July is the month when the airline industry gets a little excited. The prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards will be announced later this month. A lot of what one hears about the quality of airlines is subjective, but the Skytrax awards are recognized by the airline industry as one of the best ranking systems in the world.

Luxury has always been part of the equation. Emirates Airlines and Cathay Pacific are two recent winners. A U.K. based research consultancy, Skytrax offers plenty of information to fliers via their web site. There are reviews by customers who previously flew the airlines and a ranking of each airline based on a number of variables. Even if the the entire industry were not abuzz about its annual awards, Skytrax would be a good source of information to help travelers decide on an airline.

Still, every summer, the travel industry turns its attention to England, waiting for Skytrax to announce the best of the best.

I will be commenting on this year's results when they are announced later this month.