Finalists of the Global AirRail 2015, Sponsored by GuestLogix

Together with GuestLogix, the official sponsor of the Global AirRail Awards and a global leader in comprehensive payment travel technology onboard and offboard, GARA is happy to announce this year's finalists!

“It has been a great year for the global air-rail business and we are especially happy to see so many interesting and diverse projects shortlisted for the awards. The goal of the Global AirRail Awards is to recognise the best in air-rail, and to build awareness of the many projects and partnerships that are being developed to create a truly seamless intermodal travel experience”, Milda Manomaityte, Director of GARA said.

“We’re proud to be associated with the 2015 Global AirRail conference and awards,” said Thomas Drohan, VP of Sales EMEA, GuestLogix. “Over the years, we have seen the evolution and growth of the air-rail sector, which is critical to the success of both industries. In supporting this year’s Global AirRail Awards, we’re also supporting the innovation and continued growth of this important combined sector.”

North Star Air Rail Link of the Year

Leonardo Express

Gautrain

Edinburgh Trams

Heathrow Express

KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit

Aeroexpress

Flytoget

Dubai Metro

 

Travelport Project of the Year

Air-Rail Connection at Oakland International Airport

The New Intermodal Product of Rome Fiumicino Airport

UP Express: Transforming Toronto with a Lasting Legacy

Flytoget: Real Time

Aeroexpress: New Double-Decker Trains

First Great Western: Rail Air

Intermodal Hub Annexed to Trieste - Ronchi dei Legionari Airport

 

AccesRail Integrated Partnership of the year 2015

VIA Rail Canada's Platform for Air-Rail Partnerships

Leonardo da Vinci Airport takes off with the Arrows of Trenitalia

Software Upgrade of IVU rail for ERL Express Rail Link

Airport Express Plugin for Travelport Smartpoint

Heathrow Express and Aer Lingus Partnership

Gatwick and GTR Air Rail Partnership

Abellio Greater Anglia and Manchester Airport Group

Thalys and Amadeus Partnership

First Great Western, British Airways and Heathrow Express Through Ticketing

UP Express: UPlifting Opportunities

 

Best Air Rail Distribution Solution

Travelport

Amadeus IT Group

VIA Rail

 

Marketing Campaign of the Year

Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd

UP Express

Heathrow Commuter

Heathrow Express

 

Customer Service Excellence 

Flytoget

MTR

 

Environmental Commitment 

Flytoget

Swedavia Stockholm Arlanda Airport

 

Airport of the Year 

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Oakland International Airport

 

 

 

 

Judges

Judges of the Global AirRail Awards 2015, sponsored by GuestLogix, come from aviation and rail industries, with expertese in operations, design, planning, policy, marketing, communication, customer service or any other sector associated with delivering an outstanding air-rail service. Each category is judged by a minimum of five judges. 

If you are interested in taking part in next year's event, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">

Richard Brown - Managing Director, North Star Consultancy

Richard was Railtrack's Implementation Manager of the Heathrow Express service, one of the first airport expresses globally and the first new mainline railway in the UK for over 100 years.He joined Heathrow Express in 1999 where he was head of operations and customer service. In 2007 Richard founded North Star Consultancy which is now the leading air rail consultancy in the world with over 100,000 hours experience working on air rail projects across the globe.

Diane Burke, Sales and Marketing Director, First Great Western

Diane joined First Great Western in March 2010 with a wealth of railway experience.
She has previously worked forHouse of Fraser, BAA and National Express.

Mike Brown, Strategic Planner, Vancouver Airport

Mike Brown has over 30 years’ experience as a practitioner in airport planning and economics in Canada and overseas. Currently he is Vancouver Airport Authority’s senior strategic planner and works closely with the Authority’s Board and senior management team.

Barbara Jensen, SEM Communication and Marketing, Gautrain Management Agency

Barbara's expertise is government communication, international relations, communication research and the implementation of stakeholder mobilisation and transformation campaigns. Barbara has been part of the Gautrain project since the it’s inception in 2000 and is specifically responsible for its communication and marketing.

Fraser Brown, Commercial Director, Business Lead, Heathrow Express

Fraser is responsible for all aspects of the Commercial Development, Performance and Business Lead of the world's premier Airport to City Express Rail Service, Heathrow Express. He earlier served as a Managing Director of Ultra since April 2011. For UK stakeholders, Fraser’s focus was to identify opportunities within the UK where Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) can help with last mile connectivity and drive positive economic and social outcomes.

Richard Higgins, Associate, Arup

Richard has over 25 years’ experience, the last 17 with Arup, providing strategic transport planning advice. He has advised on corridor strategies, surface access to airports and city-scale developments and masterplans in the UK, Scandinavia, Europe and the Middle East, specialising in public transport.  For the last three years Richard has been working with Gatwick Airport on their surface access strategy, most recently working on their plans for a second runway and new railway station facilities.  Arup is a global, multi-disciplinary consulting practice with 91 offices in 39 countries and has worked on projects at over 100 airports worldwide and numerous rail projects.

Tim Anderson, Chief Executive, Airport Link Company Sydney

Tim Anderson was appointed to this position in November 2008. Previously, he was General Manager of Avalon & Essendon Airports in Melbourne, Australia. Tim has extensive experience in developing, marketing and operating transport related infrastructure and property assets. 
Tim has a Bachelor of Business in Property, a Graduate Diploma in Japanese, a Masters Degree in Business Administration and is an Associate of the Australian Property Institute.

Lena Angela Nesteby, Chief Brand Manager, Flytoget

Flytoget, the Airport Express Train, is Norway’s only high speed train service. Lena joined Flytoget 12 years ago and has been a central part of building up Norway’s most known brand, with the highest customer satisfaction index.

Dick Dunmore, Associate, Steer Davies Gleave

Dick advises widely on air and rail services and projects, whether as competitors or, as in the case of airport rail links, as collaborators. His involvement in airport rail links began in 1991, reviewing demand forecasts for the future Heathrow Express. He. He has since advised on surface access and dedicated rail links at cities including Chicago, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Lisbon, London, Montreal, Oslo, Porto, Southampton, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto and Zürich.

Denis Grenier, Vice-President Business Development, ACP Marketing and AccesRail, a subsidiary company

When he joined the company in 1997, he was instrumental in the business organization, development and expansion of the company. AccesRail is now the unique source and a shared cost distribution system solution for Railway companies and other transportation providers who wish to be sold worldwide on the airline primary screen display and in this way easily pursue intermodal opportunities such as air-rail. His 30 years plus career is punctuated by global responsibilities in the area of international railway distribution, many air-rail implementations and sales & marketing successful initiatives.

Eleni Jordan – Head of Sales Channels, Abellio Greater Anglia.

Eleni has over 20 years’ experience in sales, marketing and commercial roles at both senior manager and exec level in 5 different Industry sectors including airlines, tour operations, hotels, financial services and rail and currently holds the position of Head of Sales Channels at Abellio Greater Anglia, where she has held the post for 3 years, although has spent 13 years in the rail industry. As Head of Sales Channels, Eleni has responsibility for sales, trade marketing, channel development and stakeholder management at Abellio Greater Anglia. Eleni has led the development of the close relationship with Stansted Airport and MAG which has produced many benefits including the launch of new services and products which has enabled substantial growth for both the airport and rail service alike.

David Classey, Director Planning and Programmes, Travelport

As Director of Planning and Programmes at Travelport, David works with suppliers and Associations central to the growth of multi-modal travel including the EU DG MOVE, EU DG Research and Innovation (RTD), IATA Travel Partners Working Group (TPWG), European Rail Agency Change Committee (ERA CCM), Central European Railways (CER), Rail Full Service Model (FSM) and GARA, and is engaged in delivering Travelport’s Rail and Multi-Modal Strategy.

Philip Martin, Head of Global Marketing, Amadeus Rail & Ground Travel at Amadeus IT Group

With over 25 years in the travel technology industry, Philip has held various senior manager positions in development, product management and marketing in a variety of business lines, such as Hospitality, Tours, Car Rental, Airlines, Insurance, Ferry and Cruise. His expertise is in B2B marketing where he has been able to create and implement campaigns that have a fully integrated communications platform through multiple channels with successful marketing ROI. Philip has worked with railways and travel agencies since 1999 as both Business Unit Manager and Head of Ground & Maritime product management. Prior to joining Amadeus, Philip worked for both British Airways and American Express as a systems engineer.

John Morris, Director of Communications, Public Affairs, Events

Influential Public Affairs & Communications Director with international experience and a sustained record of success in the Business-to-Business marketplace. Extensive background in leading passenger travel organisations, including Aviation, Airports and rail. Comprehensive experience of PR, Media Management, Government and Industry Affairs.

Chris Basche – CEO Brisbane’s Airtrain

Chris has more than 20 years’ experience in transport and tourism including Singapore Airlines, Sydney’s Airport Link, TransLink and Brisbane Airtrain. In 2014, Chris returned to Airtrain after working at the Queensland transport authority, TransLink, working on significant projects ranging from developing a competitive tendering strategy for the state’s bus contracts and SEQ fares review. Chris’ previous time between 2003 and 2011 at Airtrain saw considerable market share and patronage growth as well as seeing Airtrain being awarded Best Customer Service in Australia. Chris has a Master’s Degree in Marketing, an Honours Degree in Social Science (Leisure and Tourism) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.

Case Studies

• AirRail Link of the Year 2013
• Airport of the Year 2013
• Customer Service Excellence 2013
• Studies Partnerships

Past Winners

2015

Airport of the Year - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Best Air Rail Distribution Solution - Travelport

Environmental Commitment - Flytoget

Marketing Campaign of the Year - Express Rail Link 

Customer Service Excellence - MTR Airport Express Line 

Travelport Project of the Year - UP Express 

AccesRail Integrated Partnership of the Year - UP Express 

North Star Air Rail Link of the Year - Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd

Personality of the Year - Kathy Haley, UP Express

2014

Air Rail Concept of the Year – UP Express: Strategic Partnerships, Toronto, Canada 

Environmental Commitment – Airport Link Company, Sydney, Australia

Customer Service Excellence – Gautrain, Johannesburg, South Africa

Travelport Project of the Year – UP Express: The Airport Connection

North Star Air Rail Link of the Year – Express Rail Link – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Marketing Campaign of the Year – HK Airport Express Line, Hong Kong 15 Years of Travel Delights 

Air Rail Personality of the Year – Julia Gregory, Head of Airport Development, Gatwick Airport

Best Payment Solution –Xchanging Malaysia: Automatic Fare Collection system on Express Rail Link, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ARC Airport of the Year – Arlanda Airport, Stockholm, Sweden

2013

Air Rail Concept of the Year – VIA Rail Canada, Making VIA the hub 

Environmental Commitment – Express Rail Link

Customer Service Excellence – Arlanda Express, Stockholm, Sweden

Travelport Project of the Year – Union Pearson Express Project

North Star Air Rail Link of the Year – MTR, Airport Express Line

2012

Supplier of the Year – Bombardier Transportation

Environmental Commitment – Flytoget

Customer Service Excellence – Hong Kong Airport Express Line

Project of the Year – Foster+Partners and Halcrow - Thames Hub

North Star Air Rail Link of the Year – KLIA Ekspres 

Marketing Campaign of the Year – Gatwick Express

Personality of the Year – John Morris, Head of Government and Industry Affairs at Birmingham Airport

Innovation of the Year – Ultra Global  for Heathrow Pod 

AccesRail Integrated AirRail Partnership – Lufthansa German Airlines and Deutsche Bahn

2011

Airport Rail Terminal of the Year – Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Washington Dulles International Airport 

Supplier of the Year – RE:Systems, Ticketing for Heathrow Express

Best Customer Service – KLIA Ekspres, Express Rail Link 

Project of the Year – A-Train AB/ Arlanda Express, Train of the Future

Air Rail Link of the Year – Aeroexpress

Best Marketing Campaign – Gautrain, Gautrain Launch 

Personality of the Year – Noormah Mohd Noor, CEO of Express Rail Link

Innovation: Ground Breaking Technologies  – Appear Networks - Context Aware Mobile Workforce Communication Technologies – serving Air and Rail

Partnership of the Year – MTR Corporation Ltd: Partnership with airlines for the seamless journeys

New Service of the Year – Canada Line

Innovation: Implementation – GuestLogix Inc - Technology and Implementation for on-board retail purchase for tickets to Heathrow Express