The Best International Airlines: 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards
Now in its 36th iteration, our annual Readers’ Choice Awards continues to capture the travel experiences our readers love, from the best hotels and best international airlines to cruises, islands, and luggage. This year, you traveled farther and deeper; seeking out remote properties; sailing on smaller, more intimate ships; and prioritizing destinations you’ve been waiting years to visit. At least that’s what a staggering 526,518 of you told us in our annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey. In an unusually difficult year for air travel, these reader favorites stood out for their ability to avoid cancellations and—especially—their exemplary customer service. Here are the world's best airlines, as voted by Traveler readers.
View the Readers' Choice Award winners for best airlines in the United States here.
Kevin Ortiz/Unsplash15. Korean Air
“It was remarkable, creative, and entertaining to have [South Korea's] most famous boy group, BTS, educate the customers with safety features on the plane,” writes one Condé Nast Traveler reader of their recent experience flying with Korean Air. Anyone familiar with the airline, renowned and beloved for its attention to detail, knows that such a choice is emblematic of a larger buoyancy of spirit that benefits not only the safety programming but also the service and cuisine (the bibimbap enjoys a few favorable mentions.)
JOHN D PARKER/Air Tahiti Nui14. Air Tahiti Nui
If you're looking to travel to French Polynesia—Bora Bora, Tahiti, the list of fabulous potential destinations goes on—Air Tahiti Nui is the best way to get there. Passengers sing the airline's praises for its comfortable planes, good value, and properly Parisian service—the latter, in particular, is beloved for its immersive qualities. Air Tahiti Nui lives and dies by the islands to and from which it delivers passengers, and as such dedicates the flight experience (through the in-flight entertainment, cuisine, and magazine Reva Tahiti) to Polynesian culture.
MONEY SHARMA/Getty13. Air India
Last November, Indian conglomerate Tata group announced that it would be merging Air India, India's flagship carrier, with Vistara, a newer airline launched in a 2015 joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines. Let the latter's pedigree, and placement on this list, give you an idea as to Vistara's excellent, if short-lived, quality. In the months since, our readers have noticed a significant improvement in Air India's quality—the Vistara bump has brought value to the tickets, a notable upgrade in service quality, and divine spaciousness. One reader writes: “If you're over six feet tall, this is your go-to airline.” All that's left is an overdue facelift to the fleet, which some inside murmurs anticipate to start next year or so.
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Norikio Yamamoto/Unsplash12. ANA (All Nippon Airways)
ANA gets high marks for friendly customer service, seat comfort, and an above average premium economy product on wide-body jetliners that ply transpacific routes out of Tokyo. A member of Star Alliance, the largest in the world, the carrier is also known for a top-notch business class product in a staggered layout—alternating between front and rear-facing seats—that affords greater privacy. Fliers also appreciate their amenities at Tokyo’s Narita and Haneda airports, like well-appointed lounges and sleep rooms near boarding gates.
NurPhoto/Getty11. Copa Airlines
The flag carrier of Panama was named the world's most on-time airline in a 2019, according to a report from travel intelligence firm OAG. In the four years since that report, it seems little has changed—"punctual" is a word used in regard to Copa more often than any other in our survey, with “on time” a close second if you expand the parameters to phrases. Another bonus? The stopover program, which allows passengers to stay in Panama for between 24 hours and seven days at no additional airfare. Such a detour can be added easily at the time of booking, either on the way to your destination or back.
Chad Slattery10. Etihad Airways
From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad operates a fleet of wide-body planes to points in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Even if you can’t afford its fabled “flying apartment” (an ultra-luxe, three-room suite with stratospheric airfare to match), the Gulf state line gets high marks for its business class product. And the carrier doesn’t ignore those sitting in the back either: A dedicated team of “flying nannies” is on-hand to entertain young fliers with toys and magic tricks, while grown-ups throughout the plane dine on multi-course meals and enjoy fine wine. In its quest to offset carbon emissions, the forward-thinking airline recently announced an initiative to plant a mangrove tree for each passenger in economy.
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Unsplash9. JAL (Japan Airlines)
With a long history as Japan’s official flag carrier, JAL recently upgraded its fleet with large orders of the cutting-edge Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350s, two passenger-pleasing planes with mood lighting and higher humidity (a jet lag antidote). JAL offers a traditional first and business class, and its premium economy class wins high marks for its above-average legroom and cuisine that honors both Japanese and western tastes. Traveling with children? JAL has made that notoriously stressful situation a bit easier thanks to special menus that include cute branded bibs and bottled baby food for infants and bento-style meals with adorable animal-shaped dishes for older kids.
Courtesy EVA Air8. EVA
Tied for largest airline in Taiwan with China Airlines, EVA gets points more than anything for its impeccable service. It starts with booking your seat—premium economy comes cheaper than at most other airlines, while EVA's business class trumps what you'll find in its competitors' first. But it's really the people that make the planes shine, with flight attendants praised for their warmth and efficiency. In a world where these two qualities seems to have become mutually exclusive, the frequency of their concurrent use is not something to be discounted.
David Maunsell/Unsplash7. Air New Zealand
With some of the longest flights in the world, the Kiwi carrier pays close attention to seat comfort; legroom is ample on its wide-body planes, and they even offer a "Skycouch" in several rows of coach, which can be booked by families, couples, or solo travelers who simply want extra room to stretch out. Business travelers on a budget can opt for a seat in the expanded premium economy section, and all classes get that famed New Zealand wine. Those perks can now be appreciated on even more routes to the United States, including a recently introduced direct flight between JFK and Auckland that debuted in September.
Anthony Wallace/Getty6. Cathay Pacific
Just how detail-oriented is Hong Kong’s flag carrier? The airline actually concocted its own craft beer—a mandarin-orange-infused pale ale called Betsy, named after the carrier’s first plane—that’s specifically designed to taste better at 35,000 feet. That perfectionism extends to the spacious first class suites, which feature the widest fully flat beds in the industry, 600-thread-count organic linens from Bamford, and a relaxing pillow mist. But even travelers in economy will enjoy perks like a reimagined dinner service that places emphasis on intense flavors: Think soy-braised chicken with Chinese sausage, Hong Kong–style beef curry, or braised pork ribs with chu hou sauce. First class ups the ante with dishes like braised abalone, smoked duck, and caviar with blinis.
Courtesy Virgin Atlantic5. Virgin Atlantic
Ever since Richard Branson founded Virgin Atlantic nearly 40 years ago, the maverick carrier has been wooing travelers with perks like in-flight manicures and cocktail lounges, along with cutting-edge seat-back entertainment. Readers also praise its premium economy section, which has pleasing touches like hot towels and a welcome drink, and its iconic Upper Class that boasts fully flat beds. The airline will be more visible in the states this year: It recently launched new direct routes between London and Austin, and its close relationship with Delta gives it access to a vast network of domestic cities.
Courtesy Emirates4. Emirates
Emirates's posh perks for first and business class fliers—cocktail lounges, in-flight showers—may get all the attention, but that’s only one reason it scores so high among travelers. With its fleet of Airbus A380s, Wi-Fi connectivity, and state-of-the-art seat-back entertainment system with up to 5,000 channels of TV, movies, music, and news, the Dubai-based airline gets kudos for service and amenities in all classes of service. And those classes recently expanded: In 2021, the carrier debuted its long-planned premium economy cabin, with an emphasis on the “premium” side of that hybrid class. Think dedicated check-in areas, luxurious leather seating, sustainable blankets made from recycled plastic bottles, and linen napkins and china come mealtime.
Courtesy Boeing3. Turkish Airlines
Now that it’s firmly ensconced in its flashy new airport hub in Istanbul, Turkey’s flagship airline has the digs to match its ambitions: to become the connecting gateway of choice for transatlantic travelers. The carrier wins kudos for its popular stopover program in the capital, where fliers can take advantage of vouchers for four- or five-star hotels en route to hundreds of cities in Europe and Asia. Readers also rave about its excellent cuisine, comfortable seats, and attentive in-flight service. After recent expansions to Newark, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Seattle, the airline announced this summer that it would soon add nonstop service to Istanbul from Detroit and Denver.
Mayer Tawfik/Uunsplash2. Qatar Airways
Qatar has one of the industry’s youngest fleets of ultra-long-haul wide-bodies, flying both the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the newest Airbus counterpart, the Airbus A350-1000. Both jets’ composite structure allows lower cabin pressure and higher humidity, which can lessen the effects of jet lag, especially if you’re connecting through Qatar’s hub in Doha to points beyond. Its QSuite business class, which can be configured with double beds and four-person dining suites, has won rave reviews from fliers with pleasing touches like hot towels and a welcome drink.
Goh Rhy Yan/Unsplash1. Singapore Airlines
Singapore is known for setting records, from holding the number one spot on our Readers' Choice Awards for more than three decades, to winning the title for world’s longest flight, a 19-hour nonstop between New York and its Changi Airport hub via its fleet of all-premium Airbus A350s. Now that service has resumed on that and other super-long routes, fliers will again savor what makes this airline a perennial favorite: It’s an industry leader in seat comfort, in-flight service, and reliability. It also gets praise for continually upgrading its product in all classes, including a farm-to-plane catering concept and a wellness partnership with California’s Golden Door Spa that involves in-flight stretching, exercise, meditation, and sleep comfort programming.