The most reliable airlines. The world's best low-cost carrier. Best European Airline

Research firm Skitrax has released its annual rankings of the top 100 airlines in the world. Travelers from all over the globe take part in the annual big study the degree of passenger satisfaction with airlines in the world to determine the award winners. So, the best airline of 2015: Qatar Airways, which received the main award for the third time in 5 years.

1. Qatar Airways

Last year, the airline took 2nd place in the ranking. Qatar Airways also achieved success in the " Best Places Business Class, taking first place for the first time. This is no coincidence, as this year the company introduced the A380 and A350 aircraft to its fleet, setting new benchmark standards for comfort, space and privacy.

2 Singapore Airlines

Last year, Singapore Airlines ranked third on this list. In 2015, they managed to move up one spot, eliminating regional rival (and 2014 winner) Cathay Pacific Airways and ANA All Nippon Airways in the Asian region. Singapore Airlines also achieved success in the " Best deal Business Class, ahead of Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific.

3 Cathay Pacific Airways

Last year, this company took first place in the list, but a year later they managed to take only third place. Cathay Pacific has achieved success in the nomination "Best Trans-Pacific Airline". This is the third success of the airlines in this category after 2011 and 2013. Asiana Airlines from South Korea ranked second and ANA All Nippon Airways ranked third.

4 Turkish Airlines

Compared to last year, Turkish Airlines moved up one spot to the third position in the ranking of the best airlines. Turkish airlines received awards for the best business class hall and best restaurant business class. The main hall in Istanbul is one of the largest in the world. It is able to accommodate 1000 customers and feed them the best of local and international dishes. The process is organized by the catering company Do & Co.

5 Emirates

Emirates Airline dropped one spot from last year to rank 5th. The Emirates received the award for best First Class amenities and comfort, ahead of local rivals Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines. It is worth noting that this is a very competitive category, where there is a very serious struggle between competitors.

6 Etihad Airways

This airline made a qualitative leap from 9th to 6th place in the list. This happened due to many innovations, popular products and services in addition to the already high level of services provided. It is the combination of affordable and innovative services for passengers of any class that has allowed Etihad Airways to take such prestigious place in the list of the best.

7.ANA All Nippon Airways

Last year, ANA All Nippon Airways ranked 6th, while in 2015 it dropped one spot. She won the "Most best service at the airport”, which evaluated the entire process from check-in to boarding the aircraft. Air EVA and Garuda Indonesia took second and third place in this category.

8. Garuda Indonesia

Indonesian flag carrier Garuda has won the B Cabin Service Award for the second consecutive year. The previous winner Asiana Airlines came in second in this category.

9.EVA Air

EVA Air was named one of the world's top 10 airlines in 2015, up from 12th the previous year. It was recognized as the cleanest airline in the world for the cleanest cabins, and the second place in this nomination went to Singapore Airlines. In the global assessment, EVA Air was ranked 9th, which is considered a huge success.

10 Qantas Airways

Rounding out the top ten airlines in the world is Qantas Airways, recognized as the best airline in Australia and the Pacific for the third year in a row. Qantas also won the top prize for Best Amenities and Comfort in Business Class, ahead of Qatar Airways. All this was achieved thanks to the modernization carried out over the past two years.

In connection with the increasing reports of aircraft crashes, especially low-cost airlines, many are seriously concerned about flight safety issues. Air transport is generally considered to be one of the safest modes of travel. To dispel fears and speculation, you can trust trusted carriers. The most reliable airlines in the world are included in the respective ratings.

The issue of safe flights is carefully studied not only by ordinary passengers, but also by major statistical agencies. The most authoritative airline reliability ratings are held by the German company Jacdec and the European Aviation Safety Agency, which publish lists of safe carriers based on research. When calculating the coefficients, the parameters for the past thirty years are taken into account. Other major international aviation organizations are also involved in safety auditing.

The calculation is made taking into account various indices with different specific weights. Thus, a recent accident will carry more weight than a catastrophe that occurred many years ago. The following parameters are taken into account when calculating:

1. The total number of passengers served.
2. The total number of victims of disasters.
3. The number of ships destroyed or lost.
4. number of breakdowns and emergency landings runway exit, etc.
5. Rating of the state-owner of the company: thoroughness and transparency of incident investigations.

The longer an airline operates without incident, the higher its position in the ranking. The safety index obtained as a result of calculations should be as small as possible, which will indicate the reliability of the company. Carriers with a high index are therefore less safe.

The safest airlines in the world

Cathay Pacific Airways topped the rankings for the second year in a row, according to various agencies.

For many years of its work, the company from Hong Kong has been a leader in the list of reliable carriers. For 30 years, the only incidents were hard landing ships at the airport and two terrorist act in airplanes. The airline safety index is 0.006.

The second position is occupied by Emirates with a safety index of 0.007. Over the years of activity, only two incidents have been associated with this company, in which passengers were not injured. The airlines cooperate with S7, operate regular and charter flights from many Russian cities.

In third place is the company Eva Air, located in Taiwan. There were no serious incidents in its activities, with the exception of a runway departure, a false report of a mined vessel and emergency landing due to poor health of one of the passengers. The safety index of Eva Air is 0.008. This airline not valid within Russia.

Safe airlines in Russia

Not all internationally recognized airlines operate in Russia. This, however, does not mean that there are no carriers in our country, the reliability of which should not be feared. A number of Russian enterprises have a safety index that does not exceed acceptable standards. Consider which airline in Russia is the most reliable.

In addition to the above parameters, the calculations take into account the punctuality of the carrier, age and general technical condition ships and their compliance with international documentation and standards. We list and consider the most reliable airlines in Russia.

According to EASA ratings, the leader Russian air transportation for 2017 became the company "Ural Airlines". Her rating is 0.24 points. The company is characterized by high reliability: for a period of 14 years, it has not had a single incident where there were victims.

The second place today is occupied by S7 Airlines, formerly referred to as "Siberia". Despite the aircraft fleet, which can be up to 20 years old, their technical condition does not cause concern for international commissions. In the early 2000s, the company fell on hard times when about 300 passengers died in crashes. Today, the flights of this carrier are distinguished by reliability and quality.

Aeroflot takes different positions depending on different data. In 2016, it was characterized by a safety index of 0.108 points and was included in the top 60 reliable global carriers, gaining a foothold in 36th place. This is a high figure, exceeding the parameters of many large foreign companies.

According to 2017 data, in Russia it is in third place and receives 0.38 points. In many ways, the assessment was influenced by the disasters that occurred back in the 1990s. Now the company is steadily updating its aircraft fleet and is characterized by reliability and high quality services.

Transaero was also previously included in the list of the top 60 companies in the world, ranking 17th with a rating of 0.024. To date, the airlines have ceased operations.

The Khanty-Mansiysk carrier UTair today is a large popular company whose aircraft fleet consists of young aircraft. It specializes in short regional flights. The latest major airline incident was the crash of a cargo helicopter.

Alternative safety ratings

In addition to the generally accepted safety index scoring systems, there are other company classifications provided by some agencies. So, British researchers study companies based on their punctuality, where one of the lines was occupied by the Russian S7 Airlines.

Skytrax has created a product called Quality Rating. The service is based on monthly calculations of company performance indicators and is constantly updated depending on the data received. The creators of the service emphasize that their calculations are not based on disaster data, since similar incidents may not be the fault of the airlines.

Under careful analysis here fall the parameters of compliance with safety standards by personnel and the availability of preparatory courses in case of an unforeseen situation. Agency experts visit companies to identify and rank. At the same time, carriers are assigned not marks or indices, but stars.

Five stars were awarded to seven companies, among which there are two enterprises included in the Jacdac and EASA ratings. These are Cathay Pacific Airways and Qatar Airways.

The list also includes Russian airlines. Thus, S7 Airlines and Aeroflot were awarded three stars in the rating, while Russia received two stars.

Probability and causes of disasters

The crash of the FlyDubai vessel in Russia caused quite a big resonance. After the incident, a number of sources claimed that the crash was caused by the neglect of flight safety measures. These data were not confirmed, however, there were no fewer questions for low-cost airlines.

It is worth noting that the rumors about the incompetence of low-cost pilots and outdated equipment are fundamentally wrong. The personnel and equipment of such companies comply with all international requirements, and the difference between such flights and standard flights lies in price and service.

In the world every year there is an increasing number of companies providing passenger and air cargo. There is a constant competition between them. Each air carrier strives to improve the quality of its service in order to attract as many customers as possible. Every year, various organizations, based on a survey of passengers or expert opinion, make an assessment and form the ratings of air carriers. The main evaluation criteria are the size of the carrier, the quality of service and safety.

First passenger airlines

The German company DELAG, founded in 1909, is the first passenger airline. The flights of this company were carried out on Zeppelin airships. The steward first appeared on board the airship LZ 10 Schwaben in 1911.

Fine famous company KLM, founded in 1919, is the most old airline. The oldest destination in the world is Amsterdam - London, completed on the De Havilland DH-16 airliner. At the same time, it is the very first route direction of KLM. This flight was first made by pilot Jerry Shaw and two journalists as passengers in 1920. Due to the open design of the cabins, passengers were given warm clothes and helmets. At the time, DH-16s were the highest quality airliners. Their speed developed up to 150 km / h, the duration of the flight to London was almost three hours *.

Note. Nowadays, more than 400 passenger seats, their speed develops up to 1000 km / h.

The most reliable airlines

The British company Skytrax, carrying out an annual assessment of airlines, in December conducted a study of more than 325 carriers, interviewing several million people from more than 100 nationalities. Based on the results of the evaluation, the best air carriers were awarded the World Airline Awards Skytra 2017. This is a very honorable award in the aviation industry, distinguished by the clarity of the evaluation method in determining the nominees.

Top 20 best air carriers 2017 according to Skytrax includes:

1. Qatar Airways;
2. Singapore Airlines;
3. ANA All Nippon Airways;
4. Emirates;
5. Cathay Pacific;
6. EVA Air;
7. Lufthansa;
8. Etihad Airways;
9. Hainan Airlines;
10. Garuda Indonesia;
11. Thai Airways;
12. Turkish Airlines;
13. Virgin Australia;
14. Swiss Int'l Air Lines;
15. Qantas Airways;
16. Japan Airlines;
17. Austrian;
18. Air France;
19. Air New Zealand;
20. Asia Airlines.

Top of the best low cost airlines 2017 according to Skytrax included:

1. AirAsia;
2. Norwegian;
3. jetBlue Airways;
4. easyJet;
5. Virgin America;
6. Jetstar Airways;
7. AirAsiaX;
8. Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras;
9. Southwest Airlines;
10. Indigo.

Flight safety

According to technical specifications and statistics, airliners are the most safe view transport.

Here are just a few facts about this air transport:

• an airliner flies in the air as confidently as a car drives along a highway, and a ship sails in the sea;
• all aircraft systems have duplicates, and some of them have up to 3 spare duplicates;
• a passenger aircraft is equipped with at least 2 engines, the probability of failure of all engines at the same time is almost zero;
• the engine costs several million dollars, therefore it is under special control, it is well serviced;
• all air crashes occur due to a combination of circumstances, and not because of one reason, each incident is thoroughly investigated to prevent its reoccurrence;
• Every year, the total passenger traffic increases by 10%, and the number of accidents decreases by 15%.

The safest airlines

One of the most effective methods for determining the safety of air travel is now considered the safety index used by Jacdec, a company specializing in audits. When calculating the index, it uses 8 parameters, including accidents, passenger traffic and the length of air travel over the past 3 decades, as well as the results of audits conducted by IOSA and ICAO. Of the air carriers of the Russian Federation in the list of Jacdec 2017, Aeroflot is in 37th place.

1. Cathay Pacific Airways;
2. Air New Zealand;
3. Hawaiian Airlines;
4. Qatar Airways;
5. EVA Air;
6. Emirates;
7. Etihad Airways;
8. Qantas;
9. Japan Airlines;
10. All Nippon Airways;
11. Lufthansa;
12. TAP Portugal;
13. Virgin Atlantic;
14. Delta Air Lines;
15. Air Canada;
16. JetBlue Airlines;
17. Virgin Australia;
18. british airways;
19. Air Berlin.

Airline service

The service provided by air carriers is divided into several levels.

The owners of the most expensive tickets are first-class passengers, respectively, they receive the greatest privileges: cozy place waiting for boarding, a more convenient check-in procedure and delivery to the airliner in a business class car or limousine, a wide range of menus, sometimes beds in separate compartments of the airliner, special care for flight attendants.

Similar privileges for business class passengers, including the right to change the date of departure without additional payment and a refund of 100% of the ticket price if necessary*. Business class is present on those flights where there is no first class.

Service and comfort in the most economical class differs from different airlines, but, at a minimum, includes a chair with a folding table and a pocket, soft and hot drinks.

Note. The difference between business and economy class for some carriers is only in the menu and courteous attitude towards passengers.

Which airline and aircraft to choose

To choose an air carrier and an airliner, before the upcoming flight, many people study various websites and ratings of the best airlines. These top lists change every year and are not completely identical across analytics sites. They are compiled on the basis of objective opinions of experts and feedback from passengers. The latter are polled, as a rule, through questionnaires on sites that track the rating of air carriers. The largest carriers in the world are evaluated using several criteria.

Airline and Aircraft Evaluation Criteria

700 or more criteria can be used to evaluate air carriers and aircraft.

The most important of them are:

• interior condition - sanitation, design, general impression;
• the comfort of the seats - how soft and spacious the seats are, are the head restraints comfortable, etc.;
• crew work - the manner of communication, the attractiveness and neatness of the form of flight attendants, the skill of pilots, which is especially evident during takeoffs and landings;
• check-in for the flight and boarding passengers on board - the efficiency and coordination of the work of the airline's employees during this procedure;
• food - variety and quality of food during the voyage;
• leisure activities - many airlines do not pay special attention entertainment of passengers during the flight, especially low-cost carriers;
• online services - ticket booking, electronic registration etc.

Rating of safe airlines in Russia (list 2017)

In total, there are 80 air carriers in Russia, including Ural Airlines ( Ural Airlines), Azur Air ("Azur Air"), Vim Avia ("Vim Avia") and others. The most famous among Russian airlines is Aeroflot (Aeroflot).

According to the results of the assessment by the Aviaport agency, conducted at the end of last year, the rating of Russian airlines in terms of flight reliability and safety 2017 was published. The assessment covered more than 20 carriers operating domestic flights in Russia. The evaluation compared the service of airlines on domestic and international routes.

1. "Aeroflot";
2. S7 Airlines;
3. "Russia";
4. "UTair";
5. "Ural Airlines";
6. "Victory";
7. "Globe";
8. Azura Air.

Which airlines are the most reliable in Russia according to passengers

Passenger opinion about Russian airlines can be found on the website https://www.tutu.ru/. This travel service invites passengers to rate their impression of the airline on a 10-point scale. Passengers leave their opinion the next day after the flight by filling out a questionnaire and writing a comment in any form. Thus, anyone visiting Tutu.ru can see the current rating of airlines based on the ratings of 10,000 passengers.

Top top airlines in Russia according to passengers*:

1. "Aeroflot";
2. S7 Airlines;
3. "Russia";
4. "Yamal";
5. "Nordavia";
6. "Ural Airlines";
7. "Yakutia";
8. "UTair";
9. "North wind";
10. "Victory".

The best in the opinion of passengers are Aeroflot, which scored 9.4 points, S7 Airlines with its own 9.2 points, Rossiya and Yamal, which received 9.1 points each from passengers, and Nordavia with 9 points.

After reviewing the ratings of the airline on various analytical sites and determining which of them are recognized as the best and safest according to experts and passengers in 2017, it will not be difficult to choose a reliable air carrier for travel.

Air travel safety is one of the most important factors. The reliability of an air carrier is determined by the absence of accidents during last years, passenger traffic, EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) certification and membership in international organizations IOSA and ICAO.

Last year, the domestic air carrier Transaero entered the top 20 world aviation leaders in terms of reliability and safety, and occupied the first position in the Russian rating. But in October 2015, the company ceased operations due to bankruptcy. For this reason, Transaero is not included in the TOP-10.

Russian Federation for Flight Reliability and Safety 2015 compiled according to EASA.

25 aircraft

» (ROSSIYA Airlines) - the domestic air carrier opens the top ten most safe airlines our country at the end of last year. Rossiya is part of the Aeroflot group of companies. In 2014, Rossiya took the fifth position in the ranking of the largest Russian airlines. In 2013, at the Wings of Russia ceremony, she was awarded the Best Passenger Carrier for Regional Destinations. The fleet size includes 25 aircraft. The average age of aircraft is 13 years.

20 aircraft

» (Nordwind Airlines) – charter airline, created by the largest tour operator PegasTouristik. It is engaged in the implementation of flights to holiday countries. In 2013 entered the top 10 Russian air carriers. In terms of safety and reliability, Nordwind Airlines did not enter the top 100 in the world ranking, but managed to maintain its position in the top ten in the domestic ranking. The air fleet consists of 20 aircraft. The average age of air transport is 14.1 years.

19 aircraft

"(ORENAIR Airlines) is a subsidiary of Aeroflot. At the end of 2013, the air carrier was awarded "Charter Passenger Carrier", "Airline of the Year - Passenger Sympathy" - 1st place, "Airline of the Year - Passenger Carrier for domestic airlines" - 3rd place. The air fleet consists of 19 Boening 737-800 and Boening 777-200 aircraft. The average age of transport is 10.8 years.

11 aircraft

» (Red Wings Airlines) - the only domestic air carrier in whose operation there are aircraft Russian production. The air fleet includes modern 6 Tu-204 aircraft developed at the plant of A.N. Tupolev, and 5 aircraft with the name Sukhoi Superjet 100, developed at the Yu.A. Gagarin. Average age air transport 6.6 years.

26 aircraft

« Aviation transport company "Yamal"» (YAMAL Airlines) is the main air carrier in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous region And Tyumen region. YAMAL Airlines was certified by IATA (International Air Transport Association) in 2013, confirming its reliability and safety of flights. In 2014, the company won three awards: "Best Airline of the Year - Domestic Passenger Carrier", "Airline of the Year - Helicopter Operator" and "Best Passenger Carrier on Regional Routes". The air carrier did not enter the first hundred of the world safety rating, but took 6th place in Russian ranking. The fleet includes 26 aircraft, the average age of which is 13.7 years.

13 aircraft

”(Globus) is one of the youngest airlines, formed on the basis of the Siberia ships (S7 Airlines). The company places particular emphasis on flight safety and reliability. To do this, the security system is regularly tested and constantly improved. Globus cooperates with many travel agencies. Making flights on tourist routes- the main activity of the air carrier. The Globus fleet consists of S7 Airlines aircraft and includes 13 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The average age of aircraft is 8.9 years.

68 aircraft

"" (UTair) is one of the largest Russian airlines, which is one of the five largest in terms of passenger traffic. Although UTair was not included in the top 100 safest carriers in the world, it took an honorable fourth place in the national rating. UTair was awarded in 2014 in the Best Passenger Carrier on Regional Routes nomination. Flight personnel regularly undergo advanced training. The fleet includes 68 aircraft and 145 helicopters. The average age of transport is 11.8 years.

58 aircraft

« Siberia Airlines» (S7 Airlines) is one of the three largest and safest airlines in Russia in 2015. S7 Airlines has won numerous competitions. In 2015, the air carrier received the National Geographic Traveler Awards 2015, winning in the Best Russian Airline nomination. Among the world's air carriers, Siberia took 94th place in the safety and reliability rating. Part air fleet includes Airbuses and Boeings, the total number of which is 58 units. The average service life of air transport is 9 years.

35 aircraft

(Ural Airlines) is one of the leading Russian airlines in terms of reliability and safety. In 2014, Ural Airlines was awarded a triple award in the nominations "Best Airline of the Year - Passenger Carrier on Domestic Airlines", "Best Airline of the Year on International scheduled airlines” and “Airline of the year - leader in the field of e-commerce. By volume passenger traffic the company took 6th place among Russian air carriers. The average service life of the aircraft fleet is 12.5 years. Fleet size per this moment is 35 air units. Ural Airlines has a gym, which is designed to train flight crews. Here, pilots are trained according to individual programs, improving their professional skills to improve safe flights. The gym owned by the air carrier is the only one in Russia. Only the best airlines, such as Emirates, Lufthanza and others, have such equipment in the world.

167 aircraft

(Aeroflot) - ranks first in terms of safety and reliability among Russian air carriers. At the end of 2015, he took the 35th position in terms of air safety in the world ranking of the independent German agency Jacdec. Aeroflot has also been repeatedly recognized as the best airline. of Eastern Europe. The fleet includes 167 aircraft. This is one of the youngest air parks in Europe and the world. The average age of aircraft is 4.5 years. During the Winter Olympic Games in 2014, Aeroflot became the official air carrier.

This week another Wings of Russia award was held, but we will not write about it now, because in it the airlines are evaluated by a special jury according to one criteria known to them. Quite another thing - reviews real passengers, which in the amount of 35 thousand pieces were collected by the Tutu.ru service. It turned out its own award with preference, courtesans and a slightly unexpected result.

An important feature of the rating was the impossibility of “winding it up”: only those who bought an air ticket and flew on it could vote, and not some bots that are usually present in any online voting. A similar rating was also published a year ago at the end of 2016, so it is interesting to compare the winners in dynamics.

The analysis involved 15 major airlines Russia, excluded from the rating Azur Air And Royal Flight- they were considered charter - as well as the Globus, because de facto it is S7.

Last year, Rossiya Airlines, Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Yamal and NordWind Airlines. In the new rating, the championship belongs to Aeroflot (9.11 points out of 10 possible), which displaced Rossiya to the second position (9.04 points). Also in the top three is S7 Airlines (8.87 points). Fourth place belongs to another representative of the Aeroflot group of companies - Aurora (8.83 points), fifth - to Yamal (8.71 points).

Passenger reviews, however, are very specific. So, Aeroflot is loved for "excellent service" and "comfortable flights" and "" is common words, more useful criteria are tasty food on long flights, gifts for children and travel kits. The National Guard is most often criticized for flight delays (he doesn’t know about this, but you won’t let passengers through, the passenger still considers cancellation with rebooking a delay, although it is not formally such) and tasteless sandwiches.

See the rest for yourself. We liked Utair's "new planes" (in fact, the airline's fleet is based on Boeing 737-500s from the mid-nineties) and all companies have the skill of pilots and. The Pobeda rating is also surprising: only VIM-Avia is lower. Low prices, new aircraft and the absence of delays do not outweigh the locked backrests and random distribution of seats in the cabin, as well as size restrictions hand luggage. But at the same time, the planes are flying around.