Business Report

Revealed: The top airlines for 2020

Clinton Moodley|Published

Air New Zealand claimed the top spot as the top airlines for 2020 at the Airline Excellence Awards. Picture: Instagram/air.newzealand. Air New Zealand claimed the top spot as the top airlines for 2020 at the Airline Excellence Awards. Picture: Instagram/air.newzealand.

Whether you book Business Class or Economy, you want an airline that caters for all types of travellers. 

AirlineRatings.com, a website that ranks airlines on safety and in-flight experience, recently revealed the top airlines for 2020 at the Airline Excellence Awards. 

The awards were judged by seven editors and based on safety and government audits, fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings, and staff relations.

Air New Zealand claimed the top spot beating last year’s winner, Singapore Airlines. 

Singapore Airlines, however, did claim the second spot. 

According to AirlineRatings.com, New Zealand clinched the title for its “record-breaking performance, multi-award-winning in-flight innovations, operational safety, environmental leadership and motivation of its staff.”

The website revealed that these factors “stamped the airline as a clear industry leader.”

Airline Ratings Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said on the website: “In our analysis, Air New Zealand came out number one in most of our audit criteria, which is an outstanding performance when it’s up against carriers with more resources and scale on this same list of best airlines for 2020.”

Other airlines making the top 10 included All Nippon Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, EVA Air, Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia, in that particular order. Other notable mentions in the top 20 include Lufthansa (11), British Airways (17) and Etihad Airways (20). 

Here are some of the other winners: 

Airline of the year:

Air New Zealand

Best Long-Haul Airline:

Delta Air Lines (Americas), Lufthansa (Europe), Emirates (Middle East/Africa) and Cathay Pacific (Asia)

Best Low-Cost Airline:

JetBlue (Americas), Wizz (Europe), AirAsia/ AirAsia X (Asia/Pacific) and Air Arabia (Middle-East /Africa)

Best First Class:

Singapore Airlines

Best Business Class:

Qatar Airways

Best Premium Economy:

Air New Zealand

Best Economy:

Virgin Australia

Best Lounges:

Qantas

Best Catering:

Qatar Airways

Best In-Flight Entertainment:

Emirates

Best Domestic Airline Service:

Qantas

Most Improved Airline:

Cebu Pacific

Best Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier:

VietJet Air

Best Cabin Crew:

Virgin Australia