Passengers Pick the World’s Most Pleasant Airlines for 2026

APEX, the airline experience ranking group, has announced its 2026 Awards based on passenger ratings collected through the TripIt travel app. Travelers scored flights on a five-star scale, and APEX said the results reflect independent feedback from more than one million flights across nearly 600 airlines worldwide. As in previous years, there was no single “best airline in the world,” only winners in categories such as service, entertainment, food and drinks, seat comfort, and Wi-Fi.

Among the global winners, Korean Air was named best for service, Emirates took the entertainment award, Qatar Airways won for food and drinks, EVA Air was judged best for seat comfort, and Delta Air Lines received the Wi-Fi award. In regional rankings, Virgin Atlantic was named Europe’s best airline overall. KLM won for service in Europe, Turkish Airlines for entertainment and food, Finnair for seat comfort, and AirBaltic for Wi-Fi.

In the Middle East, Emirates was chosen as the region’s best airline, while Saudia won for service, Etihad Airways for food and drinks, Oman Air for seat comfort, and Qatar Airways for Wi-Fi. In North America, Air Mexico caused a surprise by winning Best Global Airline, which APEX said was the first time a non-American carrier had won that regional title. Breeze Airways was named Best Major Airline, Southwest Airlines won best low-cost carrier, and JSX was selected as the top regional airline.

APEX also listed regional leaders: Singapore Airlines in East Asia, EVA Air in Greater China, Air Astana in Central and South Asia, Air New Zealand in the South Pacific, Ethiopian Airlines in Africa, Azul in South America, and Air Mexico in North America. No Israeli airline appeared on APEX’s winners list this year.