Singapore Airlines has booted Qatar Airways from the number one spot in a prestigious list of the world’s best airlines compiled by Skytrax.
It’s the latest proof that the golden oldie, which was once known as the Queen of the Skies before falling off the radar, has well and truly taken back its crown after undergoing a revamp.
Qatar ranked in the second spot, down from number one last year, followed by ANA All Nippon Airways, Emirates and EVA Air in the fifth position. Cathay Pacific ranked sixth, followed by Lufthansa, Hainan Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Thai Airways.
America’s four biggest airlines — American, Delta, Southwest and United — ranked 71st, 37th, 57th and 88th respectively on the rankings which are known as the “Oscars of the Aviation Industry”.
The awards are based on the reviews of more than 20 million travelers, who rated more than 335 airlines between August 2017 and May 2018.
Singapore Airlines also scored awards for the Best First Class, and Best First Class Airline Seat.
It’s the latest victory for the carrier, which also topped a list of the world’s best airlines by TripAdvisor in March after vowing to win back customers.
Some Singapore Airlines planes have First Class suites.Getty ImagesYeoh Phee Teik, Singapore’s vice president of customer experience, told CNN: “We’re very ecstatic.”
“I think we can attribute this to the hardworking team, which has continued to elevate the customer experience. We’re glad that our work has been recognized and our customers have voted for us to be the world’s best.”
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said it was a great win for the airline, only a year after rolling out a revamped first class product.
“We congratulate Singapore Airlines on this fabulous achievement, being voted the World’s Best Airline by customers for a fourth time in the award’s history.”
“A key ‘wow’ factor for customers is consistency and this proved to a real asset for Singapore Airlines who scored highly across both product and service. I am sure Singapore Airlines will also take great pride in winning the World’s Best First Class award, less than one year after they introduced their new first-class suites.”
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The latest business class seat from Singapore Airlines.Getty Images
