Singapore Airlines has been named the world’s best airline in the 2018 Skytrax rankings. The title was stolen from Qatar Airways, which dropped to second place. No Australian airlines made it into the top ten.
Singapore Airlines also won the 2018 Skytrax award for the world’s best First Class. Qatar Airways has the best Business Class and Air New Zealand won best Premium Economy, while Thai Airways was awarded best Economy Class. The award for the best cabin crew went to Garuda Indonesia, and China Southern received a nod for being the world’s “most improved” airline. All of these airlines fly to Australia.
Qantas was ranked in 11th place, up from 15th in the 2017 Skytrax rankings. But Virgin Australia dropped nine spots to 22nd. Jetstar somehow made it into 45th place – well ahead of American Airlines, United Airlines, Fiji Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines.
It’s not hard to see why Singapore Airlines was rated the world’s best airline. The airline has a great product in every class of travel. And the service – both in the air and on the ground – is second-to-none. This was demonstrated in a recent case where the Singapore Airlines staff could not have done more for an AFF member with a damaged suitcase.
As it happens, Singapore Airlines also has one of the world’s best frequent flyer programs. Most award flights are great value, and Singapore Airlines has great award availability while not charging any fuel surcharges.
While they create an interesting discussion point, some AFF members believe the Skytrax rankings should be taken with a pinch of salt. The results are based on the opinions of survey respondents, rather than objective criteria. There could also be a bias towards airlines from certain parts of the world, given surveys were only provided in six languages.
Do you agree with the 2018 Skytrax rankings? Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Skytrax 2018 Awards
