Best airlines in the world: Britain fails to make a good impression

British carrier airlines had more success in other categories: Thomson named the best leisure airline, and easyJet came sixth in the best budget airlines

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The World Airline Awards have been announced revealing disappointing results for British airlines with none able to secure a spot in the top ten, while Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific soared to the top spot as the best carrier airline in the world.

The awards are based on feedback from nearly 19 million passengers from 160 cities and include reviews of over 200 airlines, making it the world’s largest airline passenger satisfaction survey.

Respondents are asked to give feedback on a variety of elements of their flight ranging from their experience at check in and boarding to the cleanliness of the cabin, seat comfort, the food and drink on offer, and the entertainment provided.

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Last year’s winner Emirates fell to fourth place being beaten by Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. British carriers were notably absent from the list, while the only European airlines able to make any impression on the top ten were Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, who came in fifth and tenth place respectively.

British carrier airlines had more success in other categories with charter airline Thomson securing the coveted spot as the best leisure airline in the world, followed closely by Thomas Cook who took fourth place and Monarch in fifth.

Though British carrier airlines did made an appearance in the best budget airlines category, with easyJet in sixth place, Ryanair was notably absent having failed to make the top ten at all. The remaining spots available in the low budget category were dominated by Asian and American airlines as AirAsia and AirAsia X secured the top spot and runner up positions.

Ultimately, the most sought-after award went to Cathay Pacific which achieved its first victory as the best airline in the world for five years. Collecting the award, Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Ivan Chu explained that he was “extremely proud, for both Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong to receive this honour”, while adding that: “As the home airline of Hong Kong, we take great pride in putting the city on the international stage by winning this prestigious award once again.”