The Paris – New York flight serviced by the A380 was just launched only 5 days ago in a hyped ceremony. Nicolas Petteau, spokesman for Air France, said the A380 suffered a “minor technical problem” that made the crew turn the plane around for checks.

Petteau said the plane landed safely, the technical problem was fixed and took the 402 passengers to Paris with a considerable delay.

“It was a minor glitch, but we do apply a principle of absolute caution and as soon as there is the slightest concern, we come back, we fix it and the plane takes off again. It was a problem with the in-flight computer but it did not at all affect air speed,” he added.

This is the second time A380 has to return mid-flight. A Singapore Airlines aircraft had to return to Paris on September 27 because one of its four engines failed.

Air France is the first European airline that owns Airbus’s biggest plane, the A380 superjumbo which can carry 525 people in the standard three-class layout . Other airline companies that own this model are Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qantas airlines.

Air France is set to launch another flight serviced by the A380, between Johannesburg and Tokyo in the next months.

Singapore Airlines, one of the main companies of the Southeast Asia that wins passenger choice awards very often, gained top marks for its service in both classes.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific together with Dubai’s Emirates airline got the second rank in the premium-class category. Also Emirates occupied the second rank for its economy class service.

The third rank in premium class service was given to Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand.

Despite the fact that Continental, the U.S. airline, got a 15 score being behind the others, Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey, considered the result of the company as an achievement.

“The newer airlines continue to do well in the survey. Being less expensive to operate, they can therefore afford to provide better service,” said Zagat in his statement. He also added that such airline companies as Singapore, Emirates and Cathay Pacific prospered not due to governmental support. The question arose how Continental did so well as the company did not have any specific advantages.

Also Continental became the best value company in international routes.

As a result Continental Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways got the leading position in two categories. Southwest Airlines won in four categories while Virgin America was top-rated in three.

The Zagat survey was the third annual airline survey that exposed diminution in the number of flights because of the global economy recession.

The survey showed that only 7 percent of respondents flew more as well as others flew less this year.

The number of business flights diminished to 61 percent this year in comparison with 2007 when it was 64 percent. But as for leisure flights, their number increased by 4 percent this year.

“This is a very special night for Singapore,” says Alan Glass, CEO of OAG. “Our congratulations go to the airline, the airport, the Government and the people of Singapore. The level of service and innovation that Singapore Airlines and Singapore Changi have consistently offered the travelling public is reflected by the way OAG subscribers, the world’s frequent fliers, have voted. The slogan for Singapore Changi is ‘Enjoy the experience’. Travellers who use the airport and the airline clearly do.”

Here are some of the most important winners this year:

• Best Airline based in Africa – South African Airways
• Best Airline based in Asia – Singapore Airlines
• Best Airline based in Australasia/Pacific – Qantas
• Best Airline based in Central/Eastern Europe – CSA Czech Airlines
• Best Airline based in Central/South America & Caribbean – LAN Airlines
• Best Airline based in the Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent – Emirates
• Best Airline based in North America – Continental Airlines
• Best Airline based in Western Europe – Virgin Atlantic

For the full list of OAG winners, click here.

Votes were cast online by frequent flyers; each were asked to rank top 3 airlines for each category. The winner was the airline that was mentioned the most.