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TODAY IN THE SKY
Today in the Sky

And the world's new No.1 airline for 2017 is ...

 

Qatar Airways was tabbed as the world's best airline in 2017, according to the annual World Airline Awards published by Skytrax.

Qatar’s title continues a back-and-forth battle for No. 1 between it and Gulf rival Emirates, also known for its high-end service and luxurious premium cabins. Emirates finished atop Skytrax’s World Airline Awards last year, when it took the top spot back from Qatar Airways.

This year, Emirates dropped to No. 4, placing behind No. 2 Singapore Airlines and No. 3 All Nippon Airways (ANA). Cathay Pacific rounded out the top five of the ratings, which were announced Tuesday on the sidelines of the biennial Paris Air Show.

For Qatar Airways, the award comes as a bright spot during what's otherwise been a difficult period for the carrier. The Doha-based airline is one of those affected by a U.S. ban on large carry-on electronics, putting it at a passenger-experience disadvantage against competitors unaffected by the ban.

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And a diplomatic spat between Qatar and nearby Middle East nations has forced it to scrap flights to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Also vexing for Qatar Airways is that those nations have closed off their airspaces to flights from Qatar. That's forced many flights from Doha -- where Qatar Airways operates a major hub -- to take circuitous routings to avoid the restrictions.

In North America, Air Canada took the title for “Best Airline in North America.” Overall, the carrier placed 29th in the global ratings.

Delta was the top ranked U.S. carrier in the World Airline Awards, placing 32nd overall. Virgin America, which had the highest rating among U.S. carriers in 2016, dropped 18 spots to No. 43. That made it fourth among U.S. carriers in the ratings, trailing Delta, Alaska Airlines (No. 36 globally) and JetBlue (No. 39). Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in a deal that closed late last year, kicking off a merger that will eventually have both carriers flying under the Alaska Airlines brand.

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The Skytrax awards are one of several annual consumer-focused rankings covering the airline industry. Travel + Leisure magazine’s ratings are due out later this summer, when the magazine will reveal if Singapore Airlines has retained its title as the world's top carrier in that list. Emirates was the runner-up in those ratings while Qatar Airways placed third.

In May, Southwest and JetBlue each won their respective airline categories in the annual J.D. Power customer service satisfaction survey of North American carriers. A month before that, Alaska Airlines edged out Delta for the top spot in another ranking – this one the 2017 Airline Quality Rating report.

TODAY IN THE SKY: Alaska Air begins merger with Virgin America, promises 'more to love'Virgin America name will be phased out in favor of Alaska Air, 'likely' in 2019 (story continues below)

 

As for the Skytrax awards, the win was the fourth overall title for Qatar Airways since the ratings launched in 1999.

Skytrax, which explains its rankings methodology here, bills its World Airline Awards as “the world’s largest, annual airline passenger satisfaction survey.” The group says 19.87 million eligible survey entries were counted in the final 2017 results. The survey period stretched from August 2016 through May 2017 and included participation from travelers of 105 nationalities. More than 325 airlines were included in the survey.

The top 25 of the Skytrax rankings were:

1. Qatar Airways (MOREScenes from Qatar Airways' Airbus A350 delivery flight)

2. Singapore Airlines (MORESingapore Airlines takes delivery of luxurious new 777
Singapore Airlines shows off its swanky new Airbus A350 in France)

3. All Nippon Airways (ANA) (MOREANA now flying passengers in planes painted like Star Wars droidsANA will paint Airbus A380 like a giant sea turtle)

4. Emirates (MOREEmirates shows off its Airbus A380 superjumbo at Washington Dulles)

5. Cathay Pacific

6. EVA Air (MORETrip report and photo tour: Inside EVA's Hello Kitty plane |    
EVA Air's Hello Kitty-themed Boeing 777s now flying to Houston
Behind the scenes at a EVA's attendant training center) rankings continue below

 

7. Lufthansa (MORE: Boeing's 1,500th 747: 'Not your mother's jumbo jet')

8. Etihad Airways (MORE: Luxury wars: Etihad rolls out bed-and-bath airline suites)

9. Hainan Airlines

10. Garuda Indonesia

11. Thai Airways

12. Turkish Airlines (MORE: Turkish Airlines opens swanky frequent-flier lounge at Dulles airport)

13. Virgin Australia

14. Swiss International Air Lines (MORESwiss Airlines' 'flagship' Boeing 777 now flying to New YorkSwiss Air Lines reveals cabin, plans for its new Boeing 777-300ERs)

15. Qantas Airways (MOREQantas debuts giant Airbus A380 on Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth flightsFinally, a direct flight from Europe to Australia. Just 17 hours)

16. Japan Airlines (JAL)

17. Austrian Airlines

18. Air France

19. Air New Zealand

20. Asiana Airlines

21. Bangkok Airways

22. KLM (MOREKLM's Dreamliners are now flying to the USAKLM gives sneak-peek of its Boeing 787 'Dreamliner')

23. China Southern

24. Hong Kong Airlines

25. Finnair

 

Skytrax, a U.K.-based travel consultancy that runs what it calls the "world's largest review site," determines the winners of its annual World Airline Awards from reviews by more than 18 million passengers that represent more than 100 countries. At No. 1 for 2017:  Qatar Airways

 

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