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TripAdvisor’s best airlines in the world

A year of traveler reviews and ratings places Singapore Airlines at the top and highlights the progress of WestJet, Air Canada and Air North


April 2, 2019  By Jon Robinson

An Airbus A350-900XWB in the livery of Singapore Airlines, which TripAdvisor travelers rated as the world's best airline. (Photo: Singapore Airlines)

TripAdvisor on April 2 released the list of winners of its Travelers’ Choice awards for Airlines, designed to identity favourite carriers across globe, according to travelers who use its website. The company claims to have the world’s largest travel site, holding more than 730 million reviews and opinions covering the world’s largest selection of travel listings. TripAdvisor-branded sites are available in 49 markets and collectively garner more than 490 million average monthly unique visitors, as of December 2018.

Four Asian airlines were among the Global Top 10 winners, led by Singapore Airlines taking the top spot, with Middle Eastern airlines holding two spots in the top five, including Qatar Airways in second position and Emirates in fourth. Southwest Airlines was named as the top carrier in North America for the second consecutive year (number six in the world) and WestJet was named as Canada’s top airline. (The full list of TripAdvisor’s 10 Top airlines is included at the end of this article, as well as other primary global winners by category, North American winners and a complete breakdown of Canadian winners.)

The Travelers’ Choice award winners were determined by an algorithm that considered the quality and quantity of flyer reviews and ratings (illustrated online as a possible five total bubbles) for airlines on TripAdvisor, gathered over a 12-month period, January to December 2018. Now in the third year, a worldwide category and eight regional categories – Africa & Indian Ocean, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and South Pacific & Oceania – identify 57 airlines in 91 total awards.

The awards also recognize the winning airlines in four distinct service classes: First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy. Other categories include Best Low Cost Airline, Best Major Airline, Best Mid-Size Airline, Best Regional Airline and Best Regional Business Class.

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TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Airlines in the World
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. EVA Air
4. Emirates
5. Japan Airlines (JAL)
6. Southwest Airlines
7. Azul
8. Air New Zealand
9. Jet2.com
10. All Nippon Airways (ANA)

Class of Service Global Winners
Best First Class: Emirates
Best Business Class: Qatar Airways
Best Premium Economy: Air New Zealand
Best Economy: Singapore Airlines

Best Overall Airlines in North America
Best Airline North America and United States: Southwest Airlines
Best Airline Canada: WestJet
Best Major Airline: Delta Air Lines
Best Mid-Size Airlines: Alaska Airlines (Best), WestJet, Hawaiian Airlines
Best Low Cost Airline: Southwest Airlines (Best), JetBlue
Best Airline Caribbean: Cayman Airways

Best Class of Service in North America
Best Economy: Southwest Airlines
Best Premium Economy: American Airlines
Best Regional Business Class: JetBlue
Best Business Class: Air Canada

Canadian winners by category
Best Airline, Canada: WestJet
Best Mid-Size Airlines, North America: WestJet
Best Business Class, North America: Air Canada
Best Specialty and Leisure, North America: Air North

RELATED: Boeing delivers first 787 Dreamliner to WestJet

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