Best Airline? Oldest argument in the World
What is the best airline in the world? A broad argument for sure.
The best “airline in the world” is a highly subjective argument, and uses variable factors for those people who are in the know.
SkyTrax is effective as just one judgment tool among many; often, SkyTrax, is not to be trusted on its own. Add in various travel experts (such as yours truly), aviation experts, YouTube aviation reviewers, hotel evaluators, and airlines’ own review systems, and you’ll have a generally holistic view of what constitutes the “best airline in the world” and you’ll quickly find that there is no one right answer.
Spoiler alert: To make this article comparatively brief, none of the “best” airlines in the world are in the United States.
Delta is trying but failing and consistently coming up short. United is actually comparatively close on a consistent basis. Consistency, more than anything else, is key. This is especially prescient as United debuts its state-of-the-art Polaris Next cabin not only on major long-haul widebody aircraft, but on its new narrow body Airbus A321XLR, or extra Long Range (as Airbus has stylized it in marketing).
The best airlines, as based on an as mentioned in my Top Airlines Ranking list I previously wrote, are all generally located in the Middle East and Asia. Notably, for a top four style ranking system, you can reliably count on Emirates (based in Dubai), Lufthansa (the only reliable European airline, and based in Frankfurt-am-Main), All Nippon Airways -popularly abbreviated as ANA- (based in Tokyo), and Etihad (run from Abu Dhabi) for luxury, or even United could be considered as an option, based on Polaris-class consistency alone, substituted in for ANA.
After reading my subsequent articles, one could be forgiven for thinking I am a United fan, or as the kids say, “fangirl.”
Allow me to explain; my positive feelings towards United are rooted solely in reliability, consistency, and general courteousness of the staff.
Otherwise, the final spot in top four tier would have gone to Singapore. Do not get me wrong, I love Singapore Airlines, and they are not as unreliable as Qatar Airways, but then again, no one is. Singapore has been rated the number 1 airline in the world by Conde’ Nast Traveler, and Travel & Leisure Magazine, and for good reason but their ranking systems are based solely on an aggregate of reader reviews and responses which alone is highly subjective and questionable at best. Singapore’s reliability is not the worst but still questionable and irksome; when a proper Airbus A350 or gigantic A380 shows up instead of a highly disappointing A330, their hard and soft products are amazing! For reliability, Singapore (IATA code: SQ or SIA, either one though it depends largely on short-haul or long-haul flights) is not the best.
For the answer to what is the best airline in the world? There is no one right answer, or a “one-size-fits-all” airline. It’s a variable answer and highly subjective (and prone to arguments).
Some people swear by Qatar Airways, others bet it all on Singapore Airlines. Some will judge everything by how they measure up to United or Delta.
Some will only ever fly ANA and practically live in their business class accommodation, The Room (only offered on select Boeing 777-300ERs). Others still will proverbially live and die on Emirates and their vaunted shower-suites (the only airline that has them; first-class passengers on their A380s get access to five minutes of fresh hot water at 40,000 feet). Others still will swear by the delight of German hospitality on Lufthansa. It is all what you as an individual prefer. See more on this topic and book us at brookeintheairtravel.squarespace.com!
