Australians have taken affectionately to Singapore's pristine streets, skyscraper hotels and stunning airport as one of the go-to layover stops on the way to destinations in Europe and Asia. The national carrier consistently appears in the top ranks of global airline indexes, and it's no different for this latest one.
Singapore Airlines (SQ) has been ranked the second best airline in the world, scoring 7.63 out of ten in a new index by luggage storage platform, Bounce. The Singaporean national carrier was just trumped by Japan Airlines (JAL) which scored an 8.28 out of ten in the index. This index takes a comprehensive look at 52 airlines all over the world, evaluating them on indicators like on-time flight arrivals, cancellations, in-flight entertainment, meals and baggage allowance.
SQ shines in the in-flight categories, scoring a four of five for meals, in-flight entertainment, seat comfort, and staff service. You barely have to worry about getting your flight cancelled with SQ too – it has the best cancellation rate of just 0.03 percent, sharing this impressive score with 19th-place Iberia. Where it has been edged out by JAL is in baggage allowance. While JAL allows 10kg of carry-on luggage and 46kg of checked luggage for domestic and international flights, Singapore Airlines allows 7kg and 30kg respectively.
So our Asia Pacific friends took home the silver medal – how did Australia go? While Qantas managed to nudge their way into the top 20 with a score of 4.47, Jetstar came in with an abysmal score of 0.94. That's third last out of 52 international airlines. With all the delays, are you surprised? Only 62.73% of flights arrived on time.
Jetstar beat Indonesian airline Wings Air, which scored a dismal 0.37 out of ten. It has the lowest on-time flight arrival rate at 47.69 percent and the second-highest cancellation rate at 15.91 percent. Not the most reliable one to go for if you have to stick to a tight schedule. It's closely followed by Lion Air (0.61).
If you're already planning your year-end holiday, then here are the airlines you might want to consider – and the ones you might want to avoid.
Top 10 international airlines for 2023, according to Bounce:
- Japan Airlines (8.28)
- Singapore Airlines (7.63)
- Qatar Airways (7.5)
- Korean Air (7.19)
- Vistara (6.43)
- All Nippon Airways (6.23)
- Ethiopian Airlines (5.99)
- Air India (5.40)
- Azul Airlines (5.25)
- Emirates (5.16) / Vietnam Airlines (5.16)
Bottom 10 international airlines for 2023, according to Bounce:
- Wings Air (0.37)
- Lion Air (0.61)
- Jetstar Airways (0.94)
- flydubai (1)
- VivaAerobus (1.18)
- Wizz Air (1.31)
- Ryanair (1.63)
- WestJet (1.66)
- Vueling Airlines (1.96)
- Air Canada (2.11) / Volaris (2.11)