In this post I wanted to share a list of my favorite airline brands in the world. I think this is a fun topic, and I’m curious to hear how my preferences compare to those of fellow aviation geeks.
In this post:
What makes a great airline brand?
Perception of brands (and brand loyalty overall) is highly subjective, and some might even argue irrational.
In separate posts I’ve ranked the world’s best first class products, the world’s best first class lounges, the world’s best business class products, the world’s best business class lounges, etc. My ranking of airline brands is a bit different (by design), as it’s more about the intangible things that we love about airlines overall.
Let me be clear — I’m not suggesting that these are the world’s best airlines, but rather that these are the airline brands that get me most excited. This can be for a variety of reasons, including:
- Because they offer a great passenger experience, including a good hard product, excellent service, etc.
- Because they are based in cool places, and connect awesome parts of the world
- Because they do a great job with their marketing and overall brand presence
- Because they’re super global, and whenever I fly with them I feel a sense of excitement and wanderlust
- Because they are airlines I have special memories on, either because of the onboard experience, or because of where I traveled on them
As you can see, I’m truly all over the place here with regards to how an airline can land on my list. You can expect that if someone asked me what my favorite airline in the world is, it would probably be an airline on the list.
My nine favorite airline brands in the world
With the above out of the way, let’s get into the rankings. I apologize in advance for the lack of geographic diversity, as most airlines are based in Asia. Perhaps I should make a separate list with my favorite airline brand from each continent. Below are my favorite airline brands in the world, in no particular order.
Turkish Airlines
If you ask me, Turkish Airlines strikes such a special balance:
- Turkish Airlines is the most global airline in the world, flying to more countries than any other airline
- Istanbul is an amazing, dynamic global hub; I’d even argue it’s kind of the center of the world
- Turkish Airlines has the world’s best business class catering
- In general I find Turkish people to be among the most genuinely hospitable and competent in the world, and I love how much that’s integrated into the Turkish Airlines experience; many other global airlines “import” staff from other parts of the world, but when you fly Turkish Airlines you really feel like you’re in Turkey
There’s just this special feeling I get when flying Turkish Airlines, knowing that in one stop I could fly just about anywhere in the world, from Bishkek to Ulaanbaatar (yes, the airline even used to operate a fifth freedom route between those two cities).
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is an incredibly elegant and sophisticated airline. Qatar Airways revolutionized business class with its Qsuites, and there’s not another airline that offers such an impressive business class experience. From the amazing seats, to the great entertainment, to the phenomenal catering and dining, Qatar Airways puts most other airlines to shame.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport is also one of my favorite airports in the world, and Qatar Airways’ premium lounges there are phenomenal, from the Al Safwa First Lounge, to the Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge.
I am also a sucker for Qatar Airways’ marketing. Don’t ask me how much time I spend listening to Qatar Airways’ boarding music while not on a plane, because it’s a lot. It’s probably my favorite boarding music in the world.
Singapore Airlines
I’d say Singapore Airlines is one of the two most instantly recognizable airlines in the world, along with Emirates. Singapore Airlines has been considered to be one of the best airlines in the world for many decades, and the airline has done a remarkable job maintaining its position.
The Singapore Airlines inflight experience is industry-leading in all cabins, and on top of that, Singapore Changi is arguably the best airport in the world. Most of all, I’d say Singapore Airlines staff are the most consistently professional of just about any airline out there. Whether you’re flying in long haul first class or short haul business class, Singapore Airlines nails it.
Emirates Airline
Truth be told, Emirates is style over substance to some extent. The airline gets quite a halo effect from its first class and A380s, while the airline has a subpar business class product on its 777s, which are the backbone of the fleet (not to mention that economy isn’t particularly spacious either).
Still, Emirates is pretty darn cool. The airline has changed global aviation, and has put the Middle East on the map as a global transit hub. There’s also not an airline in the world that’s as instantly recognizable to people as Emirates, no matter where you are.
Oh, and while there may be some style over substance, the A380 onboard shower, minibars, and onboard bar, are still mighty cool, if you ask me. 😉
Cathay Pacific
I love Cathay Pacific both because of the airline as such, and because of my love for Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the first city in Asia I ever visited, and to this day it’s one of my favorite cities in the world. Every time I fly Cathay Pacific I know I’m at least connecting in Hong Kong, and that gets me excited in a way I can’t put into words. It’s the airport I get most excited to transit to, simply because I know I’m in Hong Kong.
And then there’s the Cathay Pacific experience as such — Cathay Pacific has a phenomenal first class, generally excellent service, and great lounges at Hong Kong International Airport, which is also an awesome transit hub.
Air France
I love Air France — part of it is emotional, and part of it is rational, I think. For one, there’s no denying that the French excel at food, wine, fashion, and confidence, so there’s some halo effect that Air France benefits from there. I love Air France’s marketing, and even the safety video (especially the previous one) is oh-so-fun. Why should you not smoke on a plane? Well, because it’s not chic, of course!
But even beyond that, Air France has a lot going for it, and the airline gets better by the day. If you visit the Air France Lounge Toronto or fly an Air France A321, you probably won’t be impressed. But Air France has the world’s best first class lounge, one of the world’s best inflight first class product, and the airline keeps improving.
Air France has a top notch new business class with doors, the airline is refreshing many of its lounges, Air France is refreshing its short haul fleet with A220s, and soon we’ll also see a new first class. If you ask me, Air France is the European (or perhaps Western) carrier that’s most headed in the right direction in terms of passenger experience.
EVA Air
Taiwan is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to airlines. Despite the island’s small size, there are three world class airlines based there — China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines. As much as I love Starlux Airlines, EVA Air deserves credit for how long it has been offering an amazing experience.
EVA Air’s business class is among my favorite in the world, with incredible service, food, drinks, and amenities. The soft product almost feels more like what you’d expect in first class than business class. I love EVA Air as a brand in spite of finding much of the carrier’s design elements to be quite hideous, like the very green cabins, and the bizarrely designed lounges in Taipei.
All Nippon Airways
I went back and forth about whether to include ANA or JAL on this list, as it really could have been either. The reality is that a Japanese airline has to be on the list simply because Japan is a one-of-a-kind place. There’s nothing like Japanese culture, and that’s reflected so well in both of Japan’s global airlines.
While both airlines have phenomenal products, I have to say that I think ANA probably has a big stronger of a brand identity than JAL. The airline also has a top notch first class and business class product on its 777s.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic isn’t the biggest or most profitable airline in the world, but there’s no denying that the Virgin brand is very strong. From the distinctive red uniforms, to the cheeky marketing, to the solid passenger experience (including the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and Upper Class), I always enjoy my flights with Virgin Atlantic.
I also find that Virgin Atlantic has some of the most consistently friendly employees of any European airline. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad service experience at the airline, as it’s a company people seem to be proud to work for.
Bottom line
Any sort of airline ranking is inherently subjective, since we’re all looking for different things. That’s even more true when we’re talking about perception of airline brands, which involves some intangible elements. As you can hopefully see, airlines made my list for a variety of reasons.
I do think the above are some really well rounded airlines, though I’m not suggesting you should necessarily think they’re the best in the world. Some airlines made my list because of the experience they offer, some made my list because of where they’re based, and some made my list because of special experiences I’ve had on the airline.
I’m curious to hear from OMAAT readers — what are your favorite airline brands?
Air France business class between SFO and CDG is just disappointing now. I just flew both ways and have to say the meals are so low-budget. They still relegate us to their overcrowded run down K lounge at CDG with empty food bins and say it will be renovated soon, boarding is a mess, they didn’t load the meal choice I made two days prior (in the effort to “reduce waste”) and tried to replace...
Air France business class between SFO and CDG is just disappointing now. I just flew both ways and have to say the meals are so low-budget. They still relegate us to their overcrowded run down K lounge at CDG with empty food bins and say it will be renovated soon, boarding is a mess, they didn’t load the meal choice I made two days prior (in the effort to “reduce waste”) and tried to replace it with some fish stew which I skipped. In fact the menu didn’t match what they served. The FA was such an asshole that he handed me a dry face towel at the end of the flight. Turkish, here I come.
The big problem with articles like this is that it is subjective.
Is it just me? I always find EVA to be very efficient, with perfect service, but little or no warmth or personality. I prefer warmth and personality, even if things don't go perfectly.
My new favorite airline is JAL!
Hands down one of the best - even better than Qatar, Turkish, Cathay and ANA.
I like you list, though I probably would have given JAL the nod over ANA only because I think the JAL brand is more recognizable to non-AvGeeks.
And while it's not a disagreement, I might have included Qantas. Is it the best carrier? No, not really, but their brand is iconic and recognizable anywhere on Earth. It's always fun seeing a QF tail be it at LHR, DFW, or even SIN. You know where it's...
I like you list, though I probably would have given JAL the nod over ANA only because I think the JAL brand is more recognizable to non-AvGeeks.
And while it's not a disagreement, I might have included Qantas. Is it the best carrier? No, not really, but their brand is iconic and recognizable anywhere on Earth. It's always fun seeing a QF tail be it at LHR, DFW, or even SIN. You know where it's going. They also do a great job with overseas lounges, which serve as a great marketing tool, and many people Down Under well and truly love the brand.
I think ANA's unique branding stance is simply nomenclature. No one born after 1950 or without knowledge of Japanese knows what "Nippon" means—assuming they'd even know what the acronym stands for. I have told countless people about flights on ANA, including seasoned travelers, and the mention of the airline elicits blank stares.
Which is all fine by me, to be honest. When the loudmouth nightmare traveler at work told me he had gotten into...
I think ANA's unique branding stance is simply nomenclature. No one born after 1950 or without knowledge of Japanese knows what "Nippon" means—assuming they'd even know what the acronym stands for. I have told countless people about flights on ANA, including seasoned travelers, and the mention of the airline elicits blank stares.
Which is all fine by me, to be honest. When the loudmouth nightmare traveler at work told me he had gotten into points and miles a while back, I cringed. I don't need him to start bragging about RT NH redemptions via VS. Let him think UA to Tokyo is the way to go.
Singapore Airlines it is.
When flying Swiss, in their post-flight survey the last question used to be "which is your preferred airline?", and I always replied SQ. In the recent surveys I do not remember this question anymore. :-)
Yes, would be curious to see a Europe specific list. The ones for Europe listed here make sense but I'm honestly quite unsure what to include for the next tier down
wait, have you experienced the turkish "hos[pi]tality" during the IRROPS???
and how about the incompetency of Qatar during IRROPS???
maybe you have never had irrops the ME...at least I never saw a post you encountering them...
Ben,
As usual I greatly enjoy your post.
I go with SQ. I've been flying them since 1984 when I lived in Singapore. They were top quality then and remain so. I can't think of another business let alone an airline which has been top rated in their industry for 40 consecutive years. 40 years!! And with Changi too.
BTW, I love your picture of "approaching Hong Kong". For your readers who...
Ben,
As usual I greatly enjoy your post.
I go with SQ. I've been flying them since 1984 when I lived in Singapore. They were top quality then and remain so. I can't think of another business let alone an airline which has been top rated in their industry for 40 consecutive years. 40 years!! And with Changi too.
BTW, I love your picture of "approaching Hong Kong". For your readers who may not know it the picture shows the old Kai Tak airport. What a thrill it was to land there. Coming in on final approach in a 747 and first class while looking out the window as we, literally, flew between the buildings! What an experience!! You must remember it fondly too.
Regards
My most favourite airline brand is Singapore Airlines, and I don't see this changing anytime soon. Other airlines you've mentioned feel like that they're outstanding at some aspects only, while other aspects are average or sometimes below average. However... I don't find Singapore Airlines to be in that case as of now.
In my opinion, Japanese big two carriers' (JAL and ANA) reputations are carried by the hospitality solely. Some of their premium class service...
My most favourite airline brand is Singapore Airlines, and I don't see this changing anytime soon. Other airlines you've mentioned feel like that they're outstanding at some aspects only, while other aspects are average or sometimes below average. However... I don't find Singapore Airlines to be in that case as of now.
In my opinion, Japanese big two carriers' (JAL and ANA) reputations are carried by the hospitality solely. Some of their premium class service elements aren't on the par with other carriers mentioned on this text, and their top notch hard products are (and probably will be - although I imagine JAL would be better than ANA for this in future) available on very small percentage of their fleet (and there's nothing to get excited about their regional fleet like 767s and 787-8s).
But still, how friendly and caring their crew are is simply unparalleled, and that itself deserves a top ranking. Especially compared to the neighbouring countries' high level of competition, I'd say that JAL and ANA is the best in the region (East Asia - the region where 6 five-star airlines (JL, NH, OZ, KE, BR, CX) are based). ANA goes to my second most favourite for that reason. ANA brand is definitely stronger than that of JAL nowadays...
Also, the most underrated and underknown part of JAL and ANA, though, is definitely how clean their planes' cabin is.
Just wondering how much of our perception is pre-pandemic.
Is Cathay Pacific what it was? I was under-impressed last year with the FA, lounge and check-in level of "service". Very mediocre. Very young and inexperienced. If this had been a US carrier, I'm sure the rants would have been endless. However, the HKG Pier First Class Lounge itself was first rate, as advertised.
had the same feeling. Does CX exist these days??? I really want them to come back quickly with the scale and top notch product in J and F.
They've been rapidly rising in quality since end of last year. I work in airport, and the complaints I hear from them have largely diminished, with many travelers now preferring them over SQ. Word from my pilot friends is that they want to get back to being # 1 or 2 in world airline ratings again.
Somehow, Ben, you forgot Delta.
YOU FORGOT DELTA!
Someone is going to be VERY. VERY. UPSET.
See people like you are the problem. You are the ones bringing it up and mentioning it first because you enjoy the ragebait, but then you also want to turnaround and complain about it, despite being the instigators.
If you don't want him to show up and rant, then don't bring it up yourself.
@yoloswag420 I second that! Honestly I don't know how is this supposed to be funny.
"See people like you are the problem."
This. Posters who (somehow) still think it's funny to invoke him or Delta in every topic, are far more obnoxious than anything Tim Dunn ever did, and are really starting to detract from this site.
Turkish Airlines is pretty overrated in my opinion.
Their service doesn't seem that great to me and I've flown them many times. Their catering is phenomenal, but their lack of consistent product in their fleet holds me back from flying them more often. I don't want to get plane swapped into their 777s or A330s.
I am slowly starting to agree about TK. As the food is delicious, in the last two flights the crew was far from "being the best". They were forgetting what drinks were ordered, bringing something else, were irritated when asked about the flight delay... Seemed more like a regular European crew.
JetBlue should be on this list
JetBlue has terrible on-time performance, which is one of the most important factors for an airline.
However all things aside, Mint truly is one of the best products out there in the sky.
Mint is an overblown, overrated domestic First designed to make the Cro-Magnon Clods who inhabit Noo Yawk feel special. Jet Blue needs to die tomorrow.
Yawn, you say this in every post.
Mint has the best catering in the US and probably better than the majority of EU carriers. Mint is affordable and reasonably priced, and the seats are high quality.
You're just mad that your favorite airline serves dogfood on a plate in international business class and can't do any better.
You need a similar post on the worst.
While I definitely agree that Air France is a solid product, and given you cite airports like Changi, Istanbul and HK as part of the reason for your selection, the huge negative on AF is CDG. Getting around CDG landside is a nightmare, airside is not much better, and signage both sides is atrocious at best
I see Oman Air has been removed! Probably a function of your sadly weird experience with them in January. Still, they’re a cut above so many others, though I’d love to see Etihad make an entry (or re-entry) in this list some day.
Also, it’s great to see two Western European airlines in the list, and both happen to be from SkyTeam, the so-called ‘weakest’ alliance. Not everything about European airlines — TK aside — is necessarily subpar!
@ VT-CIE -- You're very observant, hah! Yes, Oman Air is definitely still a cut above many other airlines, and I do like the brand. But with the company shrinking and now in cost cutting mode, I have a little bit less faith in the carrier's future.
This fun endeavor should include the ability to actually book a seat (or two or four) with the airline. It should also include what might happen if anything goes wrong.
It's one thing to book flights to airports for reviews and turn around and go home. It's quite another when there are itinerary commitments at the end of that flight which are thrown into turmoil if an award ticket is cancelled due to a...
This fun endeavor should include the ability to actually book a seat (or two or four) with the airline. It should also include what might happen if anything goes wrong.
It's one thing to book flights to airports for reviews and turn around and go home. It's quite another when there are itinerary commitments at the end of that flight which are thrown into turmoil if an award ticket is cancelled due to a schedule change.
How would your thoughts be adjusted if that experience were taken into account? Do some of these airlines drop off and others rise?
@ theebigjuan -- Totally a fair point. I've written about this general topic in the past:
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/airlines-good-service-ground/
Long story short, if there's any airline that actually offers a consistently competent and helpful ground experience, well... I'm not familiar with it. Of course some airlines are a bit better than others, but there's no airline I can get behind and say "they always took care of customers on the ground, or when things go wrong."
@ theebigjuan -- Totally a fair point. I've written about this general topic in the past:
https://onemileatatime.com/insights/airlines-good-service-ground/
Long story short, if there's any airline that actually offers a consistently competent and helpful ground experience, well... I'm not familiar with it. Of course some airlines are a bit better than others, but there's no airline I can get behind and say "they always took care of customers on the ground, or when things go wrong."
the main difference between legacy airlines and ME airlines is how competent their agents are and whether they are empowered to do anything when things go wrong. Unfortunately, QR, EK and TK are the worst, EK is not that better either. When something goes wrong, the legacy airline agents will do what the industry has been doing: rebooking at other airlines at the earliest convenience, or reroute etc, plus they have a system in place...
the main difference between legacy airlines and ME airlines is how competent their agents are and whether they are empowered to do anything when things go wrong. Unfortunately, QR, EK and TK are the worst, EK is not that better either. When something goes wrong, the legacy airline agents will do what the industry has been doing: rebooking at other airlines at the earliest convenience, or reroute etc, plus they have a system in place for providing hotels and food. That is not the case for these ME airlines, especially if you are at out-station. Often, they have to email their hub managers to get an approval of what they can do in case of a complicated change and that takes ages because time difference/working hours etc. Fundamentally, ME airlines do not trust their staff, period.
Also, many legacy airlines using automated system these days. I flew UA two years ago after not having flown them for 8 years, and I was so surprised that they provided me with the new flight and hotel/food voucher on a KIOSK as soon as I missed my connection due to their earlier delay. In the past I had to queue or call but nowadays it seems like they have an automated system in place so that we don't have to interact with agents anymore. On the other hand, ME airlines are still doing things manually and using manager approval for nearly everything.