Qatar Airways

The national airline of the state of Qatar, based in Doha, Qatar, earned the 2025 SKYTRAX World’s Best Airline award. Striving for excellence poses as Qatar’s goal every year; whether you’re simply flying economy, or shell out the extra money to fly business or first class, Qatar’s award winning qualities show throughout any flight. In my personal experience, Qatar consistently delivers the best overall travel experience. Their in-flight entertainment goes unmatched, and with one of the most comfortable economy classes I’ve experienced, Qatar stands as my personal favorite, along with travellers across the world. Long-haul flights often provide some of the most boring, uncomfortable and cramped experiences people have, but Qatar’s award-winning flight crew makes their best effort to make the journey just as great as the destination. Beyond their prestigious service, Qatar’s aircraft fleet consists of some of the most technologically advanced aircraft, contributing to the overall comfort of their flights.

Singapore Airlines

With the dreadful check-in process, barely edible food and uncomfortable seats, the struggles of air travel stand as a universal experience for most people. Singapore Airlines earned the title of Best First Class Airline award in 2025, as a result of their premium catering options available to both first and economy class passengers. Additionally, Singapore Airlines’ prestigious reputation sprouts from their above-average economy seating quality, and seamless check-in experience. Similarly, Singapore Airlines’ fleet consists of the best aircraft Boeing and Airbus have to offer.

Emirates Airlines

After earning the Best Long Haul airline title in 2024, Emirates slowly fell behind their competitors. Coming as a close second, Emirates simply does not match Singapore in terms of overall quality. Speaking from my experience flying with Emirates, I felt that they focused on the first and business class experience, while Singapore focused on all of their passengers. To give credit where it’s due, Emirates tends to have better and newer aircraft than Singapore. Strictly Airbus and Boeing wide-bodies, including the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the A380.

Delta Airlines

Moving away from international airlines, Delta, based in Atlanta, Ga., offers a wide range of direct domestic flights, along with non-stop flights to major hubs in Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. Overall, domestic travellers widely consider Delta as the best American airline to fly domestically. In addition to their wide network of destinations, Delta excels in making all flights as comfortable as possible, by offering free text messaging on flights, and having one of the best business classes among United States based airlines.

Southwest Airlines

Awarded the Highest Economy Class Satisfaction in 2024, Southwest earned their recognition as arguably the best budget airline still in operation. As a result of an increase in operation cost, Southwest removed their free bag policy. When the policy still existed, they were one of the only major airlines that still offered this incentive. Despite utilizing the low-cost airline business model, Southwest continues to prioritize quality and customer service.