The votes are in! Readers of Business Traveller magazine have voted for their favourite airline, hotel, airport lounge and related hospitality services. And it is no surprise who dominated the business travel industry in 2024.
The awards have been a fixture of the business travel and hospitality calendar for almost 40 years. This year’s Business Traveller Awards 2024 were sponsored by Priority Pass, Delta, Plaza Premium Group, official transport provider FREENOW, Timothy London, Vertus Edit and reachtv.
Singapore is simply the tops!
Singapore Airlines walked away with five awards: Best Airline, Best First Class, Best Economy Class, Best Cabin Staff and Best Asian Airline.
Singapore Changi Airport also crowned the best airport in the world. It also carried off the Best Airport in Asia-Pacific, while Singapore was named Best MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) Destination Worldwide.
Qatar Airways claim four awards
Qatar Airways won four awards for Best Long-Haul Carrier, Best Business Class, Best Middle Eastern Airline and Best Inflight Food & Beverage
Brits go a higher level
British Airways triumphed in the Best Short-Haul Carrier, Best Frequent Flyer Programme and Best Airport Lounge categories – the last of these being for the Concorde Room at Heathrow T5.
In the Best Independent Lounge category the American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow T3 again came out on top, followed by the VIENNA Lounge, Vienna Airport T1, the No1 Lounge, London Heathrow T3, and the Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow T2.
Hotels Awards
In the hotel categories InterContinental Hotels & Resorts won the award for Best Business Hotel Brand Worldwide, with Malmaison being named Best Business Hotel Brand in the UK, and Hilton Hotels & Resorts triumphing in the Best Business Hotel Brand in Europe category.
Hilton also won the award for Best Hotel Loyalty Scheme with its Hilton Honors programme.
Cunard won the award for Best Ocean Cruise Line, while Hurtigruten triumphed in the Best River or Specialist Cruise Line category.
New categories
In two new categories for this year, Uber was named Best Ride Hailing Service, and Blacklane won the award for Best Chauffeur Service.
Tamsin Cocks, editor of Business Traveller, said: “It’s always exciting to find out who has been crowned in the Business Traveller awards. So much has happened in the last year as travel providers continuously up their game, and our readers are a tough crowd to impress, so these results really do reflect the best of the best."
“The event was made even more special this year as we celebrated the relaunch of the magazine in a fabulous new venue. Thank you to everyone involved, and a huge congratulations to our worthy winners.”
The Business Traveller Awards are voted for by readers of the magazine, with the results authenticated by an independent market research company. The awards are widely recognised as the market’s benchmark for excellence. Here’s a snapshot of the rewards:
Business Traveller UK Awards 2024 – Results
AIRLINES
Best Airline
- Singapore Airlines
- Qatar Airways
- British Airways
- Emirates
- Virgin Atlantic
Best Short-Haul Carrier
- British Airways
- Aegean
- Lufthansa
- KLM/Turkish Airlines
Best Long-Haul Airline
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Japan Airlines
Best Frequent Flyer Programme
- British Airways Executive Club
- Lufthansa Miles & More
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue
- Emirates Skywards
Best First Class
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- British Airways
- Air France
Best Business Class
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Cathay Pacific
- Virgin Atlantic
Best Premium Economy Class
- Virgin Atlantic
- Emirates
- British Airways
- Singapore Airlines
Best Economy Class
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Qatar Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
Best North American Airline
- Delta Air Lines
- United Airlines
- American Airlines
- JetBlue
Best Cabin Staff
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Qatar Airways
- All Nippon Airways
Best Airline Alliance
- oneworld
- Star Alliance
- SkyTeam
Best Low-Cost Carrier
- easyJet
- Air Asia
- IndiGo
- Wizz Air
Best Asian Airline
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Japan Airlines
- Korean Air
Best Middle Eastern Airline
- Qatar Airways
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- Saudia
Best African Airline
- Ethiopian Airlines
- Royal Air Maroc
- Kenya Airways
- South African Airways
Best Independent Lounge
- American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow T3
- VIENNA Lounge, Vienna Airport T1
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow T3
- Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow T2
Best Airport Lounge
- British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow T5
- Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, London Heathrow T3
- Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge, Hong Kong International Airport
- Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, London Heathrow T3
Best Inflight Food & Beverage
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Virgin Atlantic
Best Inflight Entertainment
- Emirates
- Qatar Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
- Cathay Pacific
AIRPORTS
Best Airport in the World
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Heathrow Airport, London
- Hamad International Airport, Doha
- Dubai International Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
Best Airport for Shopping
- Heathrow Airport, London
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Dubai International Airport
- Hamad International Airport, Doha
Best Airport in Europe
- Heathrow Airport, London
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
- Zurich Airport
- Munich Airport
Best Airport in North America
- JFK International Airport, New York
- Los Angeles International Airport
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Best Airport in Asia-Pacific
- Singapore Changi Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
- Tokyo Haneda Airport
- Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok
Best Airport in the Middle East
- Hamad International Airport, Doha
- Dubai International Airport
- Abu Dhabi International Airport
- Muscat International Airport
- Ground Transportation/MICE
Best MICE Destination in Europe
- London
- Barcelona
- Amsterdam
- Berlin
Best MICE Destination Worldwide
- Singapore
- Dubai
- Las Vegas
- New York
Andy Probert is an independent PR writer and journalist who writes about travel experiences, airlines, airports, new tech and business. His work has appeared on the BBC, in The Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror, as well as many newspapers/magazines globally.
