The Skytrax World Airline Awards rankings are out for 2013. Full of caveats obviously, although I personally tend to find them "directionally correct". An airline that ranks 3rd in a category may not be better than #4 and/or less good than #2, but it can safely be assumed that it is in the top dozen. Similarly an airline ranking #30 is not a top airline.
As in past years the Far Eastern and GCC3 airlines dominated most rankings.
Selected results:
- Best airline in the world: Emirates, Qatar, Singapore. Only non-Far East/GCC are Turkish (9) and Qantas (10). Unexpected: Garuda (8)
- KLM is 37, Air France is on 40.
- Other selected large European legacy carriers: Lufthansa (11), Swiss (16), British Airways (27), SAS (54), Alitalia (70), Iberia (92)
- Best alliance: oneworld, Star Alliance, skyteam
- Best European airline (the full top 10): Turkish, Luthansa, Swiss, British Airways, Aegean, Austrian, Finnair, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Air France
- Best trans-Atlantic: Lufthansa, Swiss, British Airways, KLM, Air France
- Best airport services: the top 9 come from the Far East! No GCC. Lufthansa on 10
- Best First Class: Etihad, ANA, Emirates; only non-FarEast/GCC are Lufthansa (5) and Qantas (6)
- Best Business Class: Qatar, Oman, Singapore; only non-FarEast/GCC are Swiss (6), Qantas (7) and Turkish (10)
- Best Premium Economy: Air New Zealand, Qantas, Turkish; more Europeans in the top 10: British Airways (4), Air France (9), Virgin Atlantic (10)
- Best First Class Lounge: Lufthansa, Qantas, Qatar. Only other non-Far East/GCC is British Airways (4)
- Best Business Class Lounge: Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic. British Airways on 4, Qantas on 5, Turkish on 10, the rest are Far East or GCC
Top 1 positions for major European airlines in categories where they compete with non-Europeans
Lufthansa - 2
Thomson - 1
Turkish - 1
Top 1 position in categories played out among European carriers, including all the regional winners (Southern Europe, Western Europe, etc)
Turkish - 2
Aegean - 1
Aeroflot - 1
Finnair - 1
KLM - 1
Lufthansa - 1
Norwegian - 1
Note:
Air France - 0
Alitalia - 0
Austrian - 0
British Airways - 0
Iberia - 0
SAS - 0
Swiss - 0