The 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards are out, and the global leaderboard is once again dominated by airlines from Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Singapore Airlines took the No. 1 spot, reclaiming the title from Qatar Airways, which ranked second. It is Singapore Airlines’ sixth time winning Skytrax’s top award since the program began in 1999.
Here are the 10 highest-ranked airlines in the 2026 overall awards:
• Singapore Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Cathay Pacific Airways
• ANA All Nippon Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• Emirates
• Air France
• Hainan Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air
Six of the top 10 are based in Asia, two are from the Middle East and two are European carriers.
Where are the U.S. airlines?
No U.S. airline made Skytrax’s global top 20. Delta ranked No. 26, while United came in at No. 45.
North America had just one airline in the top 20: Air Canada at No. 17.
That doesn’t mean U.S. carriers were absent from the individual awards. Delta ranked No. 10 for economy class and No. 6 for inflight entertainment.
How Skytrax came up with the list
The 2025–26 survey ran from September 2025 through August 2026 and collected responses from travelers representing more than 100 nationalities. More than 300 airlines were evaluated across areas including cabin service, seat comfort, food and beverages, cleanliness and entertainment.
Singapore Airlines also won World’s Best Economy Class and Economy Class Onboard Catering, while Qatar took several major honors, including World’s Best Business Class and World’s Best Onboard Wi-Fi.
The smarter take: The overall Skytrax list looks very different from individual category rankings, so an airline’s global position doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story about a particular cabin or travel experience.