These Are the Best International Airlines in 2024, According to T+L Readers

Asian and Middle Eastern carriers dominate the rankings of the best international airlines in our "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2024.

By

Stefanie Waldek

Published on July 9, 2024

After a monumental shake-up last year, which saw a 27-year veteran deposed from its top spot by a relative youngster, things have pretty much returned to normal. Said veteran is back on top, though its former usurper is hot on its heels. Elsewhere on the list, you'll primarily find iconic Asian and Middle Eastern carriers that show up on this list year after year.

The Singapore Airlines customer service desk — Courtesy of Singapore Airlines

How Voting Works

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Airlines were specifically rated on the criteria below:

Cabin comfort
In-flight service
Customer service
Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

What Readers Loved

Is it any surprise that all long-haul travelers want a pleasant experience? Overall, our readers sought comfort, hospitality, and a good bite to eat — something each airline on this list offers its passengers.

In our top five, we've had a little shuffle compared to last year. Most notably, Singapore Airlines is once again our champion, besting last year's winner (and this year's runner-up), French boutique airline La Compagnie. But just barely — Singapore Airlines only scored one one-hundredth of a point higher.

One of the main differentiators between Singapore Airlines (a WBA Hall of Fame honoree) and La Compagnie is the price. "Not the cheapest option, but nice flights with great service," wrote one voter of Singapore Airlines. On the other hand, La Compagnie — which has all business-class seats — had one voter praising the "great value, excellent service, and amazing food."

The remaining three airlines did make last year's list, but the order has shifted. In 2024, Emirates (also a WBA Hall of Fame honoree) took No. 3; All Nippon Airways (ANA) No. 4, and Qatar Airways (another WBA Hall of Fame honoree) No. 5.

Interestingly, it's not only the in-flight experience that matters to our readers. "Exceptional in-flight and on-the-ground service," wrote one voter. "I arranged an extra-long (10-hour) layover just to enjoy the Doha Al Mourjan lounge."

If you're curious about which other airlines our readers loved, you can see them all below. And before you go, we'd like to leave you with one tidbit: Each of the 15 international airlines on this list scored higher than nine of the top 10 domestic airlines.

This Is Part Of

The World's Best Awards

See All Winners

The Winner

Singapore Airlines

After Singapore Airlines (SIA) struggled with pandemic-related operational issues, it has come back and better than ever. "I was shocked at how incredible the experience was. I wish I could fly this airline everywhere," wrote one voter. Fortunately, you can fly SIA to more than 70 destinations around the world. Our readers praised the airline's excellent service, specifically complimenting the food on board and each aircraft's cleanliness. "They care about details," one voter noted. And that's a very important thing when you're operating the world's largest commercial aircraft (the A380) and flying the world's longest route (just shy of 19 hours, New York to Singapore).