Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, a new report is ranking the best airlines in the world, taking into account factors like customer service and reliability.
Air passenger rights organization AirHelp released its annual list of the best airlines around the globe on Tuesday.
The company tabulates an AirHelp Score for every airline based on data points like on-time performance, customer opinion, and claim processing for issues like compensation for flight delays and cancellations.
AirHelp analyzed airline data and passenger surveys about recent flights from October 2024 through September 2025. The goal of the annual ranking is to give travelers insights to help passengers better plan their air travel.
According to the 2025 list, the top three best carriers in the world are Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Virgin Atlantic.
Qatar Airways is back on top as AirHelp’s No. 1 best carrier in the world. The Doha-based airline held the top spot on AirHelp’s list for six straight years from 2018 to 2023 but slipped to No. 2 in the world in 2024. Qatar scored “particularly high this year in the customer opinion category,” according to Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp.
Last year’s top-ranked carrier, Brussels Airlines, fell all the way to the ninth spot in 2025. “Brussels Airlines dropped in claim processing and on-time performance, allowing Qatar to take back its top spot and opened the window for other airlines to move up into the top 10,” Pawliszyn said.
Among the carriers who earned a spot on the top 10 list for 2025 are airlines from North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania.
Notably, no airlines based in the U.S. made it into the top 10 carriers around the globe. However, American Airlines was the highest-ranking U.S. carrier on AirHelp’s list. “While American Airlines had the strongest performance of U.S.-based airlines, ranking 11th globally, it did fall seven spots from its 2024 global ranking,” AirHelp’s report said.
American narrowly edged out United for the top spot due to its higher score in the claim processing category, Pawliszyn said.
Rounding out the top three best U.S. airlines is the nation’s third major carrier, Delta Air Lines. A total of eight U.S. carriers made AirHelp's global top 100 list.
Here’s a look at AirHelp’s full rankings of the best airlines in the world.
AirHelp’s Best Global Airlines for 2025
1. Qatar Airways (Qatar) – AirHelp Score: 8.16
2. Etihad Airways (UAE) – AirHelp Score: 8.07
3. Virgin Atlantic (UK) – AirHelp Score: 8.03
4. Qantas (Australia) – AirHelp Score: 7.99
5. KM Malta Airlines (Malta) – AirHelp Score: 7.85
6. Aeromexico (Mexico) – AirHelp Score: 7.84
7. Oman Air (Oman) – AirHelp Score: 7.82
8. Saudia (Saudia Arabia) – AirHelp Score: 7.69
9. Brussels Airlines (Germany) – AirHelp Score: 7.66
10. LOT Polish Airlines (Poland) – AirHelp Score: 7.65
AirHelp’s Best U.S. Airlines for 2025
1. American Airlines – (globally ranked #11; AirHelp Score: 7.64)
2. United Airlines – (globally ranked #13; AirHelp Score: 7.54)
3. Delta Airlines – (globally ranked #15; AirHelp Score: 7.46)
4. Frontier Airlines – (globally ranked #36; AirHelp Score: 7.07)
5. Hawaiian Airlines – (globally ranked #50; AirHelp Score: 6.73)
6. Southwest – (globally ranked #52; AirHelp Score: 6.68)
7. Alaska Airlines – (globally ranked #76; AirHelp Score: 5.95)
8. JetBlue – (globally ranked #89; AirHelp Score: 5.31)
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