The ranking are out for the world’s best airlines going into 2018. Nowhere on the Top 10 is a United States based airline. That seems ironic given that the US was a pioneer in airline travel. Why are there no US airlines on the list?
First lets examine what the list is. AirlineRatings.com released its list of the world’s top airlines. https://www.airlineratings.com/news/worlds-top-ten-airlines-2018/ How did it come up with the list? The airlines are evaluated on the following:
- Safety: Achieve a seven-star safety rating
- Passenger Experience: Demonstrate leadership in innovation for passenger comfort.
The seven-star safety rating was develop in conjunction with the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). The ICAO is the international equivalent of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In determining their ratings, AirlineRatings.com also considered customer feedback on their website as well as other reputable websites. Several other criteria were considered; fleet age; operating profit; does the airline have premium economy; does it have flat beds in business class; investment grade rating; environmental report; industrial issues; serious incidents; is the airline an innovator and they must be a top 50 airline. To read more on the criteria see: https://www.airlineratings.com/news/worlds-best-airlines-criteria/
The Top Ten are below:
- Air New Zealand
- Qantas Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- Virgin Atlantic
- Etihad Airways
- All Nippon Airways
- Korean Air
- Cathay Pacific
- Japan Airlines
So why are none of the airlines from the United States? Who knows for sure, but I think that is because Americans now view air travel as a commodity. Merriam Webster defines a commodity as “an economic good such as a mass-produced unspecialized product” such as grain, corn or a chemical.
Flying used to be viewed as something special, where you got somewhere fast and were pampered along the way. Now, instead of being viewed as something special, it is viewed as something to be endured. Herded into a crowded cabin, in a cramp seat with no leg room. All of this after you stood in line to be frisked.
Essentially passengers look for the lowest possible fare and little else, since it won’t be enjoyable anyway. The only exception in choosing something other than the lowest fare is being limited in days and times of travel or wanted to add to your sky miles account with a certain airline.
Since the US passengers don’t demand much more than a cheap ticket that is all that the US airlines provide. They are meeting customer demand. Meanwhile, overseas air travel is still viewed as a luxury and so foreign airlines provide luxury.
All that to say, is you want to get a great experience in the air, fly overseas!
