Smiling service,  snacks, and a great movie selection: these small things make hours spent on a plane just a little more bearable. But the experience can vary wildly depending on which carrier you pick. 

So which airline should you choose for the best in-flight experience?

This week, ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry’ revealed the best airlines of 2024.

Created by UK-based airline rating organisation Skytrax, the World Airline Awards drew on surveys from more than 21 million passengers in 100 countries flying with more than 350 different airlines.

Three European airlines made it into the top 10 – though the winning spots were dominated by Middle Eastern and Asian carriers.

What is the best airline to fly with in 2024?

Narrowly knocking Singapore Airlines off the top spot, Qatar Airways is the Airline of the Year 2024. It’s the eighth time Qatar’s flag carrier has been granted first place in the 25-year history of the awards.

Passengers love the Middle Eastern airline for its comfort, tasty food, up-to-date entertainment, warm service and modern fleet of aircraft. 

The airline’s wide reach, covering 341 airports across Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America and South America, means flights are readily available to many global destinations. 

As well as receiving the overall crown, Qatar Airways won accolades for the World’s Best Business Class, the World’s Best Business Class Lounge and the Best Airline in the Middle East.

What are the best European airlines to fly with?

No European airlines made the top five, which consisted of Singapore Airlines in close second place followed by the UAE’s Emirates, Japan’s ANA All Nippon Airways and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific – which also won World’s Cleanest Airline.

East Asian and Middle Eastern airlines also made an appearance in the top 10, with Japan Airlines in sixth place and Taiwan’s EVA Air in eighth place.

Turkish Airlines ranked in seventh place, making it the Best Airline in Europe. Flying to over 300 destinations – among the most of any airline in the world – it was also recognised for its food with the Best Business Class Catering award.

The Air France-KLM Group took ninth place, making it one of the leading European airport groups. Air France also won awards for the World’s Best First Class Catering, the Best First Class Lounge Dining (at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport) and the Best Airline in Western Europe.

Swiss International Air Lines rounded out the top 10, also earning second place for the World’s Best First Class Lounge at the busy Zurich airport.

Although no North American airlines made it into the top 10, Delta Air Lines was declared the best airline in the region thanks to its attentive staff.

What are the best budget airlines in 2024?

Looking for low prices and great service? Skytrax also ranked the best budget airlines for 2024, with European carriers making up an impressive six of the top 10.

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia came out on top for the 14th year in a row, followed by Singapore’s Scoot, Spain’s Volotea, Saudi’s Flynas and France’s Transavia.

Also in the top 10 were India’s IndiGo, Spain’s Vueling, Latvia’s airBaltic, Spain’s Iberia Express and Ireland’s Ryanair, with eastJet narrowly missing out in 11th place.