The world’s best airline for 2016 is Emirates, according to a survey of millions of airline passengers conducted by Skytrax.
The international airline, based in Dubai, won the top honors at Tuesday’s Skytrax World Airline Awards ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow in England.
As jet engines screamed from the Farnborough airfield and thousands of visiting aviation geeks explored the airshow, smiling flight attendants dressed in brightly colored uniforms stepped to the stage as each award was announced.
The survey underscores the consistency of the quality service among the world’s top carriers, said Edward Plaisted, Skytrax CEO.
“The Middle East airlines have continued to dominate,” Plaisted said after the ceremony. “Virgin America continues dominating on the customer side in North America. Turkish Airlines is a big favorite.”
The awards run the gamut from 73 categories from best economy class onboard catering to best airline staff to best seats to best cabin cleanliness.
The top 10 best airlines were named as:
1. Emirates
2. Qatar Airways
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Cathay Pacific
5. ANA All Nippon Airways
6. Etihad Airways
7. Turkish Airlines
8. EVA Air
9. Qantas Airways
10. Lufthansa
Other winners included:
Best Transatlantic Airline: Lufthansa
Best Transpacific Airline: Eva Air
Best North American Regional Airline: Porter Airline
Best Airline Staff in Asia: ANA airlines