OREANDA-NEWS. June 23, 2011. Dragonair has been voted "World's Best Regional Airline" in the annual Skytrax awards for the second year in a row - the only airline to hold the honour to date since the introduction of this category in the world-renowned Skytrax survey. The carrier is also honoured "Best Regional Airline Asia" in the same survey.

The World Airline Awards™ are based on the World Airline SurveyTM by Skytrax of the UK, and is particularly significant because it is based on customer satisfaction. A total of 18.8 million airline passengers from more than 100 countries participated during the 10-month survey period. The survey covered more than 200 airlines and assessed customer-service standards across almost 40 criteria related to airlines' various products and services covering airport and onboard environments, including check-in, boarding, onboard seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food & beverages, inflight entertainment and staff service.

Dragonair Chief Executive Officer James Tong expressed his pride and pleasure at the news of the awards. "It is a great honour to receive these recognitions from travellers. On behalf of everyone at Dragonair, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who voted for us," he said. "The fact that we have won the World's Best Regional Airline for two consecutive years and this year's Best Regional Airline Asia, together with previous Skytrax honours, such as Best Airline - China for six consecutive years and Best Regional Airline - Southeast Asia, demonstrates our commitment to service excellence. However, the awards represent more than just an honour for Dragonair, they also recognise the success of a Hong Kong-grown brand, and are thus tribute to the dynamism, creativity and hard work of the city as a whole."

Mr Tong praised the teamwork exhibited by Dragonair in winning the awards. "The management culture and professionalism of the carrier is the key to success," he said. "Our focus is always on people - customers and staff, as well as the younger generation in Hong Kong. While we always provide quality service to our customers, we believe that it is also vitally important to take care of our staff as well as to nurture our younger generation through various corporate social responsibility programmes.

"My message to Dragonair staff is that it is their commitment and teamwork that have brought recognitions in this prestigious survey - and I thank them for their hard work and dedication. We will not rest on our laurels, however, but continue to strive towards excellence in everything we do!"

Dragonair Assistant General Manager Inflight Services Suzanne Wong

receives the "World's Best Regional Airline" at the presentation ceremony,

held in Paris, France on 22 June 2011, from

Edward Plaisted, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Skytrax

Dragonair, an affiliate member of oneworld, is a Hong Kong-based airline operating a fleet of 32 passenger aircraft and serving 33 regional destinations, including 17 cities in Mainland China. Dragonair has been recognised for its product and service quality, and was voted for 2 consecutive years "World's Best Regional Airline" in the annual World Airline Survey run by Skytrax in 2010 and 2011. Dragonair is part of the Cathay Pacific Group, providing seamless connectivity for passengers to more than 140 cities around the globe.