The World’s Best Airlines 2017 revealed
The top airlines in the world have been announced and Qatar has claimed back its #1 spot.
Skytrax, a review website for airlines and airports, has just released its annual list of top airlines in the world as part of the Skytrax World Airline Awards. While a couple of familiar names have taken out the top spots, there are a few new names that have edged their way into the top 10.
Winning the gold for the Best Airline this year is Qatar Airways. No stranger to the Skytrax top 10, the 5-star carrier has previously won the award for Best Airline in 2011, 2012 and 2015. It came second to Emirates in 2016 but has since climbed its way back to the top.
This year, it has also won Best Airline Business Class and it has placed in the top 10 for Best Cabin Staff, Best In-flight Entertainment, World's Cleanest Aircraft Cabins, Best Airline Economy Class and Best Airline First Class.
Taking out second place is Singapore Airlines, which came third last year. It's one of six Asian airlines to make the top 10, which is two more than last year. Joining it in the top 10 are ANA All Nippon Airways (third place), Cathay Pacific (fifth place), EVA Air (sixth place), Hainan Airlines (ninth place) and Garuda Indonesia (10th place).
UAE favourites Emirates and Etihad once again made the list, taking out fourth and eighth place respectively, though sadly, Australia didn't make the cut, with our premier airline Qantas dropping from ninth to 15th. It's also no longer Australia's champion either, with Virgin Australia creeping up the ranks from 18th to 13th, to take out the trophy as Australia's best.
The awards, which are based on customer reviews, are known as the Oscars of the aviation industry. They rank everything from top airlines overall to the best airlines for economy and business class.
Here's the list of top 10 World's Best Airline winners, as well as the top 10 winners for different cabin classes.
World's Best Airlines top 10
| 2017 rank | Airline | 2016 rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar Airways | 2 |
| 2 | Singapore Airlines | 3 |
| 3 | ANA All Nippon Airways | 5 |
| 4 | Emirates | 1 |
| 5 | Cathay Pacific | 4 |
| 6 | EVA Air | 8 |
| 7 | Lufthansa | 10 |
| 8 | Etihad Airways | 6 |
| 9 | Hainan Airlines | 12 |
| 10 | Garuda Indonesia | 11 |
World's Best Airlines First Class top 10
| 2017 rank | Airline |
|---|---|
| 1 | Etihad Airways |
| 2 | Emirates |
| 3 | Lufthansa |
| 4 | Air France |
| 5 | Singapore Airlines |
| 6 | ANA All Nippon Airways |
| 7 | Cathay Pacific |
| 8 | Qatar Airways |
| 9 | Japan Airlines |
| 10 | Qantas Airways |
World's Best Airlines Business Class top 10
| 2017 rank | Airline |
|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar Airways |
| 2 | ANA All Nippon Airways |
| 3 | Singapore Airlines |
| 4 | Etihad Airlines |
| 5 | Lufthansa |
| 6 | Turkish Airlines |
| 7 | Garuda Indonesia |
| 8 | Cathay Pacific |
| 9 | Emirates |
| 10 | EVA Air |
World's Best Airlines Premium Economy Class top 10
| 2017 rank | Airline |
|---|---|
| 1 | Qantas Airways |
| 2 | Air New Zealand |
| 3 | Lufthansa |
| 4 | Singapore Airlines |
| 5 | Air France |
| 6 | Japan Airlines |
| 7 | Virgin Australia |
| 8 | China Airlines |
| 9 | Aeroflot Russian Airlines |
| 10 | ANA All Nippon Airways |
World's Best Airlines Economy Class top 10
| 2017 rank | Airline |
|---|---|
| 1 | Thai Airways |
| 2 | Qatar Airways |
| 3 | Asiana Airlines |
| 4 | Garuda Indonesia |
| 5 | Singapore Airlines |
| 6 | Japan Airlines |
| 7 | Emirates |
| 8 | ANA All Nippon Airways |
| 9 | EVA Air |
| 10 | Lufthansa |
