Qatar Airways best airline of the year: here's the top 20
With air traffic returning, at least in part, AirlineRatings.com has published its annual summary of the best airlines [...]
Virgin Atlantic
United Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Qatar Airways
Qantas
Lufthansa
KLM
Japan Airlines
Finnair
Etihad Airways
Emirates
easyJet
Delta
Cathay Pacific
British Airways
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Alaska Airlines
Star Alliance
SkyTeam
Oneworld
With the return, at least in part, of air traffic, AirlineRatings.com has released its annual summary of the world's best airlines. Australia's aviation safety and product evaluation agency gives its Airline Excellence Awards based on criteria including fleet age, passenger reviews and product offerings. This year, the airlines' response to Covid-19 was also included as a parameter.
In this article:
To win is. Qatar Airways thus undermining Air New Zealand.. The victory is a resounding one because Air New Zealand had taken first place six times in recent years. Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings.com, said that what was decisive as a factor was Qatar Airways' response to the pandemic. These are his words, "Qatar Airways has always ranked highly in our rankings, winning various awards such as Best Business Class, but it was the airline's commitment to keeping its route network largely open that attracted the judges' praise and votes." Particularly appreciated were the many repatriation flights the carrier provided and its ability to make the pandemic flight experience as safe as possible.
Five awards for Qatar Airways, also good for Singapore Airlines and Qantas
Qatar Airways won the title of Airline of the Year, Best Airline in the Middle East, Best Catering and Best Business Class. Typically, profitability is one of the key factors evaluated by the judges to rank the best airlines, but due to the strong financial impact of Covid-19 on the aviation industry, finances were not considered. Along with Qatar Airways and Air New Zealand in this year's top five is Singapore Airlines in third place, best airline in 2019. Fourth place was taken by Qantas, while the top five is closed by Emirates.
Among the awards given by AirlineRatings.com were. best first class (Singapore Airlines), best cabin crew (Virgin Australia) and the best airport lounges (Qantas). EasyJet won the award for best low-cost airline for Europe, while Jetstar won in Asia/Pacific and Southwest in the Americas.
AirlineRatings.com's top 20 airlines for 2021
- Qatar Airways
- Air New Zealand
- Singapore Airlines
- Qantas
- Emirates
- Cathay Pacific
- Virgin Atlantic
- United Airlines
- EVA Air
- British Airways
- Lufthansa
- ANA
- Finnair
- Japan Air Lines
- KLM
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- Delta Air Lines
- Etihad Airways
AirlineRatings' "Airline of the Year" award places special emphasis on product innovation, good route network and overall safety. Qatar Airways Group CEO, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said, "Receiving the 2021 Airline of the Year, Best Airline in the Middle East, Best Catering, and Best Business Class awards from AirlineRatings is especially important to Qatar Airways. Over the past 16 months, the aviation industry has experienced some of its darkest days, but we have continued to operate and come alongside our passengers despite many other airlines shutting down operations due to the pandemic. Qatar Airways continues to reach new heights and set industry standards that deliver an unparalleled passenger experience, because it is in our DNA to do everything with excellence. We are committed to providing the highest possible level of hygiene and safety standards both on the ground and in the air, with 5-star service at the core of our business".
The Qsuite Proposal
The win for "best business class" comes thanks to Qsuite, a product patented by Qatar Airways. Thanks to it, one can have a First Class experience in the Business Class cabin. Qsuite completely redefines the standard of comfort by featuring for the first time in Business Class a reclining double bed and modular panels that allow passengers located in adjacent seats to create a true private suite, an industry first.
