This Is the Best Airline to Fly Long-Haul

When you’re booking flights, there’s a lot of things to consider. Which airline is best? Do you want to pay extra to book a seat? Are you allowed a checked bag? Is a 32-hour flight with 3+ stops REALLY the best option, even if it will save you a few quid?

Well, when it comes to that first question, there is an answer – because consumer choice brand Which? have revealed the results of a survey ranking long-haul airlines… and the results are in.

*drum roll please* 

Sitting pretty with a solid 88% at the number 1 spot is Singapore Airlines, followed by Emirates with 82%, and Qatar Airways with 78%.

Anybody else sensing a trend, here?

Respondents were asked to rank airlines across a number of categories, including value for money, customer service, seat comfort and punctuality (aka: will you be delayed for hours and hours and hours until you actually lose my mind?).

The list is as follows:

Singapore Airlines - 88%

Emirates - 82%

Qatar Airways - 78%

Cathay Pacific - 75%

Virgin - 71%

Malaysia Airlines - 69%

KLM - 66%

Delta - 65%

Etihad - 65%

South African Airways - 59%

Air Transat - 56%

Thomas Cook - 56%

Thomson - 56%

Air Canada - 50%

BA - 50%

American Airlines - 46%

United - 39%

It's not a huge surprise to see United bringing up the rear with a pretty low score of 39%, following a year that included several PR disasters - including an infamous video of a doctor being dragged off of an overbooked plane because he refused to give up his seat. 

British Airways also suffered, dropping 10 points from the previous year, specifically in the customer service rankings. ​

Rory Boland, Which? travel editor, told the Telegraph: “Passengers are telling us that there are many different ways to be a great airline, but providing great service at an acceptable price is a must have.”

“BA’s poor customer satisfaction shows it clearly needs to step up its game in a year that has been beset with problems. From the food and drink on offer, to the poor value for money of the journey itself, the airline has a lot of work to do to improve the experience that passengers associate with the airline.”

Well then.

By Lizzie Cox