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The World’s Best Airline for 2021, AirlineRatings.com. sorted by

July 20, 2021
Henry

(CNN) – It has been a strange year for the aviation industry, with many airlines shutting down aircraft for significant parts of 2020.

But as air travel returns to some areas, AirlineRatings.com has released its annual round-up of the world’s best carriers, set to help fliers decide which airline to choose for their return to the skies.

The Australia-based Aviation Safety and Product Ratings Agency compiles its Airline Excellence Awards based on criteria including fleet age, passenger reviews and product offerings. This year, the global team of editors also threw airlines’ Covid-19 responses into the mix.

And so for 2021, there’s a new entry at number one: Qatar Airways jumped up the rankings to take the top spot, Previous Winner Air New Zealand – Which has topped the list six times in the last several years and has come second this year.
As Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings.com, explains: CNN Travel It was Qatar Airways’ response to the pandemic that sealed the deal.

Thomas says, “Qatar Airways has always ranked high 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 won the judges’ praise – and Attracted votes.”

Thomas also points to the airline’s commitment to making repatriation flights and the pandemic flying experience as safe as possible.

pandemic effect

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Qatar Airways is AirlineRatings.com’s best airline for 2021.

Courtesy AirlineRatings.com

AirlineRatings.com usually announces its top airlines in November, in anticipation of the year ahead. The pandemic forced the Aviation Safety and Product Rating Agency to change things.

Thomas explains, “We pushed the 2021 announcement to the year 2021 due to the chaos of Covid and we wanted to see how the industry would handle the pandemic in the long run.”

Usually, profitability is one of the key factors assessed by judges as they rank top airlines, but due to the huge financial impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, this year’s finances were ignored.

“We had to drop it this year because almost all airlines are losing money,” says Thomas.

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Last year’s winner Air New Zealand is at number two in this year’s list.

Courtesy AirlineRatings.com

Qantas is at number four on the AirlineRatings.com list. Australian airline was ranked separately safest airline in the world by AirlineRatings earlier this year.

Dubai-based Emirates is at number five.

In addition to the top 20 rankings, AirlineRatings.com also awarded additional awards to the airline’s offerings – including Best First Class (Singapore Airlines), Best Cabin Crew (Virgin Australia) and Best Airport Lounge (Qantas).

Meanwhile, budget carrier EasyJet won the award for best low-cost airline for Europe, while Jetstar won in Asia/Pacific and Southwest won in the Americas.

AirlineRatings.com’s Top 20 Airlines for 2021

1. Qatar Airways

2. Air New Zealand

3. Singapore Airlines

4. Qantas

5. Emirates

6. Cathay Pacific

7. Virgin Atlantic

8. United Airlines

9. EVA Air

10. British Airways

11. Lufthansa

12. come

13. Finnair

14. Japan Air Lines

15. KLM

16. Hawaiian Airlines

17. Alaska Airlines

18. Virgin Australia

19. Delta Air Lines

20. Etihad Airways

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