Best Short-Haul Airline

Short-haul is the workhorse of European corporate travel, and the segment where the smallest operational slips create the biggest commercial consequences.

A 90-minute Heathrow–Frankfurt that lands 40 minutes late is a missed meeting; a cancelled Dublin shuttle is a same-day rebook that no expense system absorbs without complaint. For the corporate buyer building a programme that the finance team and the traveller both have to live with, short-haul reliability is non-negotiable.

The Best Short-Haul Airline award, part of the Travelling for Business Awards 2026, recognises the carrier delivering the punctuality, network density and schedule dependability that corporate travellers actually buy short-haul on. Network and full-service short-haul carriers, alongside the low-cost operators now firmly embedded in corporate booking tools, are eligible. The category is open to scheduled passenger airlines operating across the UK, Europe and the connecting regional markets.

Judging is led by the 2026 panel using submitted evidence cross-referenced with public data, Eurocontrol punctuality reporting, UK CAA on-time performance and GBTA traveller research all feature in the assessment. Carriers are encouraged to enter where they have measurable evidence of operational performance, product investment and corporate programme strength over the last 12–18 months.

Short-haul winners typically share two things: a published commitment to schedule integrity and a business-traveller product, priority lanes, flexible fares, lounge access, recovery options, that holds up week in, week out. The Best Airline Lounge and Best Frequent-Flier Programme categories complement this award and are often entered by the same carrier.

Sponsorship of the Best Short-Haul Airline category is available on a single-sponsor basis – see the sponsorship page.