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Revealed: the best airlines in the world in 2023

AirlineRatings.com has revealed its official list of the best carriers

Ed Cunningham
Written by
Ed Cunningham
News Editor, UK
Air New Zealand
Photograph: danielou_shots / Shutterstock.com
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Everyone knows what makes a bad airline. Delayed (or cancelled) flights, poor customer service, uncomfortable planes... the usual stuff. But good airlines? Well, they don’t seem to get as much airtime. But they definitely should – after all, a decent flight can make a massive difference to your travel experience.

If you’re wondering which airlines are the best in the world right now, we’ve got just the ticket. Plane carrier review site AirlineRatings.com has revealed its official ranking of the best airlines in the world for 2023, taking into account a huge range of factors including quality of service, safety levels and innovation.

Top of the pile for 2023 is Air New Zealand. The Kiwi airline drew praise for its recovery from the pandemic, its high levels of customer service and because of its introduction of beds for economy-class passengers. Air NZ is no stranger to coming out near the top of these rankings, also reaching second in last year’s list.

Second was Qatar Airways, which topped the past two years’ rankings, while third was Etihad Airways, thanks to its Greenliner programme testing out ways of making air travel more environmentally friendly. Although, of course, it’s worth mentioning that it’s very, very unlikely that air travel can ever be truly ‘green’.

Here are the official top ten airlines in the world in 2023, according to AirlineRatings.com.

  1. Air New Zealand
  2. Qatar Airways
  3. Etihad Airways
  4. Korean Air
  5. Singapore Airlines
  6. Qantas
  7. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic
  8. EVA Air
  9. Cathay Pacific Airways
  10. Emirates

If you’d like to read into the rankings, more info is available on the official AirlineRatings.com website here. So if you’re after some reliable, comfy airlines for your trips in the year ahead, now you know who to book with!

Did you see that France has banned short-haul flights?

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