World’s Best Airline for 2024

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Qatar Airways was declared the best airline in the world at the 2024 Airline Awards in London on June 24.  Qatar beat out Singapore Airlines, last year’s winner, who slipped to the number two spot this year. Emirates, ANA All Nippon Airways, and Cathay Pacific Airways completed the top five. No North American airline made the top twenty, with Delta narrowly missing out at 21. Other North American airlines that made the top 50 are Air Canada (29) and United Airlines (42). In fact, those three airlines are the only North American airlines to receive any Airline Awards. Other popular North American airlines like American, JetBlue, and Southwest failed to even be mentioned for any individual award. 

The top twenty best airlines are:

1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Emirates
4. ANA All Nippon Airways
5. Cathay Pacific Airways
6. Japan Airlines
7. Turkish Airlines
8. EVA Air
9. Air France
10. Swiss International Air Lines
11. Korean Air
12. Hainan Airlines
13. British Airways
14. Fiji Airways
15. Iberia
16. Vistara
17. Virgin Atlantic
18. Lufthansa
19. Etihad Airways
20. Saudi Arabian Airlines

Best Airline in North America

Delta, the leading airline in North America, earned the following accolades: 

• Best Airline in North America
• Best Business Class in North America
• Best Premium Economy Class in North America
• Best Economy Class in North America
• Best Airline Staff in North America
• Best Business Class Onboard Catering in North America
• Best Cabin Crew in North America
• Best Cabin Crew in USA
• Best Economy Class Onboard Catering in North America

The Worst Airlines of 2024 in the US

While Delta, Air Canada and United were the only North American airlines to win individual awards, other North American airlines did make the list, towards the bottom. Other North American airlines in the top 100 were: Alaska (60), WestJet (64), JetBlue (65), American (78), Allegiant (82), Sun Country (86), Breeze (91), Southwest (93), and Hawaiian (99).

Frequently flown budget airlines Spirit, Frontier, and AirTran all failed to make the list, so you may want to avoid them the next time you’re booking a domestic flight. 

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Best Airlines in Europe

Americans traveling to Europe have plenty of options for top airlines to choose from, depending on where you are flying to. Making the top ten, Air France and Swiss International Airlines ranked ninth and tenth respectively, with British Airways (13), Iberia (15), Virgin Atlantic (17), and Lufthansa (18) all making the top twenty. Other top European airlines are as follows: 

Best Western European Airline – Air France

Best Airline in Eastern Europe – AirBaltic

Best Airline in Northern Europe – Finnair

Airline Awards Methodology

The Airline Awards began in 1999 and are derived from a survey put out by Skytrax. Survey takers are not given a pre-selected list of airlines; instead, the airlines are solely selected by travelers. Skytrax emphasizes that “a key directive of the survey is for customers to make their own, personal choices as to which airlines they consider to be the best, underlining the brand as the Passenger’s Choice Awards.” Skytrax received entries from travelers from over 100 nationalities, and these travelers mentioned over 350 airlines in their answers.  Any airline in the world can be nominated. Survey entries are screened for IP addresses and user information to ensure no duplicate entries.

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