Like every year since 1999, Skytrax has announced the ranking of the top 10 airlines in the world for the year. The ranking was conducted based on almost 22 million survey entries from September 2018 to May 2019. Over 100 customer nationalities participated in this survey to create a thorough, complex and non-biased ranking of the most favored airlines across the globe. Tourism Review presents the top 10 airlines.
Like last year, Thai Airways close the top 10, marking the presence of 6 Asian companies in the 2019 ranking. Thai Airways makes the difference for its brand image focused on service and hospitality on board. Skytrax also notes the company's well-organized network with 84 destinations served in 37 countries with a fleet of 90 aircraft.
The German company emerges as the only European airline in the 2019 Skytrax top 10 airlines ranking. The result seems a bit less brilliant, considering Lufthansa lost two positions compared to 2018. The question thus stands, will there be a company to represent the old continent in 2020?
Remarkably, Qantas makes an appearance in the top 10. While safety has been a major topic for several months now, with the accident of two B737 MAXs, the Australian company is often cited as an example. It has never experienced a crash since the arrival of its first jets in 1951.
Founded in 1993, Hainan Airlines stands out as a rising airline. The company has moved one place in the ranking over 2018 and with the growth, it is experiencing, it is not expected to stop there. Hainan now relies on a fleet of 400 aircraft and continues to develop, without a single serious accident since its creation.
Like Emirates, the Taiwanese Eva Air went down one place compared to last year. Despite this minor fall, however, EVA remains in the spotlight for its network linking Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Like the previously mentioned airlines, EVA has also never experienced a serious accident with their aircraft.
A slight disappointment for Emirates. After being ranked fourth in 2018 and 2017, the UAE company lost one place. It remains nonetheless widely acclaimed by travelers. The airline operates more than 1,500 weekly flights from Dubai and serves 140 destinations worldwide.
The Hong Kong company has won two places compared to 2018 as in on the threshold of the podium of airlines. Skytrax especially highlighted its important network, both in terms of passenger and cargo transport.
Member of the Star Alliance since 1999, the largest Japanese airline has retained its third place in the top 10 airlines ranking. ANA remains solid. Its loyalty program has more than 29 million members and it stands out as the company that has the largest number of Boeing 787s in its fleet.
Singapore Airlines lost its crown compared to last year. Nevertheless, the company is still "one of the most respected tourism brands in the world", as pointed out by Skytrax. Moreover, the company can boast one of the youngest fleets in the world.
Ranked 2nd last year, the Qatari airline this year won first place over Singapore Airlines. Skytrax explains the position by the major expansion of the network in recent years. Qatar Airways now serves more than 140 destinations in 5 continents worldwide.