ONEWORLD wins ‘Best Airline Alliance for Wine’ award

Judges at a leading international wine-tasting competition have raised their glasses to oneworld® as the best airline alliance for the wines served in-flight by its member airlines for the ninth year in a row.

The Cellars in the Sky Awards, now in their 32nd year, are run by Business Traveller, the multi-national magazine group, in association with the International Wine Challenge. The 2017 awards were presented last night at a ceremony at London’s historic Trinity House, following blind tastings by a panel of four leading experts of hundreds of wines served on longhaul flights by 32 airlines from around the world.

This latest accolade consolidates oneworld’s position as the world most highly prized airline alliance, as the current holder also of six of the leading overall “best airline alliance” awards presented internationally, along with the only other alliance award presented for the quality of wines offered by airlines, Global Traveler’s Wines on the Wing.

oneworld’s member airlines also flew high in the Cellars in the Sky 2017 awards.

Qantas received three Gold medals – for Best First Class White, Best First Class Cellar and Best Business Class Fortified/Dessert Wine.

Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines jointly shared the Gold Medal for Best First Class Sparkling.

American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines were also honoured with Silver and Bronze Medals.

The judges included luminaries from the world of wine, led by co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge Charles Metcalfe.

For the results in full, see businesstraveller.com

Last year, oneworld member airlines served some 30 million bottles of wine, including around 2.5 million bottles of Champagne.

Among wine and beverage fun facts from across the alliance:

• Qantas is the third biggest buyer of wine in Australia, selecting from 150 plus Australian wine makers.
• British Airways offers a choice of three Champagnes and seven different wines to First Class passengers – and five wines in Club World (longhaul Business Class).
• Many oneworld member airlines offer their own alcoholic and non-alcoholic signature cocktails.
• Cathay Pacific has brewed its own signature beer – Betsy – specially crafted to be ideal at 36,000 ft.
• British Airways commissioned its own signature gin.
• oneworld member airlines focus also on non-alcoholic beverages. Among them, Finnair served a million litres of blueberry juice, Finland’s signature drink, while Qantas serves barista coffee in most of its lounges.

Other “best airline alliance” awards currently held by oneworld include:

• FlightStats’ Airline Alliance On-Time Performance Service Award for 2017, for the fifth year running.
• Global Traveler magazine’s 2017 GT Tested Reader Survey – for the eighth year in a row.
• Business Traveller’s 2017 Best Airline Alliance for the fifth consecutive year.
• Business Traveler North America’s 2017 Best in Business Travel Awards, for the third year running.
• World Travel Awards’ World’s Leading Airline Alliance 2017 for the 15th year running.
• Trazees’ Favorite Airline Alliance, for the second time.