(CNN) — It’s been an unusual couple of years for the aviation industry. After months of pandemic-related groundings, travel’s returned not with a bang, but with a bit of a whimper, as many global airlines and airports struggle with cancellations and delays.
In the midst of this chaotic season of travel, Australia-based aviation safety and product rating agency AirlineRatings.com has released its annual round-up of the world’s best airlines.
Nabbing the top spot for the second year in the row is Qatar Airways, with AirlineRatings.com stating this carrier’s commitment to flying over the past couple years was the deciding factor. Qatar Airways also won the Excellence in Long Haul – Middle East/Africa award.
Ranking traveler options
As well as profitability, AirlineRatings.com’s team of editors also assessed each airline’s fleet age, environmental and safety credentials, passenger reviews and product offerings.
Hot on the heels of Qatar Airways is Air New Zealand, an airline that’s topped AirlineRatings’ list six times in recent years, and last year also came in at number two. For 2022, Air New Zealand was also recognized by AirlineRatings.com as the carrier with the best premium economy and economy options, and the best option for long haul travel in the Pacific region.
Number three on AirlineRatings.com’s list is Etihad Airways. The UAE-based airline was also awarded the accolade for Environmental Airline of the Year, due to what Thomas said was a “benchmark” commitment to cutting emissions.
The number four airline is Korean Air, which also won the Cargo Airline of the Year and Excellence in Long Haul – Asia awards, while Singapore Airlines, winner of Best First Class and Best Lounges, rounds out the top five.
AirlineRatings.com also highlights the top budget airlines for 2022, although these low-cost carriers aren’t ranked. Instead, they are listed alphabetically: Allegiant Air, AirAsia, easyjet, Jetstar, Flair, Fly Dubai, Ryanair, Scoot, Southwest and VietJet Air.
Thomas told CNN Travel the results reflect the continued impact of Covid-19 on aviation, but the recent spike in delays and cancellations did not affect the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CNN.com – RSS Channel – App Travel Section…