The Best Airlines in the World
TheStreet
The last time you flew, did you feel like a customer, or just like another piece of cargo?
Whatever your answer, it's likely because of the airline you chose for your flight.
This ranking of airlines around the world shows which airlines offer the best service, fly on time, and treat passengers fairly if problems occur.
AirHelp, a passenger rights service that helps travelers travelers get compensation after a disrupted flight, examined and ranked 72 of the world's airlines based on a range of data sources from 2018 and a survey of thousands of air passengers around the world.
The airlines are scored on three criteria: on-time service, (flights that arrive and depart within 15 minutes of their scheduled time) service quality-air passengers were asked to rate the food, comfort and crew of their most used airlines- and claim processing. Claim processing is how efficiently airlines handle compensation claims, including how long it takes them to pay out. Each of these categories is one-third of the score, and AirHelp scored the airlines from 0-10.
Based on AirHelp's study, these are the best airlines in the world.
Photo: Robert Hoetink / Shutterstock
1. Qatar Airways
- Overall score: 8.23 /10
- On-time performance score: 8.4
- Service quality score: 8.5
- Claim processing score: 7.8
Topping the list is the state-owned Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of the Persian Gulf country.
Photo: Dmitry Birin / Shutterstock
2. American Airlines
- Overall score: 8.07 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.5
- Service quality score: 7.9
- Claim processing score: 8.8
Based in Dallas, American
is one of the world's largest airlines.
Photo: Philip Pilosian / Shutterstock.com
3. Aeromexico
- Overall score: 8.07 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.8
- Service quality score: 8.4
- Claim processing score: 8.0
Photo: Victor Vargas Altamirano / Shutterstock
4. SAS Scandinavian Airlines
- Overall score: 8.07 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.3
- Service quality score: 7.9
- Claim processing score: 9.0
SAS is the flag carrier of Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Photo: Lia Koltyrina / Shutterstock
5. Qantas
- Overall score: 8.04 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.9
- Service quality score: 8.3
- Claim processing score: 7.9
Above, a Qantas
plane approaches the airport in Sydney, Australia.
Photo: PomInOz / Shutterstock
6. LATAM Airlines
- Overall score: 8.01 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.7
- Service quality score: 8.1
- Claim processing score: 8.2
LATAM Airlines
is a Chilean airline and the largest airline in Latin America.
Photo: Matheus Obst / Shutterstock
7. WestJet
- Overall score: 7.96 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.4
- Service quality score: 7.6
- Claim processing score: 8.9
WestJet Airlines
is a Canadian airline that serves Canada, the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Photo: Alex JW Robinson / Shutterstock
8. Luxair
- Overall score: 7.90 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.8
- Service quality score: 7.8
- Claim processing score: 8.1
Luxair is the flag carrier airline of Luxembourg.
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock
9. Austrian Airlines
- Overall score: 7.90 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.1
- Service quality score: 8.1
- Claim processing score: 8.5
Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
10. Emirates
- Overall score: 7.80 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.5
- Service quality score: 8.9
- Claim processing score: 7.1
Emirates is based in Dubai, U.A.E.
Photo: Sorbis / Shutterstock
11. Flybe
- Overall score: 7.75 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.1
- Service quality score: 7.7
- Claim processing score: 8.4
Flybe
is a British airline recently sold to Connect Airways
in a sale backed by Virgin Atlantic.
Photo: Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock
12. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Overall score: 7.74 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.8
- Service quality score: 8.1
- Claim processing score: 7.4
KLM
is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands.
Photo: EQRoy / Shutterstock
13. Singapore Airlines
- Overall score: 7.71 /10
- On-time performance score: 8.0
- Service quality score: 8.7
- Claim processing score: 6.4
Photo: Sorbis / Shutterstock
14. Garuda Indonesia
- Overall score: 7.70 /10
- On-time performance score: 9.1
- Service quality score: 7.5
- Claim processing score: 6.5
Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia.
Photo: Vassamon Anansukkasem / Shutterstock
15. Virgin Atlantic
- Overall score: 7.69 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.6
- Service quality score: 8.3
- Claim processing score: 7.2
Virgin
is based in the U.K.
Photo: Dominic Jeanmaire / Shutterstock
16. United Airlines
- Overall score: 7.66 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.4
- Service quality score: 7.1
- Claim processing score: 8.5
Pictured is Chicago O'Hare International Airport, a major hub of United.
Photo: Sorbis / Shutterstock
17. Delta Air Lines
- Overall score: 7.65 /10
- On-time performance score: 8.0
- Service quality score: 7.7
- Claim processing score: 7.2
Above, a Delta Air Lines
plane flies over Maho beach in Sint Maarten in the Caribbean.
Photo: Gem Russan / Shutterstock
18. Turkish Airlines
- Overall score: 7.63 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.2
- Service quality score: 8.8
- Claim processing score: 6.8
Photo: Savvapanf Photo / Shutterstock
19. Air France
- Overall score: 7.60 /10
- On-time performance score: 6.7
- Service quality score: 8.2
- Claim processing score: 7.9
Photo: roibu / Shutterstock
20. LOT Polish Airlines
- Overall score: 7.59 /10
- On-time performance score: 6.9
- Service quality score: 8.5
- Claim processing score: 7.4
LOT is the flag carrier of Poland; established in 1928, it is one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation.
Photo: Myroslava Bozhko / Shutterstock
21. Brussels Airlines
- Overall score: 7.57 /10
- On-time performance score: 6.4
- Service quality score: 7.9
- Claim processing score: 8.5
Photo: Shutterstock
22. Wizz Air
- Overall score: 7.56 /10
- On-time performance score: 6.3
- Service quality score: 8.1
- Claim processing score: 8.3
Wizz Air is a Hungarian low-cost airline based in Budapest.
Photo: Uhryn Larysa / Shutterstock
23. British Airways
- Overall score: 7.54 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.1
- Service quality score: 8.2
- Claim processing score: 7.3
Above, the British Airways
terminal at London Heathrow.
Photo: EQRoy / Shutterstock
24. Lufthansa
- Overall score: 7.52 /10
- On-time performance score: 6.5
- Service quality score: 8.0
- Claim processing score: 8.1
Lufthansa
is the largest airline from Germany and a major European carrier.
Photo: christianthiel.net / Shutterstock
25. Oman Air
- Overall score: 7.44 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.1
- Service quality score: 8.6
- Claim processing score: 6.7
Photo: Faiz Zaki / Shutterstock
26. Etihad Airways
- Overall score: 7.35 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.7
- Service quality score: 8.8
- Claim processing score: 5.6
Etihad Airways is the second-largest airline in the United Arab Emirates.
Photo: Parradii Kaewpenssri / Shutterstock
27. China Southern Airlines
- Overall score: 7.30 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.0
- Service quality score: 8.3
- Claim processing score: 6.5
Photo: hans engbers / Shutterstock
28. Kenya Airways
- Overall score: 7.29 /10
- On-time performance score: 7.7
- Service quality score: 7.6
- Claim processing score: 6.5
Photo: Nieuwland Photography / Shutterstock
29. Azul Airlines
- Overall score: 7.25 /10
- On-time performance score: 8.4
- Service quality score: 8.3
- Claim processing score: 5.0
Azul is a Brazilian carrier based near Sao Paulo.
Photo: Joa Souza / Shutterstock
30. El Al Israel Airlines
- Overall score: 7.24 /10
- On-time performance score: 6.1
- Service quality score: 8.6
- Claim processing score: 7.0
El Al is the flag carrier of Israel.
The airlines that were at the bottom of the list were: Thomas Cook Airlines (No. 72) easyJet (71), Kuwait Airways (70), Korean Air (69) and Ryanir (68). These all had overall scores below 6 out of 10. Korean Air only scored 1.6 for claim processing, the lowest of all the airlines. Visit AirHelp to see the rankings of all 72 airlines.
Photo: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock