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Travel + Leisure
11-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Airline Has the Best First Class Seating in the World for Its Hotel Room-style Suite Seats, On Board Service, and Food
For travelers who believe the journey should rival (or even outshine) the destination, flying First Class is a must. Lie-flat beds, access to private lounges, and multi-course meals served on fine china can transform even the longest flight into something approaching bliss—especially when the airline gets it just right. In 2025, one airline's first class offering has done exactly that with Singapore Airlines taking the top spot. (Singapore Airlines was just named the best international airline for the 10th consecutive year in Travel + Leisure 's 2025 World's Best Award, too.) The title of the world's best first class airline was awarded to the Southeast Asian carrier at this year's Skytrax World Airline Awards (dubbed 'the Oscars of the aviation industry") with the crowning achievement backed by wins for the best first class onboard catering and the best first class airline seat. Together, the accolades confirm what frequent flyers have known for years: if you want a truly exceptional first class experience, Singapore Airlines is the gold standard. The airline's flagship A380 suites played a starring role in its success. More akin to hotel rooms than traditional airline seats, these private cabins feature sliding doors, spacious armchairs that recline and swivel, twin or double beds dressed in fine linens, and personal wardrobes. A dedicated menu curated by a panel of internationally acclaimed chefs elevates the inflight dining experience—think lobster thermidor and smoked salmon eggs Benedict with caviar rather than reheated entrees. Travelers are also treated to large 32-inch HD touchscreen monitors, Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones, Lalique facial mist, and more top-notch amenities. Beyond the seat itself, the onboard service sets Singapore Airlines apart. The carrier was also awarded the title of the world's best cabin crew for 2025, a nod to its consistently warm and detail-oriented inflight offerings. It also claimed regional titles, including the best airline in Asia, and was ranked No. 2 in the world overall—a spot it has held for two consecutive years. (Singapore Airlines has earned the title of the world's best airline five times, most recently in 2023.) Skytrax rankings are determined by passengers who collectively review and rate more than 325 airlines around the globe. Each review is voluntary and passengers are not compensated for their opinions. 'The focus of the survey is for customers to make their own, personal choices as to which airline they consider to be the best, underlining the brand as the Passenger's Choice Awards," according to the organization. It all goes to show just how deeply Singapore Airlines has resonated with those who know first class best.
CBS News
19-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
These are the top airlines in the U.S., according to The Points Guy
Looking to travel this summer but not sure which airline to fly for the best experience? The Points Guy (TPG), an online site dedicated to improving consumers' travel experiences while helping them save money, has revealed its annual ranking of the best airlines in the U.S. Founder and CEO Brian Kelly said the site ranks airlines based on four criteria: a carrier's reliability and performance; passenger experience; its cost and reach; and the quality of its loyalty or rewards program. Recent carrier meltdowns have travelers thinking more carefully about which airline — and through which airports — they want to fly. "This is not just my personal decision," Kelly told CBS Mornings. He also explained how the company weighs each metric. "We have a formula. We use lots of data. This isn't us just sticking our finger up in the air and kind of playing favorites. We look at reliability, first and foremost." "When you buy airfare, you need to get to where you're going, so we give a huge amount — 30% — to reliability," Kelly explained. Some airlines are going the extra mile to make flying more enjoyable for customers, from the minute they step foot in an airport through touchdown. For that reason, TPG assigned a 25% weight to an airline passenger's experience score to determine its overall ranking. An airline's cost and reach — including how expansive its network of destinations is — was assigned a 20% weight. And one-quarter of an airline's score was determined by the quality of its loyalty of rewards program. How the airlines stack up Delta Air Lines topped the list for the seventh year in a row, with its relative strength across all categories earning it the highest ranking, according to TPG. It is the most reliable on-time airline in America. It also provides passengers with free wi-fi, a wide selection of inflight entertainment options and meals from Shake Shack. United came in second place, rising from third place last year, aided by an improved onboard experience. It could continue to climb the rankings next year after announcing a partnership with JetBlue that will expand the airline's reach and improve perks for its loyalty members, TPG said. Weighing on the airline, though, is United's outsized presence at Newark Airport, which is suffering from persistent equipment and staffing issues. Southwest Airlines moved up two spots to earn the No. 3 position. Working in the airline's favor is its low flight cancellation rate, which is the best of any of its competitors. While it scored points in the cost and reach category, recent changes in fee structures could end its reign. It recently ended its popular "bags fly free" policy and offers a new, basic economy fare. Here are the full rankings, according to TPG: Delta Air Lines United Airlines Southwest Airlines Alaska Airlines Hawaiian Airlines JetBlue American Airlines Allegiant Air Spirit Airlines Frontier Airlines
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Qantas rebounds from worst-ever performance to be named world's 14th best airline in ranking
Qantas has rebounded from its worst-ever performance in the aviation industry's annual awards to be named the world's 14th best airline, after the national carrier's reputation was badly damaged by a string of scandals during the pandemic. The national carrier climbed 10 spots in the 2025 Skytrax World Airline awards from its nadir of 24th place in 2024, after customers across more than 100 nationalities voted in the world's largest airline passenger satisfaction survey. Qatar Airways was named the world's best airline for the second consecutive year, which will benefit Qantas's main domestic competitor, Virgin Australia, given it has just entered into a partnership with the Gulf carrier. Virgin recently entered a code-sharing agreement with Qatar, meaning there is now a second Australian carrier apart from Qantas that flies to the Middle East with a global network of connections beyond that. Qatar has been crowned the winner of the Skytrax awards nine times. This year, Singapore Airlines came second and Cathay Pacific third, with Qantas's international partner, Emirates, ranked fourth. The Japanese airline All Nippon Airways came fifth, followed by Turkish Airlines, which is expanding its offering into the Australian market with reported plans to fly from Sydney to Istanbul daily from 2026. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Qantas has been working hard to improve its optics after emerging from pandemic disruptions to post record multibillion-dollar profits amid widespread customer fury that precipitated the retirement of the airline's long-term chief executive Alan Joyce. The beleaguered airline was beset by controversies including its illegal sacking of more than 1,800 baggage handlers resulting in a $120m compensation payout and a $100m federal court fine for misleading customers by allegedly selling tickets for flights it had cancelled. In August 2024, the Qantas board cut Joyce's final pay packet by $9.26m after a self-launched review into the airline's governance found that 'considerable harm' had been done under Joyce's leadership. Dr Andrew Hughes, a marketing lecturer at the Australian National University, said Qantas's rebound suggested its massive investment in its new customer experience program was paying off. He said 'behind the scenes' he would expect the cost of the program to have been just under $1bn. Hughes said the program was the airline's push to reverse a 'lack of investment in their brand offering' during Joyce's tenure at the helm by spending more on improving the customer experience. 'They really had focused on a lot of publicity announcements about things like Project Sunrise,' Hughes said, referring to the airline's plan to launch ultra-long-haul flights from eastern Australia to Europe and New York. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Qantas was contacted for comment. New measures included upgrades to the Qantas fleet, the refurbishment of its airport lounges, and dividing passengers into groups to smooth out the boarding process, Hughes said, all of which had contributed to the airline's success in rebuilding customer perception. 'The overall experience offering is still better than Virgin,' he said, although he believed the smaller airline would become 'a lot more competitive' over the next five years, thanks to its code-sharing agreement with Qatar. Hughes said Qantas's reputation had been 'terrible' but he would expect the airline to continue to go up in the rankings as long as it managed its budget to continue to fund improvements. 'It's been a slow-build process to improve their branding,' he said. 'These are early signs they are on the right track.' However, he said there would be 'some hiccups along the way', pointing to the revamp of Qantas's loyalty program. In January, the airline announced it was broadly increasing the amount of frequent flyer points needed to redeem Classic Reward flights, effectively lowering their value. 'I don't think many people realise just how many points they're about to lose,' Hughes said.
