Singapore Airlines has come out as the winner in the annual Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for Airlines 2018, beating off tough competition from the likes of Emirates, Air New Zealand and Japan Airlines. Singapore Airlines also won a number of other awards, including Best International First Class and Best Economy Class.
It’s the second year TripAdvisor has held a Travellers’ Choice Awards specifically for airlines after expanding its hotel review business for which TripAdvisor became famous, to include airlines a couple of years ago. Since then, hundreds of thousands of reviews have been posted on the site.
TripAdvisor says it uses a special computer algorithm to determine the winners, which takes into account the “quantity and quality of airline reviews and ratings submitted by travellers worldwide.” The awards are based on reviews which were left over a 12-month period.
Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager for TripAdvisor Flights, says he believes that airlines which can offer both value and a “quality experience” have been most successful this year.
“As the airline industry introduces new fare products and a widening array of in-flight offerings, consumers continue to seek out the carriers that deliver value and a quality experience,” Saltzburg commented.
“The Travellers’ Choice awards for airlines recognise the carriers that exceed passenger expectations and receive top marks from travellers.”
Asian airlines dominated the global Top Ten, with four airlines making the list – Singapore Airlines was joined by Japan Airlines, EVA Air and Korean Air – while Middle East airlines performed well with Emirates and Qatar Airways making the cut.
Over 69 airlines were honoured this year across a variety of categories, including regional accolades and service classes. Interestingly, two low-cost airlines beat the likes of premium carriers like Qatar Airways in the Global Top Ten.
Texas-based Southwest Airlines came in sixth place, while the UK’s Jet2.com pipped Qatar Airways to seventh place and Azul Airlines of Brazil beat Korean Air to ninth place – perhaps proving that relative expectations could prove to be a deciding factor on the overall score travellers award airlines in their reviews.
Here are the Top Ten global airlines for 2018:
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Air New Zealand
3. Emirates
4. Japan Airlines
5. EVA Air
6. Southwest Airlines
7. Jet2.com
8. Qatar Airways
9. Azul
10. Korean Air
And here are the best airlines by Class of Service:
First Class – Singapore Airlines
Business Class – Qatar Airways
Premium Economy – Air New Zealand
Economy – Singapore Airlines
“We are honoured to be this year’s recipient of the Best Airline in the World title in the prestigious TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for Airlines 2018,” explained Goh Choon Phong, the chief executive of Singapore Airlines.
“The award is a validation of the hard work and dedication of our thousands of staff all around the world, who focus their attention every day on ensuring that Singapore Airlines remains competitive on a global level.”
