British Airways is officially the best airline in Europe

Airports aren’t among most people’s favourite places to be, so it means a lot when an airline goes that extra (air) mile to make travelling a little bit more pleasant. But how do you know which airline is best? That’s where AirlineRatings.com comes in. For its 2026 Flyers’ Choice Awards, the website sifted through passenger feedback to determine which carrier left them on cloud nine.

And in Europe, a clear winner has emerged: good old British Airways soared to the top of the list for the second year in a row. AirlineRatings.com described the result as ‘particularly impressive in a region with such a diverse mix of airlines, from traditional flag carriers to the low-cost giants that carry millions of passengers every year’.

Lufthansa cruised to second place in the category, while KLM landed at number three. 

On the whole, Singapore Airlines was the ‘big winner’ (as AirlineRatings.com put it), coming out on top in four categories: Preferred Economy Airline, Best Cabin Crew Service, Best Airline in Central and South East Asia and the Airline That Gave the Greatest Peace of Mind. 

Here’s the full breakdown of results in the 2026 Flyers’ Choice Awards:

USA/Canada

1. Delta Air Lines
2. United
3. American Airlines

UK/Europe

1. British Airways
2. Lufthansa
3. KLM 

Middle East and Africa

1. Emirates
2. Qatar Airways
3. Etihad Airways

Australia and Pacific

1. Qantas
2. Air New Zealand
3. Virgin Australia

North East Asia

1. Cathay Pacific
2. Japan Airlines
3. ANA 

Central and South East Asia

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Vietnam Airlines
3. Philippine Airlines

South and Central America

1. LATAM
2. Avianca
3. Aeroméxico

AirlineRatings.com also runs the World’s Safest Airlines and World’s Best Airline awards, though these are ranked by the website’s experts using ‘strict and measurable criteria’ rather than relying on passenger feedback. 

AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen said: ‘We are incredibly fortunate to live in a world where travellers have so many airlines delivering safe, reliable and reassuring experiences. The continued strength of brands like Singapore Airlines and Qantas in the Peace of Mind category is a real credit to the trust they have built with passengers over many years.

‘Confidence in an airline is earned over time, and these results demonstrate the value of that consistency.’

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