National carrier British Airways has topped a poll of the world’s best airlines.
The survey of 4,000 UK airline passengers by travel search site Skyscanner found that BA came first for its food and drink offering, on-board experience (including airline cleanliness and comfort), style category and customer service.
The ‘best value for money’ title went to Scandinavian carrier Norwegian. The low-cost airline also placed in the top three for on-board experience, customer service and style.
Other Nordic airlines also saw success with Sweden’s national airline SAS, taking second place for its food and drink and third for style.
Low-cost giant easyJet came second in the ‘best value for money’ category, with British Airways taking third place, while Ryanair failed to make it to the top five.
Skyscanner’s Mary Porter said: “Being a Superbrand and one which Brits are very proud of, it’s perhaps not surprising that British Airways has scooped the top spot in our survey, although I imagine the airline will be especially pleased to have ranked so well in the value-for-money category.
“However, it is particularly interesting to see such strong results for a far less well-known airline, with Norwegian taking second place. It goes to show that low-cost does not necessarily mean an inferior product or service. This will of course be very positive news for those anticipating booking onto its first Transatlantic routes from the UK later this year.”
| Best food and drink | Best customer service | Best on-board experience | Best style | Best value for money |
| BA | BA | BA | BA | Norwegian |
| SAS | Norwegian | Norwegian | Norwegian | EasyJet |
| Lufthansa | Fly Thomas Cook | Lufthansa | SAS | BA |
| Norwegian | Lufthansa | SAS | Lufthansa | Jet2 |
| KLM | Monarch | KLM | Fly Thomas Cook | Monarch |
