The 20 Best Airlines In The World

Does it not make you think why there is not an American flagged carrier on here. IMHO, we as Americans have decided we are all get and no give. To be a servant is demeaning per the current attitude, and that constitutes the biggest end of the word service. Service, and taking more than a little pride in what they do is what puts them in the winning category.

I guess they don't care about safety. it's all a bout on time.There are several with horrible safety records and several you couldn't pay me to get on!

what does crashing have to do with this , have you counted how many American airlines have crashed over the years , if I looked at it that way I would never fly American again bud

I noticed as well that there are no American carriers on the list. Is that any surprise? The general attitude among US companies seems to be 'More money More money! Give us our fees and get on the plane! We'll give you good service only if we can charge you for it.' I realize fuel costs have gone way up and that an airline has to make a decent profit to stay in business, but the criteria that put the ones on the list on the list seem to have taken a back seat to the bottom line with US airlines. I noticed also that some of the airlines on the list have some really attractive flight attendants.

Not a single US carrier.....kinda sad. Wonder where the "Big 3" fall past #20. I would hope at least one of them would make the top 50!

And this survey is just for flying economy class!

No US airlines made the top 20 :( !!! We got beat by Asiana and Malaysia. I guess crashing doesn't affect your score as long as you have nice seats and a good IFE system!!!

Despite this survey I'm staying with American as my airline of choice, and Delta as my Plan B.

Given the choice between 1)a solid safety record and passable service but needing improvement, or 2) a solid service level and a passable but needing improvement training and safety record, I would pick the solid safety every time. (Which is often am American airline, but not only.) For example in Europe Air France has had multiple crashes, while TAP Portugal has only had one fatal accident in nearly a century of flying, and that was on the third attempt on a short runway on an island in the middle of the Atlantic in the middle of a storm. Also, the often knocked Ryanair has never had a fatal crash. Not sure if that because of luck or a system that keeps pilots on their toes and never complacent. Certainly Ryanair is not known for their service, like the other two (even if TAP service is arguably better than AirFrance).

Service and safety are the most substantial reasons to rate a airline better. Though it seems to me that often service gets higher prioritization in the decision process than safety, which seems backward to me.

Over the last few years, looking at the airline industry through the eyes of the many industry veterans here has improved my perspective on the true value of airlines. Years gone by, i might have considered the above 3 airlines in order of best to worst: Air France, TAP Portugal, Ryanair. Now that I look past the branding to determine the true value of the airline, I would change the ranking of my 3 example airlines to: 1. TAP Portugal - because of the amazingly solid safety record, together with solid service; 2. Ryanair - based on the solid unblemished safety record (on short flights where their LCC product is tolerable) and 3. AirFrance - spotty safety record, which includes complete hull loss from altitude with poor situational analysis, together with a service that is alright but not necessarily anything to write home about, together with cabins known for being tight.

Examples of foreign carriers for illustrative purposes only. I value the solid safety culture of US carriers, though recognize that the American carriers need to step up their game. Passengers do frequently make purchasing decisions based on the service (after price is taken into consideration). I do miss the old Continental. The new consolidated airlines just are not the same. Though upstarts like VirginAmerica and jetBlue are making service a priority, at least on those itineraries in which such airlines are available.

Good luck world. As long as airlines keep improving their safety and service levels (or at least provide solid safety, with solid value for a known but limited product) the passengers are the winners.

Yep......bed check charlies here...way too low upon take off.
Climb to 3,000 Feet AGL.
Thank
The people of the
United States will thank you too.

I have to admit I have flown with Singapore airlines many times , the food the service the girls are awesome !! they truly pay attention to details , they treated my kids like they were their own , years ago Singapore airlines had a non stop service to Toronto , that lasted 2 months , air Canada pushed them out , too bad, they might have learned something !

mediocrity is alive and well down here ..

Not surprised with this outcome at all. The asian culture is very hospitable.

Surprised to see Emirates in top six....sure the planes are mostly OK especially 380s and newer 777s, older 777s very poor and cabin crew service is universally poor