Qatar Airways is undoubtedly a premier airline, especially regarding the passenger experience it provides. The airline takes great pride in highlighting its achievements, particularly the numerous accolades it has garnered from Skytrax. However, it appears that the airline is now changing its stance and is seemingly distancing itself from Skytrax… or something else.
Qatar Airways aims to eliminate all references to Skytrax
If you examine any Qatar Airways press release to date, you’ll notice how the airline portrays itself, heavily referencing the awards it has received from Skytrax:
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways earned the ‘World’s Best Airline’ title for a remarkable ninth time at the 2025 World Airline Awards, overseen by the international air transport rating organization, Skytrax. Previously, Qatar Airways was recognized as the World’s Best Airline in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
The airline remains synonymous with excellence and has once again been honored with recognition for ‘World’s Best Business Class’ and ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’. As a leading connector in the region, Qatar Airways has also been distinguished with the ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’ title for the 13th time.
Nonetheless, something unusual is afoot. YHBU points out that the Doha-based oneworld airline has sent a memo to its trade partners, instructing them to remove all references to Skytrax in relation to Qatar Airways (thanks to ritesa for the tip).
This includes the Skytrax logos, badges, award seals, and any messages concerning award claims. The airline has cited the need to eliminate mentions of the “World’s Best Airline” award, its “Skytrax Five-Star Airline” rating, among others.
Is Qatar Airways facing issues with Skytrax?
What’s happening between Qatar Airways and Skytrax?
I must tread carefully when discussing Skytrax, as they tend to threaten media entities if there are suggestions of illegitimacy or conflicts of interest in their rankings. It’s important to note that Skytrax both evaluates airlines and offers consulting services to them, making it difficult to disregard a possible connection between these two functions.
One should recall how in 2017, Lufthansa was awarded a five-star rating by Skytrax, with one of the primary criteria being:
“A key factor behind Lufthansa gaining 5-Star Airline Certification is the recently announced new business class cabin and seat that will be delivered when the airline receives their first Boeing 777X aircraft.”
A 2017 Skytrax five-star winning product
Indeed, Skytrax awarded Lufthansa a five-star rating for a seat that didn’t actually exist at the time (which was ultimately introduced about eight years later, lol), even though they assert that star ratings are partly based on:
“The consistency of an airline’s Product and service is a critical issue within their final Rating, and detailed focus is applied to the delivered realities. Particular attention is applied to the quality and consistency of cabin seating, IFE systems and associated cabin products. An airline offering less than 80% fleet-wide product consistency may find these conditions will have a negative impact on their final quality rating determination.”
Given that context, what might account for Qatar Airways’ sudden desire to act as though Skytrax is nonexistent? In a few weeks, Skytrax will announce its winners for 2026, and I can’t help but think that the timing is not coincidental:
– Did Qatar Airways discover that it no longer received the award for the world’s best airline, prompting the airline to essentially boycott Skytrax?
– Was Qatar Airways investing in some form of “consulting” from Skytrax, and has now deemed that expense unjustifiable, thus impacting their rankings?
I do wonder if we might witness Qatar Airways taking some significant steps in this situation. For instance, in 2014, Etihad completely withdrew from Skytrax. In essence, it wasn’t just a matter of not receiving “consulting”; the airline outright expressed its disinterest in rankings or ratings.
If Qatar Airways fully severs ties with Skytrax, it could present a new business avenue for FIFA to enter the “airline ratings” sector…
Etihad withdrew from Skytrax ratings in 2014
Bottom line
For years, Qatar Airways has heavily relied on its Skytrax awards in its marketing, claiming the title of the world’s most awarded airline. Now, Qatar Airways is abruptly eliminating all mentions of Skytrax, just weeks before Skytrax announces its annual awards.
I wonder if this boils down to Qatar Airways not securing