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3 British airlines have been crowned the best in the world by the Telegraph

The newspaper has revealed its list of the best airlines on the planet for 2024

Ed Cunningham
Written by
Ed Cunningham
News Editor, UK
Virgin planes at London airport
Photograph: Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock.com
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Hidden fees, delayed (or cancelled) flights, uncomfortable seats… it’s so easy for an airline to get in your bad books. A good airline, however, can be trip-changing. You can’t put a price on a comfortable and stress-free start or end to a trip. 

We in the UK spend a lot of time moaning about our airports, but did you know several British airlines are among the best in the world? Well, they are – according to the Telegraph, anyway. The newspaper has just published its ranking of the world’s best airlines, featuring three British carriers. 

The Telegraph’s ranking rated airlines according to several factors, including in-flight experience, reliability, ‘luggage rules’ and ‘connectivity’ (the number of destinations served from the UK). The newspaper looked at ‘90 carriers on which Britons are most likely to fly’. 

At the top of the Telegraph’s global ranking was Emirates, picking up points for everything from its fleet of superjumbo double-decker Airbus A380s to its wine list in first class. The ranking said that Emirates’ only downside is that its home hub Dubai International is ‘so huge that it can feel impersonal and overwhelming’.

Second in the list was Qatar Airways, which has the ‘best business class in the sky’, while third was Singapore Airlines, which apparently has the world’s best first class seating experience.

The highest ranking British airline was Virgin Atlantic in 16th, thanks in part to its new fleet of new Airbus A330 neo planes, while British Airways came 19th. BA is apparently ‘finally getting its mojo back’ with free water and snacks for short-haul and improved food for long-haul flights. The only other UK airline to make the top 50 was Jet2 in 50th, boosted massively by the airline’s reliability. 

You can check out the full Telegraph ranking on the original article here.

Time Out and the best in world air travel 

In recent TO aviation news, a northern English airport has been crowned the best on the entire planet, two British airlines have been named best in the world by Condé Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure has revealed its list of the best carriers and London Heathrow is now officially the most connected airport in the world.

But it ain’t all good news: British Airways is cancelling hundreds of long-haul flights from the UK this winter.

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