Eurowings, the second largest German airline after Lufthansa, recently received the coveted four-star award from British management consultancy Skytrax.
The carrier believes that the rating, which is also held by its parent company Lufthansa, would clearly set it apart from competitors such as Ryanair and Wizzair. For a short time, the airline had five stars, but Skytrax withdrew the fifth star not long afterward. Lufthansa reacted a little sniffily at the time.
Skytrax, a consulting company, evaluates the quality of airlines using a comprehensive test procedure. The testers travel with the customer's perspective and assess the airlines' service in up to 800 different areas. These include onboard service, seat comfort, catering, security measures, in-flight entertainment and duty-free offers. The service awareness and behavior of the crews are particularly important for awarding the four-star seal. Skytrax emphasized that the Eurowings crews are "more professional, more experienced and friendlier in their dealings with passengers," which makes an important difference compared to the competition.
Such awards are highly coveted in the industry, but their significance is disputed. For example, Skytrax has lost some credibility due to the five-star award to Lufthansa, which has since been withdrawn. In general, there is an award for pretty much everything and everyone in aviation, so travelers can quickly lose track. In any case, these are unlikely to be a booking criterion for very few passengers. Of a total of 74 airlines in the low-cost segment rated by Skytrax, only 14 have received the four-star seal.
Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof commented on the award: "Eurowings stands for affordable flying with more ease, but also for reliability and high-quality services. The four-star seal from Skytrax reflects what we have been seeing for some time in numerous statistics and surveys on customer satisfaction. Our crews on board and our teams on the ground work passionately to make a difference and convince more and more guests of Eurowings. They have more than earned this award."