OREANDA-NEWS. Aeroflot, Russia’s flag carrier and largest airline, has been named the No.1 major airline in Europe by users of TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site. Aeroflot has also been recognised by TripAdvisor users as Best Business Class [of any airline globally].

The recognitions come as part of the Travellers’ Choice awards for airlines. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of airline reviews and ratings submitted by travellers worldwide, over a 12-month period.

TripAdvisor began collecting reviews of airlines in 2016, and this is the first time TripAdvisor is presenting Travellers’ Choice awards in the airline category. The hallmarks of Travellers’ Choice winners are remarkable service, quality and value.

"There is no greater honour for us than recognition by passengers. TripAdvisor is the most comprehensive platform globally for passenger feedback and what makes the Travellers’ Choice awards for airlines special is that they are based on that invaluable passenger feedback," said Vitaly Saveliev, Chief Executive Officer of Aeroflot. "We are immensely grateful to our passengers for their loyalty. The recognitions of Best Major Airline in Europe and Best Business Class globally are a welcome affirmation of our focus on customer service excellence, flying the youngest and most modern fleet of aircraft of any major airline and constantly innovating with the use of the latest technology."

"We are proud to announce the inaugural Travellers’ Choice awards for airlines, to help travellers make the most well-informed air travel decisions, based on the experiences of the global TripAdvisor community," said Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager for TripAdvisor Flights. "The airline industry is investing billions of dollars in new aircraft and service enhancements to differentiate the flying experience and these awards recognise the carriers offering the very best experiences and value to the traveling public."

Celebrating its 94th year of operations in 2017, Aeroflot is one of the oldest airlines globally and one of Russia's most-loved brands. Thanks to a relentless focus on customer service and efforts to leverage the latest technology, Aeroflot is regularly recognised as a leader in its industry. In 2016 Aeroflot received prestigious four-star airline status from authoritative aviation specialists Skytrax. In February 2017 Aeroflot was named the world's strongest airline brand by Brand Finance, the world's leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy.

Passengers rate airlines on TripAdvisor based on eight criteria: check-in and boarding, customer service, cleanliness, food and beverage, in-flight entertainment, legroom, seat comfort and value for money.

In 2016 Aeroflot, saw passenger traffic grow by 10.3% overall, with domestic traffic rising by 7.6% and international traffic increasing by 14.1%.

Aeroflot was additionally recognised today in the Travellers’ Choice Awards as the Best Airline in Russia.

Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship carrier and a proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. Aeroflot and its partners serve 1,062 destinations in 177 countries worldwide. In 2016, Aeroflot carried 29 million passengers (43.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries).

In 2016 Aeroflot became the first Russian airline to be awarded Four Star Airline status by Skytrax in recognition of the high-quality of its customer service, and was also named Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the fifth time at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Aeroflot operates one of the youngest fleets in the world with 191 aircraft. Aeroflot is based in Moscow, at Sheremetyevo International Airport.

Aeroflot is among the global leaders in aviation safety, with a European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Index, the main globally recognized safety parameter, comparable to global peers.

The first Russian carrier to enter the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) register, renewing its registration for the sixth time in 2015, Aeroflot has successfully passed the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and is fully ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 compliant.