These are the world's 10 best airlines — and sorry, Americans, the US did not perform well
They've reached the rarified air.
International air transport ranker Skytrax has named the best airlines in the world for 2025 — with the jet-setting Qatar Airways taking the crown once again while US carriers struggled to achieve liftoff.
Often dubbed the Oscars Of the Aviation Industry, the 2025 World Airline Awards went down June 17 at the Paris Air Show at the city's Air And Space Museum.
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The results were determined by a global passenger satisfaction survey taken between September 2024 and May 2025. Participants, who represented over 100 different nationalities, reportedly selected the winners from a pool of 325 different airlines.
5 Qatar Airways was named the World's Best Airline for the 9th year in a row.
Markus Mainka – stock.adobe.com
'We welcomed back a large number of previous winners and were also delighted to see new faces and airlines represented here today,' said Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax. 'As is indicated by so many former winning airlines being awarded again, quality consistency is clearly well recognized by customers when they vote for these airlines.'
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Qatar Airways was named the World's Best Airline, marking the ninth year in a row the Middle Eastern carrier has topped the list.
The carrier also snagged the awards for world's best business class while its Al Mourjan Garden Lounge at Doha Airport in Doha, Qatar was named the world's best business class airline lounge.
5 Singapore Airlines placed 2nd in the rankings.
Andrei Armiagov – stock.adobe.com
5 Flight attendants and pilots welcome attendees during the unveiling of Emirates Airline's first Airbus A350-900 aircraft at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
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5 Employees at Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.'s check-in counters at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, China, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
'We congratulate Qatar Airways on these successes which should be a source of great pride and satisfaction for the airline management and staff,' said Plaisted.
Trailing close behind was Singapore Airlines, which has won the Airline Of The Year award a staggering five times.
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They also won the awards for World's Best Cabin Crew and World's Best First Class.
The latter accolade was a credit to their luxuriant First Class Suites, which are 50 square feet and feature a double bed, 32-inch television, and a menu with 12 options ranging from lobster thermidor to Hainan Chicken Rice.
Rounding out the top three in this air service Olympiad were Cathay Pacific, Emirates and ANA All Nippon Airways.
5 Newly-hired employees of All Nippon Airways (ANA) group attend an initiation ceremony at a hangar of Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, April 1, 2025.
REUTERS
The Top Ten Best Airlines In the World for 2025
Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines Cathay Pacific Emirates ANA All Nippon Airways Turkish Airlines Korean Air Air France Japan Airlines Hainan Airlines
Alas, US carriers didn't fly as high in the rankings with Delta Air Lines placing the highest on the home team in 22nd place, followed by United in 51st place.
Meanwhile, Air Canada topped the list of North America's top airlines for 2025 while Delta came in 2nd and another Canadian carrier Porter Airlines placed 3rd.
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