The best airline in the world is New Zealand, says ranking

Air New Zealand is the best airline in the world in 2023, as pointed out on Wednesday (31) by the specialized website AirlineRatings.com, which annually prepares the Airline Excellence Awards performance ranking.

This is the seventh time the New Zealand company has topped the podium since 2013.

According to the publication, the launch of its SkyNest “nests” in 2024 – which will allow passengers to sleep in beds during the flight in economy class – in addition to operational advances in safety, environmental leadership, and employee motivation weighed in the final decision.

Air New Zealand has overtaken Qatar Airways, which won in 2021 and 2022, and champions of other years, such as Eithad Airways, Korean Airlines, and Singapore Airlines.

The performance of the companies was judged by five editors of the publication, who together have over 180 years of experience in the civil aviation industry.

Also analyzed are the ratings the airlines have received in government audits, fleet age, passenger comments, profitability, investment ratios, product and service offerings, and employee relations.

The scores in the top 5, according to editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas, had tight differences, but in the end, Air New Zealand came out on top in both the final ranking with the world’s top 25 airlines and in the “Best Economy Class” category.

“It was this focus on the well-being and comfort of economy class travelers that impressed the judges,” Thomas told CNN Travel.

Qatar Airways won “Best Business Class” for the fourth consecutive year, having the best in-flight meal service in the world. Singapore Airlines was named best first class, while Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic received the “Best Crew” title.

Emirates has the best in-flight entertainment and premium economy class, while Qantas has the best lounges. Air Baltic was named the best regional airline.

The following airlines were considered excellent for long-distance flights: Qatar Airways (Middle East), Korean Air (North Asia), Lufthansa (Northern Europe), Delta Air Lines (North America), Turkish Airlines (Southern Europe), Singapore Airlines (Southeast Asia), Air New Zealand (Australia and Pacific region), Air Mauritius (Africa) and, in South America, Latam Airlines – a Chilean company with a branch in Brazil.

For AirlineRatings.com, the best low-cost companies in the world are Southwest (Americas), Fly Dubai (Middle East), AirAsia (Asia), Jetstar (Australia and Pacific region), and Ryanair (Europe). Vietjet also stood out as the best low-cost airline and the best in-flight hospitality among low-cost airlines.

Get to know the winners!

THE WORLD’S TOP 25 AIRLINES IN 2023

1. Air New Zealand (New Zealand)

2. Qatar Airways (Qatar)

3. Etihad Airways (United Arab Emirates)

4. Korean Air (South Korea)

5. Singapore Airlines (Singapore)

6. Qantas Airways (Australia)

7. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic (Australia/United Kingdom)

8. EVA Air (Taiwan)

9. Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong)

10. Emirates (United Arab Emirates)

11. Lufthansa (Germany) – Technical tie with Swiss International Air Lines in 11th place

11. Swiss International Air Lines (Switzerland) – Tied technically with Lufthansa (Germany)

12. SAS or Scandinavian Airlines (Sweden, Norway, and Denmark)

13. TAP (Portugal)

14. All Nippon Airways (Japan)

15. Delta Air Lines (USA)

16. Air Canada (Canada)

17ª
British Airways (United Kingdom)

18. JetBlue Airways (US)

19. JAL or Japan Airlines (Japan)

20. Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam)

21. Turkish Airlines (Turkey)

22. Hawaiian Airlines (US)

23. KLM (Netherlands)

24. Alaska Airlines (US)

25. United Airlines (US)

With information from UOL

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