport is applauded for their high health and hygiene standards and continuous efforts to keep everyone safe during the pandemic.
Narita Airport shopping strip
Results for the 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards are obtained from the Annual Airport Customer Survey for the Passenger’s Choice Awards with data collected between August 2020 and July 2021.
Travellers are to vote for their favourite or best airport experiences, with many taking the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration this year.
For the full list of the World’s Top 100 Airports for 2021 and more airline awards, head to Skytrax’s website.
Human error sends the New York Stock Exchange tumbling
We’ve all made mistakes at the office from time to time, but spare a thought for one worker who may have single-handedly brought down the New York Stock Exchange with just one tiny error.
The mistake of one employee has wiped billions of dollars off the charts for some of the globe’s largest companies.
The individual reportedly triggered wild swings and volatility on the New York Stock Exchange.
A number of big brand names were caught up in the catastrophe. It included McDonald’s, Walmart, and Mobil.
The NYSE eventually came clean. Officials admitted the“root cause” of the screw-up was a “manual error” from a staff member in the backup data centre.
The employee accidentally left the system running.
That’s why some stocks behaved as if trading had already started, with no opening prices being set, sending the market into a meltdown. #trending #featured
Live Nation is in the firing line over its inability to stop scalper bots from purchasing Taylor Swift tickets
U.S. Senators have grilled the boss of Live Nation over the lack of transparency relating to concert tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour.
The entertainment company, which owns Ticketmaster is under fire after bots purchased tickets for Swift’s ‘Era Tour’ last year, in an attempt to resell them for a higher price.
Joe Berchtold is the chief financial officer of Live Nation, who apologised to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
“We apologise to the fans, we apologise to Ms. Swift, we need to do better and we will do better.”
Senators criticised Live Nation’s fee structure and inability to deal with bots, which bulk buy tickets and resell them at inflated prices.
“There isn’t transparency when no one knows who sets the fees,” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar said.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn called Live Nation’s bot problem “unbelievable”.
Ticketmaster reportedly occupies more than 70 per cent market share of primary ticket services for major U.S. concert venues.
“You ought to be able to get some good advice from people and figure it out,” Ms Blackburn said.
The entertainment giant reportedly sold over 2 million tickets, which is enough to fill 900 stadiums.
Taylor Swift said the situation was difficult, and called for accountability for music promoters.
“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse.
“I’m not going to make excuses for anyone because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” she said.