The best airline to fly with in 2020
Air New Zealand has been named the Airline of the Year for 2020 according to Airline Ratings, beating out last year’s winner Singapore Airlines.
As well as winning Airline of the Year, Air NZ also took out first place for Premium Economy.
The award marks the sixth time the Kiwi airline has won Best Airline of the Year with Airline Ratings.
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The awards are judged by a panel of seven experts that has more than 200 years of combined aviation experience between them.
The decisions are based on a 7-star rating system which looks at a number of factors including safety, passenger reviews, product offerings, staff relations, environmental leadership, fleet age, profitability and investment rating.
“In our analysis, Air New Zealand came out number one in most of our audit criteria, which is an outstanding performance when it’s up against carriers with more resources and scale on this same list of best airlines for 2020,” said Airline Ratings editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas.
“Air New Zealand’s commitment to excellence in all facets of its business starts at the top with outstanding governance and one of the best executive teams in aviation through to a workforce that is delivering consistently to the airline’s strategy and customer promise.”
Australian brands were well-represented on the list, with Virgin Australia winning Best Economy Class for 2020 as well as Best Cabin Crew.
National carrier Qantas won both Best Domestic Service as well as Best Lounges.
Here’s the full list of Airline Ratings winners for 2020:
Airline of the Year: Air New Zealand
Best First Class: Singapore Airlines
Best Business Class: Qatar Airways
Best Premium Economy: Air New Zealand
Best Economy Class: Virgin Australia
Best Low Fare Carrier (Asia-Pacific): AirAsia
Best Low Fare Carrier (Europe): Wizz
Best Low Fare Carrier (Americas): JetBlue
Best Low Fare Carrier (Middle East/Africa): Air Arabia
Most Improved Airline: Cebu Pacific
Inflight Catering Award: Qatar Airways
Long Haul (Americas): Delta
Long Haul (Middle East/Africa): Emirates
Long Haul (Asia): Cathay Pacific
Long Haul (Europe): Lufthansa
Inflight Entertainment Award: Emirates
Best Cabin Crew: Virgin Australia
Best Domestic Service: Qantas
Best Lounges: Qantas
Best Ultra Low Cost Airline: VietJet Air
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