Daily Times

Singapore Airlines has been named the world’s best airline at the ‘Oscars of Aviation’. The carrier reigned supreme over 325 airlines at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023, swapping places with last year’s number one, Qatar Airways, which now ranks second, breaking its seven-year streak in the top spot. In third place, meanwhile, it’s Japanese airline ANA All Nippon Airways.

The leading UK airline is British Airways, which ranks 18th worldwide – sliding down the ranking from 11th place last year. The number one carrier in North America, meanwhile, is Delta Air Lines, which has climbed the ranks from 24th to 20th worldwide.

Fiji Airways is top in the Australia/Pacific ranking and 15th globally, while Qantas is second in the Australia/Pacific ranking and two places behind in the global list, falling from fifth to 17th. Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Airlines, said: ‘This award is a testament to the indomitable spirit of our people, who worked tirelessly and made many sacrifices to ensure that Singapore Airlines was ready for the recovery in air travel. That has allowed us to emerge stronger and fitter from the pandemic as a leading international airline. ‘Today… we are firmly committed to innovating and investing in industry-leading products and services and ensuring that Singapore Airlines continues to offer our customers a world-class travel experience.’ It’s the fifth time that Singapore Airlines has scooped the ‘Airline of the Year’ title in the 23-year history of the awards, this year announced at a gala ceremony in the iconic Air and Space Museum at the Paris Air Show, with a large number of airline CEO’s, presidents and senior management in attendance.

Singapore Airlines also dominated in the first-class categories of the contest – it takes the gong for ‘World’s Best First Class’, the ‘World’s Best First Class Seat’ and the ‘World’s Best First Class Comfort Amenities’.

Second-place Qatar Airways, meanwhile, reigns supreme in the business-class section of the awards, taking prizes for the ‘World’s Best Business Class’, the ‘World’s Best Business Class Seat’, the ‘World’s Best Business Class Lounge’ – the Al Mourjan lounge at Hamad International Airport – and the ‘World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining’.

Third-place ANA All Nippon Airways also scoops the award for the ‘World’s Cleanest Airline’ for the third consecutive year.

Looking to the rest of the top 10, Emirates ranks fourth overall, while also claiming the gong for the ‘World’s Best Premium Economy Seat’. Japan Airlines is fifth globally and dominates the economy class categories of the awards, taking the prize for ‘World’s Best Economy Class’ as well as the award for the ‘World’s Best Economy Class seat’.

Turkish Airlines is sixth globally and receives the award for the ‘Best Airline in Europe’. Not only that but it’s been recognised for its ‘very high’ catering standards, snapping up both the ‘Best Business Class Catering’ and ‘Best Economy Class Catering’ awards.

Air France takes seventh place in the global ranking, with the carrier’s first-class offering earning it the gong for the ‘Best First Class Airline Lounge’, ‘Best First Class Lounge Dining’, and ‘Best First Class Catering’.

Eighth place goes to Cathay Pacific, which also takes the crown for the ‘World’s Best Inflight Entertainment’.

In ninth place in the global ranking, it’s EVA Air, which has also won the award for the ‘World’s Best Premium Economy Class’ – the cabin it invented more than 30 years ago.

Tenth place, meanwhile, is handed to Korean Air. Moving to the budget airline ranking, AirAsia has yet again been named the ‘World’s Best Low-Cost Airline’, a title it has earned each year since 2010.

Second place in the low-cost ranking is Scoot, which also wins the ‘World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline’ award, while in third place it’s Indian airline Indigo and Saudi carrier Flynas is fourth. Spanish airline Volotea is fifth in the low-cost ranking, making it the best budget airline in Europe – ‘one of the most competitive low-cost airline markets in the world’, the awards notes.

Transavia France is sixth in the budget ranking, while U.S carrier Sun Country Airlines is seventh worldwide and the recipient of the ‘Best Low-Cost Airline in North America’ gong for the first time. US carrier Southwest Airlines is eighth in the global low-cost ranking, while ninth place goes to Latvian carrier airBaltic, which also snaps up the ‘Best Airline in Eastern Europe’ award. Tenth place in the global low-cost ranking, meanwhile, goes to Jet2.com – making it the best low-cost airline in the UK.

EasyJet takes 11th place in the low-cost ranking, 12th place goes to Vueling Airlines and Ryanair – which last year ranked as Europe’s number one budget airline – is 13th.

Looking at other gongs that have been handed out in Europe, Finnair has been named the ‘Best Airline in Northern Europe’ and the ‘Cleanest Airline in Europe’.

Virgin Atlantic takes home several prizes – the gong for the ‘Best Business Class in Europe’, the ‘Best Premium Economy in Europe’ and the ‘Most Family Friendly Airline in Europe’, a new category for 2023. Austrian Airlines, meanwhile, snaps up prizes for the ‘Best Airline Staff Service in Europe’ and the ‘Best Cabin Staff in Europe’, and Greek carrier Aegean Airlines has been named the ‘Best Regional Airline in Europe’. Across the Atlantic, other awards garnered by top-ranking US airline Delta include the gong for ‘Best Airline Staff Service for North America’. Alaska Airlines has been declared the ‘Best Regional Airline in North America’ while Canadian airline Air Transat has been named the ‘World’s Best Leisure Airline’. Air Canada takes the crown as the ‘World’s Most Family Friendly Airline’. Elsewhere in the awards, Kuwait Airways has been named as the ‘World’s Most Improved Airline’, while Garuda Indonesia has been awarded for having the ‘World’s Best Cabin Staff’.
The winners of the Skytrax World Airline Awards are decided by a huge passenger satisfaction survey. This year over 100 customer
nationalities participated in it, with the 2023 Awards based on 20.23million eligible survey entries. The online survey operated from September 2022 to May 2023.