Which airline offers the world’s best service? Who serves the best food in the sky? And which carrier was named the best airline in Europe?
APEX, which ranks the passenger flight experience, has released its 2026 airline award winners, based on traveler ratings across categories including service, entertainment, food and beverages, seat comfort and Wi-Fi.
Unlike some other aviation rankings, APEX did not name a single “best airline in the world.” Instead, it selected winners across global and regional categories, reflecting different parts of the passenger experience.
The awards are based on ratings collected through TripIt, a travel-planning app, where passengers rate their flights on a five-star scale. According to APEX, the rankings are based on independent passenger feedback from more than 1 million flights on nearly 600 airlines worldwide.
Global winners
Best service: Korean Air
Best entertainment: Emirates
Best food and beverages: Qatar Airways
Best seat comfort: EVA Air
Best Wi-Fi: Delta Air Lines
Regional winners
In Europe, Virgin Atlantic was named the region’s best airline. KLM won for service, Turkish Airlines took the awards for entertainment and food, Finnair was recognized for seat comfort and airBaltic won for Wi-Fi.
In the Middle East, Emirates was named the best airline in the region. Saudia won for service, Etihad Airways was recognized for food and beverages, Oman Air won for seat comfort and Qatar Airways took the Wi-Fi award.
North America produced one of the more notable results, with Aeromexico named Best Global Airline. According to APEX, it was the first time a non-U.S. carrier won that title in the region.
Other North American winners included Breeze Airways as Best Major Airline, Southwest Airlines as Best Low-Cost Carrier, and JSX as the leading regional airline.
Top airlines by region
Europe: Virgin Atlantic
Middle East: Emirates
East Asia: Singapore Airlines
Greater China: EVA Air
Central and South Asia: Air Astana
South Pacific: Air New Zealand
Africa: Ethiopian Airlines
South America: Azul
North America: Aeromexico
As in previous years, no Israeli airline appeared among the APEX award winners.