best airlines in the world

Although British Airways didn't take home any superlatives at the award show, the airline cracked the top 20 list by putting in a solid performance. Skytrax reviewers gave BA consistent middle of the road ratings across the board for value, inflight entertainment, staff service, and seat comfort.

Thai Airways has long been an industry leader for quality service. So it's no surprise to find the Thai national carrier so high up on the list. Though its most heralded products are its business and first class services, fliers found their economy seats to be of high quality, as well. Economy fliers on Skytrax also noted the crew's friendly demeanor and delectable dining options. However, some customers found the lack of seat back mounted personal entertainment displays on some of the fleet's older Airbus and Boeing jets to be disappointing.

Dragonair is Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific's regional subsidiary and is the only regional airline to crack the top 20. In fact, Skytrax named Dragonair the World's Best Regional Airline

Air New Zealand achieved an impressive feat at the 2015 World Airline Awards. The Kiwi airline swept the awards the for premium economy

As the biggest airline in billionaire Richard Branson's portfolio of Virgin brands, Virgin Australia has experienced massive growth in the Asia Pacific market since its founding in 2000. In typical Virgin fashion, the airline's fleet of long haul Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 jets come with interior mood lighting and feature a state of the art 9 inch touchscreen entertainment system.

Air Frances 10 place improvement over the past year earned the airline the honor of being named the Worlds Most Improved Airline. Although the carrier has suffered through a series of labor and financial issues, the company has rolled out an impressive lineup of new product offerings. This includes the highly impressive new La Premiere first class suites.

Swiss International Air Lines emerged in 2002 from the remnants of the now defunct Swissair and is now a member of the Lufthansa corporate family. The Basel based airline employs a relatively young fleet of Airbus A330 300 and A340 300 wide body jets for long haul routes. Though some fliers found economy seat comfort to be lacking, most praised the cabin crew for its friendly service and the airline for its wide assortment of complementary adult beverages.

Though the Lufthansa owned airline has had to work its way through a series of labor disputes, its high level of service seems to have remained intact. The Austrian flag carrier boasts a fleet of newly renovated long haul Boeing 767 300ER and 777 200 jets flying out of its Vienna base. Economy fliers gave the Star Alliance member high marks for its efficient and effective service, as well as the wealth of on board dining and entertainment options.

Europes largest airline has undergone significant budget cuts in recent years, but its service and overall quality is still exceptional. In fact, Lufthansa comes close to the top of the list by receiving solid if not spectacular scores across the board. For the most part, Lufthansas long haul service is very good, but, for the best results, it would be wise to aim for the fleets newer A380 superjumbos and 748 8 Intercontinentals.

For the second year in a row, South Koreas Asiana takes the top prize for Best Economy Class and Best Economy Class Catering. Skytrax reviewers gave the Seoul based airline full marks for its staff service. Asiana currently operates a fleet of relatively new Airbus and Boeing jets.