The World’s Top 10 Airlines in 2017 Rated by Travelers

Sam Taj Eddin

The Skytrax World Airline Awards feature the most acclaimed recognition within the industry that any airline can wish to win! As such the awards are commonly known by insiders as the “Oscars of the aviation industry”. Each airline knows that the annual announcement has become a truly worldwide benchmark of airline excellence.

Travelers across the planet take part each year in the world’s largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to determine the winners. The Skytrax Survey and Awards Methodology are fully transparent, and the process remains 100% independent, meaning no payment or advertising by any airline takes place, nor is there any involvement of any other outside organizations, concerning any aspect of the customer survey or Awards presentation event.

So as every Perpetual Traveller wants to know, who are the winners, losers, and shakers for 2017? Here below is the world’s Top 10:

1. SINGAPORE AIRLINES up 1 place from 2016

Destinations Covered: Spanning a network spread over six continents
Fleet: 106 aircraft and of the youngest in the industry
Airline Group: Star Alliance
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Singapore Airlines is one of the most respected travel brands around the world. Flying one of the youngest aircraft fleets the Singapore Girl is an internationally-recognisable icon providing the high standards of care and service that customers have come to expect of Singapore Airlines.

2. QATAR AIRWAYS up 1 place from 2016

Destinations Covered: 140 destinations Global
Fleet: 174 planes – one of the world’s youngest airline fleets with an average aircraft age of 5 years
Airline Group: Oneworld
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 5/7
Qatar Airways features a level of service excellence that enabled it to become the world’s leading airline. Qatar Airways network spans business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America, and South America.

3. ANA ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS up 2 places from 2016
Destinations Covered: 72 international routes and 115 domestic routes
Fleet: 240 aircraft
Airline Group: Star Alliance
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Japanese carrier, ANA All Nippon Airways is the 13th largest airline globally by revenue (2013). Founded in 1952, ANA flies on with a fleet of about ANA the launch customer and biggest operator of the Boeing 787.

4. EMIRATES down 3 places from 2016

Destinations covered: Fly to over 140 destinations in more than 80 countries worldwide.
Fleet: 230 aircraft only 2 types Triple 777 & S380
Airline Group: None Conduct own in-house program called Skywards
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Founded in 1985 flying out of Dubai with just 2 aircraft, Emirates now has a fleet of more than 230 aircraft, and the Emirates network is expanding constantly, with over 1,500 flights departing Dubai each week on their way to destinations on six continents.

5. CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS down 1 place from 2016
Destinations Covered: 130 destinations across the planet
Fleet: 150 aircraft
Airline Group: Oneworld
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Voted Airline of the Year 2014, Cathay Pacific Airways has won the World’s Best Airline award 4 times. The Cathay Pacific Group also includes Cathay Dragon.

6. EVA AIR up 2 places from 2016
Destinations Covered: Flying to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America
Fleet: 24 aircraft
Airline Group: Star Alliance
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
EVA Air is the second largest Taiwanese airline. In June 2013, EVA became a Star Alliance member. The airline’s slogan is Sharing the World, Flying Together.

7. LUFTHANSA up 3 places from 2016
Destinations Covered: Huge global coverage to 6 continents
Fleet: 260 aircraft
Airline Group: Star Alliance
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Lufthansa is the largest German airline and combined with its subsidiaries, it is the largest airline in Europe. Lufthansa operates a fleet of over 260 aircraft including the Boeing 747-8, with the A350 joining the fleet later in 2016. Lufthansa is one of the founding members of Star Alliance.

8. ETIHAD AIRWAYS down 2 places from 2016

Destinations Covered: Ambitious coverage across 6 continents
Fleet: 117 Airbus and Boeing aircraft
Airline Group: Star Alliance
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Etihad Airways commenced operations in November 2003, and the airline seeks to reflect the best of Arabian hospitality. The airline flies to destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

9. HAINAN AIRLINES up 3 places from 2016
Destinations Covered: China and international routes are expanding rapidly, the longest being 14 hours.
Fleet: 180 aircraft
Airline Group: Hainan Airlines is not part of any alliance yet
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 7/7
Hainan Airlines is a privately owned airline, the fourth largest carrier in China. Celebrating its 24th anniversary in 2017, Hainan Airlines is the only Chinese mainland carrier to be ranked as a 5-Star Airline. The main international hub is Beijing Airport, with other hubs being Chengdu, Chingqing, Changsha, Xi’an, and Shangai. Hainan Airlines has a fleet of over 180 aircraft, including Boeing 787-9, Boeing 787-8, Boeing 767-300, Boeing 737-800, A330-200, A330-300, with a further 75 aircraft on order.

10. GARUDA INDONESIA up 1 place from 2016

Destinations Covered: 76 destinations overall (domestic and international)
Fleet: 144 aircraft
Airline Group: Skyteam
Airlineratings.com 2016 Safety Score: 4/7
Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia, the largest archipelago nation. Garuda Indonesia flies to over 40 domestic and 36 international destinations. Garuda Indonesia started flying in 1949, and today Garuda Indonesia carries more than 25 million passengers annually.

Summary
5 Star Alliance Airlines are featured in the Top 10, which suggests this Group rules the airways of our Planet, in addition to featuring more airline partners than any other Group.

3 Asian Airlines are featured in the Top 5 and 2 Middle Eastern Airlines. Only 1 European Airline is featured in the Top 10 and there are no American Airlines anywhere near the Top Group. This clearly demonstrates the general weakness and poor quality of service that the populations of the Americas and Europe have to face when it comes to air travel. This will come as no surprise to Perpetual Travellers,

Most of the American airlines and some European so arrogant to develop their services, instead of attacking the successful airlines around the world and trying to make new rules to stop them or attack them in the media let them develop their services and the way they deal with others, Since the benefit now not for them so they will complain and cry like a baby, the competition open and will not give a chance to this kind of behaviors to survive for a long time, because services will decide who will win in the end, and i think the golden question they should ask them self (Why our own people prefer to choose these airlines instead of our local airlines?)