Mango: 'Best budget airline'
Johannesburg - In Mango's short life in the skies, its competitors have predicted that it will "go vrot", that it is a drain on taxpayers' money and have thrown around many more unsavoury terms.
Economists, analysts and the media have been less than friendly and welcoming.
However, the travel agency industry has shown it has different ideas. This past weekend, South Africa's newest budget airline, Mango, won the World Travel Award (WTA) for the leading budget airline on the African continent.
In a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Mango beat fiercest competitor kulula.com, and two airlines operating out of Morocco - Atlas-Blue and Jet4you - to take Africa's inaugural budget airline category award in the 14th annual awards event.
According to WTA's website, nominees were voted for by the various travel agents in their countries of operation. There were 190 countries represented in this year's awards with 167 000 travel agencies voting.
"If Mango has achieved this much in seven months (of operations), imagine what the future holds," exclaimed CEO Nico Bezuidenhout at the news.
"Industry recognition as Africa's leading budget airline confirms what Mango has set out to achieve: Making sustainable everyday low air fares available to all South Africans."
Bezuidenhout added that Mango has since October last year contributed "substantially" to the approximate 8% growth in the market experienced since then.
He predicted that the state-owned airline could "very well own in excess of 30% of the low cost market at this time".
Bezuidenhout said the award was also recognition that Mango is the first African low-cost carrier (LCC) that was successfully established on global best practice and already ranks among the Top 50 LCCs globally.
SAA cleans up
Mango's parent, South African Airways (SAA) retained its position as Africa's leading airline, leading airline website, and leading business class airline. It beat five competitors, including Kenya Airways and Royal Air Morocco. Perhaps the awards could be testimony to Africa's shortage of world-class airline companies, as SAA won every category in 2006 as well.
Fin24 could not establish what the nominations process was as we could not immediately reach Anna Gouldman, the WTA's press officer.
It would be particularly interesting to find out how the nominations and voting process went, especially in light of the fact that domestic budget travellers do not usually engage the services of travel agents.
The WTA website only says that a total of 167 000 travel agencies and professionals in 190 countries worldwide were asked to vote for their leading travel destinations, airlines, hotels and companies in regions around the world. Says WTA: "Voting for the Middle East and Africa categories started in January of this year and ended in May. During this period ballots were completed, returned and processed using the online voting form."
SA airports and other tourism-related businesses also featured prominently in the 2007 awards, with OR Tambo International Airport taking the leading African airport award while Cape Town International Convention Centre is Africa's leading conference centre.
Article from http://www.fin24.co.za/
Best online car hire booker at www.southafrica-carhire.com
Economists, analysts and the media have been less than friendly and welcoming.
However, the travel agency industry has shown it has different ideas. This past weekend, South Africa's newest budget airline, Mango, won the World Travel Award (WTA) for the leading budget airline on the African continent.
In a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Mango beat fiercest competitor kulula.com, and two airlines operating out of Morocco - Atlas-Blue and Jet4you - to take Africa's inaugural budget airline category award in the 14th annual awards event.
According to WTA's website, nominees were voted for by the various travel agents in their countries of operation. There were 190 countries represented in this year's awards with 167 000 travel agencies voting.
"If Mango has achieved this much in seven months (of operations), imagine what the future holds," exclaimed CEO Nico Bezuidenhout at the news.
"Industry recognition as Africa's leading budget airline confirms what Mango has set out to achieve: Making sustainable everyday low air fares available to all South Africans."
Bezuidenhout added that Mango has since October last year contributed "substantially" to the approximate 8% growth in the market experienced since then.
He predicted that the state-owned airline could "very well own in excess of 30% of the low cost market at this time".
Bezuidenhout said the award was also recognition that Mango is the first African low-cost carrier (LCC) that was successfully established on global best practice and already ranks among the Top 50 LCCs globally.
SAA cleans up
Mango's parent, South African Airways (SAA) retained its position as Africa's leading airline, leading airline website, and leading business class airline. It beat five competitors, including Kenya Airways and Royal Air Morocco. Perhaps the awards could be testimony to Africa's shortage of world-class airline companies, as SAA won every category in 2006 as well.
Fin24 could not establish what the nominations process was as we could not immediately reach Anna Gouldman, the WTA's press officer.
It would be particularly interesting to find out how the nominations and voting process went, especially in light of the fact that domestic budget travellers do not usually engage the services of travel agents.
The WTA website only says that a total of 167 000 travel agencies and professionals in 190 countries worldwide were asked to vote for their leading travel destinations, airlines, hotels and companies in regions around the world. Says WTA: "Voting for the Middle East and Africa categories started in January of this year and ended in May. During this period ballots were completed, returned and processed using the online voting form."
SA airports and other tourism-related businesses also featured prominently in the 2007 awards, with OR Tambo International Airport taking the leading African airport award while Cape Town International Convention Centre is Africa's leading conference centre.
Article from http://www.fin24.co.za/
Best online car hire booker at www.southafrica-carhire.com
Labels: South Africa - Airlines
