Drawing on global benchmarks like the Skytrax World Airline Awards and first-hand cabin experience, we bring you the best airlines for international travel this year.
We break things down and analyze various metrics to help you choose the ideal airline for your upcoming trip. We look at things like the friendliest cabin crews in the industry and the airline with the most spacious premium economy seats to help you make a decision, based on your priorities while in the sky.
“World’s best airline” gets quoted constantly without anyone saying who decided, when, or on what basis — and the two bodies that hand out these titles routinely disagree. Locals Insider team wanted one page that makes it clear: which airline won best business class, best economy and best premium economy, according to whom, in which year, and what that means when you’re actually choosing a flight.
Overview: The Best Airlines in the Sky, According to Skytrax
| Airline | Best for |
|---|---|
| Qatar Airways | International travel overall + best business class offering |
| Singapore Airlines | Friendliest cabin crew in the sky |
| Cathay Pacific | Top-rated economy class service for international travel |
| Turkish Airlines | The top European-based airline for international flights |
| Scoot | Top of the charts for budget, long-haul flights |
| Virgin Atlantic | The best option for premium economy travel in the sky |
| Air Canada | North America’s best airline for international travel |
Why Trust Skytrax?
We’ve relied on Skytrax’s Airline Awards to guide us; it’s the gold standard for ranking airlines for international travel.
We trust Skytrax because it remains the global benchmark for passenger satisfaction. Founded in 1989, its World Airline Awards draw on millions of real traveler surveys across hundreds of countries.
While commercial relationships exist, its independent star ratings and massive survey scale provide an unmatched, standardized comparison for international travelers.
We’ve also taken data from AirlineRatings.com and surveyed many first-hand reviews on the site for real passenger feedback regarding the airlines that we recommend.
A note on which awards are which
Two different bodies produce the rankings quoted across the internet, and they frequently disagree — so it’s worth knowing which is which before you book on the strength of a headline.
Skytrax runs the World Airline Awards, decided by passenger survey. Millions of votes, hundreds of countries, announced each June.
AirlineRatings.com scores carriers on measurable inflight product criteria — seat comfort, catering, entertainment, value — assessed by editors rather than by public vote.
The results diverge. Skytrax’s 2025 awards named Cathay Pacific best for economy class and Virgin Atlantic best for premium economy. AirlineRatings’ 2026 Cabin Awards gave best economy to Air New Zealand, for its Skycouch, and split best premium economy between Emirates and Qantas. Neither is wrong; they measure different things. Where we cite an award below, we name the body and the year.
1 Qatar Airways: Best Airline Winner, Skytrax
The best airline in the world for international travel
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 5/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 7/7
Doha-based Qatar Airways has been awarded the coveted Best Airline of the Year Award by Skytrax in five of the past six years. It has won the award a record nine times, more than backing up the airline’s claim as “the world’s best.”
Doha, an airport with a 6,000-square-meter indoor orchard, among other delights, connects you to at least 170 destinations worldwide, from Africa to the Americas. This is considerably more than its main Middle Eastern competitors: Emirates serves approximately 150, while Etihad operates flights to about 120 cities in 40 countries.
Not only does Qatar operate the largest flight network in the Middle East, but it also has the best business class, as awarded by Skytrax and the Business Traveler Awards.
Qatar’s Al Mourjan Lounge, located at Doha Hamad International, was also recognized as the world’s best business class lounge.
Qatar retained the top position at the 2026 awards, where it took 13 titles in total — more than any other carrier — including World’s Best Business Class for the ninth consecutive year, World’s Best Business Class Seat, and Best Airline in the Middle East for the thirteenth time. It also holds AirlineRatings’ number one global position for 2026 and the APEX World Class designation.
2 Singapore Airlines
The world’s best and friendliest cabin crew
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 5/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 7/7
Singapore Airlines’ legendary cabin service was recognized at the Skytrax Awards in 2025, deservedly voted as the world’s friendliest cabin crew.
In Asia, Singapore is regarded as one of the best, evidenced by the airline’s clean sweep at the March 2026 DestinAsian Readers’ Choice Awards, where it claimed Best Airline and several other gongs.
Singapore Airlines trains its staff for four months, two months longer than the industry standard, and it shows in the TripAdvisor reviews (4.0/5.0 from 27,690+ ratings), and among those who have blogged about their experiences on board.
Specifically, Singapore’s KrisWorld Entertainment is one of the best in the sky, with over 1,900 on-demand options and free connectivity to in-flight Wi-Fi.
The food served in each class is highly regarded, too, with a ‘Book the Cook’ option, allowing you to pre-select gourmet dishes before you board (available in premium, business, and first).
Singapore placed second behind Qatar in the Skytrax 2025 world rankings, and remains the strongest single carrier for routing across the Asia Pacific region.
3 Cathay Pacific
The world’s best airline for economy class passengers
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 5/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 7/7
Cathay Pacific serves an international network of 80+ destinations in 30 countries, primarily in Asia. It’s an ideal option if you’re looking to book a standard seat for international travel to the Far East, as it was awarded the best airline for its economy class service by Skytrax in 2025.
This stems from the generous dimensions in economy class, with seats offering 32 inches of legroom (on the A350 and other long-haul aircraft), which is more than the 30 inches you can expect on many other services.
Cathay Pacific’s economy-class seats have also received rave reviews, thanks to a four-way adjustable headrest, which offers better neck support while sleeping. Economy-class cabins also have built-in eye-level storage, with handy compartments for smartphones and other devices.
Worth noting: AirlineRatings gave its 2026 best economy award to Air New Zealand instead, largely on the strength of the Skycouch, which converts a row of seats into a 1.55-metre flat bed on 777 and 787 aircraft. If a lie-flat economy option matters more to you than seat width, that’s the one to look at.
4 Turkish Airlines
Europe’s best airline for international travel
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 4/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 6.5/7
Turkish Airlines is a strong contender if you’re searching for a European-based airline for international travel, as it operates flights to more countries and destinations than any other global carrier (entered into the Guinness Book of Records in 2026).
From its base in Istanbul, the airline serves 350+ destinations in more than 130 countries.
At the 2025 Skytrax Awards, Turkish Airlines was recognized as the best airline in Europe, as well as the airline with the world’s best business class onboard catering. In 2026, Turkish was presented with the World Class Airline Award by APEX, while also being recognized for its best-in-class sustainability achievements.
Another reason to choose Turkish is that it’s part of the Star Alliance network, alongside 25 other airlines. You can earn miles through its Miles&Smiles program or collect points with your preferred partner program when flying from or through Istanbul.
5 Scoot
The world’s best long-haul low-cost airline
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 4/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 4/7
Scoot is the low-cost, budget subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, and like its parent carrier, it has made it onto our list.
Scoot was selected as the world’s best long-haul low-cost airline by Skytrax in 2025, in recognition of its great-value fares across Asia and Oceania.
The budget carrier has been operating for more than a decade and is particularly popular with Australians looking for cheap international tickets to Asian hotspots.
If you choose to fly Scoot, everything on top of your ticket price is chargeable: drinks, food, exit-row seats, and baggage, but it’s a great way to save if you’re traveling relatively short distances on a tight budget.
6 Virgin Atlantic
The top-rated premium economy seats in the sky
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 4/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 6.5/7
If you’re willing to pay for a more comfortable experience in the sky, Virgin Atlantic was chosen as the best premium economy service at the Skytrax Awards in 2025, along with a separate award for best premium economy onboard catering.
One of the main reasons that Virgin’s premium economy stands out is the size and comfort of its premium-economy seats. Expect a 38-inch pitch and 21-inch width, offering more room than the industry standard (36-inch pitch and 20-inch width).
You’ll also benefit from extra checked baggage, a better meal choice (plus your food served with real tableware), and the chance to board earlier than economy class passengers.
Virgin’s main hubs are London Heathrow and Manchester in the United Kingdom, and the carrier serves over 30 destinations in North America, South & Central America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Virgin co-invented the premium economy cabin alongside EVA Air in 1992 and has never lost the Skytrax top spot in the category. Japan Airlines ranks second globally and best in Asia, and Emirates holds the award for best premium economy seat — useful alternatives if Virgin doesn’t fly your route.
7 Air Canada
The best airline in North America
★ Certified Skytrax rating: 4/5 ★ AirlineRatings.com product rating: 6/7
If you’re flying internationally to or from North America, Air Canada is perhaps your best choice. The airline was voted as the continent’s best airline at the 2025 Skytrax Awards, pipping Delta and Southwest.
Air Canada serves just over 200 global destinations across six continents, with at least 50 in Canada and roughly the same number in the United States. The airline’s main hubs are in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary.
The airline was one of the founding members of Star Alliance and consistently wins praise for its excellent business class offering and Aeroplan program.
No US carrier has broken into the Skytrax global top 20 in recent years, which is the main reason a Canadian airline tops the North American list.
Skytrax vs AirlineRatings: Best Airline Awards Compared
Skytrax is voted by passengers. AirlineRatings is scored by editors on measurable product. They disagree more often than the headlines suggest — here is where.
| Category | Skytrax | AirlineRatings | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline of the year | Qatar AirwaysNine wins, most recently 2026 | Qatar AirwaysNo. 1 for 2026 | The only category both bodies agree on outright. |
| Business class | Qatar AirwaysNinth consecutive year | Qatar AirwaysQsuite rated top product | Uncontested. Qatar also holds best business class seat and best business class lounge. |
| Economy class | Cathay Pacific2025 | Air New Zealand2026 Cabin Awards | Cathay for seat width and legroom; Air New Zealand if the lie-flat Skycouch matters more. |
| Premium economy | Virgin Atlantic2025, plus catering | Emirates & Qantas2026, tied | Virgin for pitch and width; Emirates for the seat itself; JAL second globally. |
| Cabin crew | Singapore Airlines2025 | Korean AirAPEX, 2026 | Singapore trains crew for four months, twice the industry standard. |
| Long-haul low cost | Scoot2025 | ScootRated 4/7 on product | Great fares, everything chargeable. Best under about eight hours. |
| Best in Europe | Turkish Airlines2025 | Lufthansa2026 regional | Turkish flies to more countries than any carrier on earth. |
| Best in North America | Air Canada2025 | Air CanadaRegional winner | No US carrier has reached the Skytrax global top 20 in recent years. |
Skytrax World Airline Awards are decided by passenger survey and announced each June; AirlineRatings scores measurable inflight product. Award years are stated because winners change annually — check the current edition before booking on the strength of a title.
Ready to book your next flight?
No matter where you’re traveling internationally, you now know the best airlines for your upcoming trip. Qatar Airways still rules the skies, but the other six operators also offer great service and unparalleled safety for international travel.
Before you fly, a few things worth sorting. If the flight is long enough for jet lag to matter, how to reset your circadian rhythm after a long-haul flight is the practical version and Timeshifter is the app we tested for it. Our roundups of the best travel accessories for a long-haul flight and long-haul flight gadgets cover what actually earns its place in a carry-on.
On booking: the best flight apps for cheap fares and five money-saving apps to check before you book are where to start, and if you’re collecting miles, Miles & More for tracking Lufthansa and partner airline miles explains one of the bigger programs.
Departing from Britain? Some UK airports are considerably more reliable than others.
Flying in the US? America’s worst airports for holiday travel and the most and least affordable US airports are worth a look. If a flight goes wrong, the best flight compensation companies covers your rights, and the best travel insurance providers in the USA covers the rest.
Once you land, our Capital One Lounge review and our ranking of the best airport lounges in the world cover whether lounge access is worth paying for, and the world’s most luxurious airline suites is where this ends up if the budget allows.
What is the best airline company in 2027?
Two trends are worth watching. The five-star tier is now made up entirely of Asian and Middle Eastern carriers, and no US airline has come close to the global top 20 in years — a gap that shows no sign of closing. Meanwhile premium economy is where the competition has moved: it’s the fastest-improving cabin in the industry, with Emirates, Qantas, JAL and Virgin Atlantic all pushing the product.
Expect the interesting upgrades in 2027 to happen there rather than in business class, which is already close to saturated.
