- Air New Zealand has been ranked the best airline in the world by AirlineRatings.com.
- The rating website cited the airline's Skynest economy beds as one reason for its success.
Air New Zealand has been ranked the best airline in the world by AirlineRatings.com, a website for airline safety and product reviews.
The airline beat Qatar Airways, which held the title in 2021 and 2022, to secure the top spot. The website cited Air New Zealand's new Skynest economy beds and the airline's safety record as two reasons for the top ranking.
Air New Zealand was ranked first for best economy class; Qatar Airways took the lead for business class; and Singapore Airlines was ranked the best first-class airline.
Among US airlines, Delta ranked highest, coming in at 15th place. The rating website named the best low-cost airline as Southwest in the US and Ryanair in Europe.
AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief, Geoffrey Thomas, said: "In our objective analysis Air New Zealand came out number one in many key areas although it was a very close scoring for the top five."
He continued: "Like all airlines across the globe Air New Zealand has faced severe disruptions during and after the pandemic and this year huge challenges from storms and cyclones. The airline has responded well."
AirlineRatings.com uses criteria including fleet age, passenger reviews, and profitability. Here are the top 10 airlines, according to the website:
1. Air New Zealand
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Air New Zealand, or Air NZ, is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. It's the country's national carrier.
Air NZ has an average score of 7.6./10 based on 231 reviews on AirlineRatings.com. Its recent reviews are mixed.
2. Qatar Airways
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Qatar Airways is headquartered in Doha, Qatar. It's one of the biggest airlines in the Middle East, with a revenue of $14.4 billion in 2022, per Al Jazeera.
Qatar has an average score of 7.3/10 based on 196 reviews on AirlineRatings.com. Its recent reviews are mixed.
3. Etihad Airways
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Etihad is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It's one of two flag carriers in the UAE.
Etihad has an average score of 5.9/10 based on 120 reviews on AirlineRatings.com. Its recent reviews are poor.
4. Korean Air
Safety: 6/7
Product: 7/7
Korean Airlines is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It's the flag carrier of South Korea.
Korean Air has an average score of 7.8/10 based on 60 AirlineRatings.com reviews. Its reviews are mostly positive.
5. Singapore Airlines
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Singapore Airlines, or SIA, is headquartered in Singapore. It's one of the biggest airlines in Asia, with a revenue of $13.2 billion in 2022.
SIA has an average score of 6.3/10 based on 256 AirlineRatings.com reviews. Its recent reviews are mixed.
6. Qantas
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Qantas is headquartered in Mascot, Australia. It's the flag carrier of Australia.
Qantas has an average score of 5.7/10 based on 402 AirlineRatings.com reviews. Its recent reviews are mixed.
7. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Virgin Atlantic is headquartered in Crawley, England. Richard Branson owns 51% of Virgin Atlantic, while Delta Airlines owns a 49% stake.
Virgin has an average score of 5.3/10 based on 35 AirlineRatings.com reviews. It doesn't have many recent reviews, with the latest review dated November 2019.
8. EVA Air
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
EVA Air is headquartered in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. It's one of the biggest airlines in East Asia, with a revenue of some $5 billion in 2023, per Companies Market Cap.
EVA has an average score of 5.8/10 over 48 reviews on AirlineRatings.com's reviews.
9. Cathay Pacific Airways
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Cathay Pacific is headquartered in Hong Kong. It's one of the largest airlines in Asia, with a revenue of 13.6 billion in 2019, per Nikkei Asia.
Cathay has an average rating of 5.8/10 based on 197 AirlineRatings.com reviews. Its recent reviews are mixed.
10. Emirates
Safety: 7/7
Product: 7/7
Emirates is headquartered in Dubai, UAE. It's one of two flag carriers in the UAE.
Emirates has an average rating of 5.3/10 based on 413 AirlineRatings.com reviews. Its recent reviews are mixed.