This is the world's best airline

Hint: It serves multiple destinations across Pakistan


News Desk November 22, 2016
A traveller walks to his flight at Ronald Reagan National Airport as the sun rises in Washington, September 24, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Doha-based Qatar Airways has been named the best airline in the world when it comes to quality and service, according to AirHelp.

The rankings are based on the following categories:

Quality and service: Using data from Skytraxresearch.com, AirHelp determined which airlines offered passengers the best flying experience.

Abu Dhabi-bound PIA flight escapes crash after bird hits engine

On-time performance: The company looked at on-time departure statistics for each airline over the last three months to see how often they were on time or delayed.

Claim processing: The last determinant was based on how efficiently each airline handled complaint and compensation claims.

Here is the full list:

14. British Airways — Britain had two airlines in the top 14 — more than any other country. London-based British Airways performed best in the claims processing category.

13. Emirates — Emirates had the highest ranking in quality and service. However, its position was compromised by weaker performance in other categories.

PIA plane skids off runway during landing at Islamabad airport

12. Air France — The French carrier won awards for Best First Class Airline Lounge Dining and Best First Class Comfort Amenities this year but took the 12th spot on the list due to poor punctuality.

11. Lufthansa —Lufthansa is Germany and Europe's biggest airline, operating services to 197 international destinations. It has also won Skytrax's prize for Best Transatlantic Airline and Best Airline in Western Europe.

10. Finnair —This Finnish airline was founded in 1923, making it one of the oldest in the world. It ranked best for efficiency and punctuality.

9. Air Canada — Air Canada has won the Global Traveler magazine's award for the best airline in North America for ten consecutive years and  scored 9 out of ten in the claims and processing category.

8. Cathay Pacific Airways — The Hong Kong-based airline was one of the few airlines to be given full points for quality and service.

7. Air Baltic — Latvia's flag carrier is a low-cost carrier that operates only within Europe. It had the lowest score for quality and service of all carriers in the top 14, but scored remarkably well for its claims processing and the number of flights that arrived on time.

6. Virgin Atlantic Airways — Richard Branson's transatlantic carrier scored 8.2 in the on-time performance category.

5. KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines — Founded in 1919, The Netherlands' flagship carrier is the oldest in the world and is still going strong. Its 156-plane fleet has one of the best safety records and is extremely punctual, with 88% of all flights arriving and departing on time.

4. Singapore Airlines — Singapore Airlines was one of the few to earn full marks for quality and service, but its poor score in the complaints category pulled down its overall standing.

PIA losses surged to Rs103b during PML-N tenure

3. Austrian Airlines — Austrian Airlines is a subsidiary of Lufthansa. According to the rankings, its service is punctual, it offers first-rate service and complaints and compensation are handled efficiently.

2. Air Dolomiti — This Italian regional airline is controlled by Lufthansa and has a fleet of just ten planes, but it had the highest score compared to all other airlines on the list for on-time performance.

1. Qatar Airways — This is the best airline in the world according to AirHelp. The Doha-based airline scored well across the board and claimed the top spot in the quality and service category. The airline currently flies to over 125 destinations worldwide and is expanding its network to include another 50 destinations.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ