The Best & Worst Airlines In Australia

  • Parents Only

By: Phoebe Ackland, ellaslist

TripAdvisor has recently shared the results of their first ever annual Traveller's Choice awards for airlines. So which are the best and worst in Australia and in the world? 

Emirates took out the top ranking for best airline in the entire world, a result based on customer reviews and feedback shared to the TripAdvisor site within the past 12 months. They also took out the top spots for the best economy class, and best first class categories, with customer comments utterly raving about the airline including “best airline I have ever flown” and “best flight of my life.” Last year, Emirates took out the title for number 1 airline in the World Airport Awards, so their domination of this new award scheme comes with little surprise.

The Best Down Under

Qantas took out the top spot for best airline in Australia, rating an overall 4/5 stars for its “fantastic service” and “good value”- an overall "pleasure to fly with." However, they failed to make it into the top 10 airlines in the world. They were beat out by Singapore Airlines wo came second to Emirates, followed by Azul, JetBlue, Air New Zealand in spot number 5, followed by Korean Air, Japan Airlines, THAI Smile, Alaska Airlines and Garuda Indonesia. Air New Zealand also scored the second spot in in the best airlines in the Asia Pacific category, and the top spot for best premium economy class. 

Jetstar Voted Worst in The World

CHOICE recently published results of their customer satisfaction survey in collaboration with Euroconsumers and Consumers International, ranking the world's airlines. Qantas-owned Jetstar ranked "dead-last", and "trailed in almost all categories, often scoring among the worst for flight delays, plane space and comfort, and its onboard staff." They received an overall rating of just 1 out of 5 stars. 

That's a pretty rough result for Jetstar, and one which they have hit back at, claiming that weather is most usually the cause of their delays. "Weather is often the source of delays, particularly in the more tropical destinations we operate to, and we'll always put safety before schedule," the company said in a statement. "We know how important it is to get customers to their destination on time, and we recognise there is room for improvement."

Qantas was again the highest ranking Australian airline, coming in spot 36 in the world's best and scoring 3 out of 5 stars. The top 5-star scoring airlines were Emirates, Avianca and Qatar Airways. CHOICE's head of media Tom Godfrey said: "The survey illustrates a need for more safeguards to protect consumers in the airline industry. 

"With Aussies being slugged with excessive cancellation fees, a lack of redress when flights are delayed and cancelled, and other unfair terms and conditions it is little wonder companies like Jetstar see their ratings plummet when it comes to customer satisfaction. It's time our airlines stopped flying below the radar when it comes to consumer protection."

CHOICE has put travel on their 2017 agenda, so we don't think Jetstar is off the hook just yet. 

Had a great or awful experience with one airline in particular? We want to know! Comment below. 

 

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