As the holiday travel season approaches, a new report has ranked the world’s best airlines based on factors such as customer service and reliability. Interestingly, no American airlines made it into the top ten.
AirHelp, an organization dedicated to informing passengers of their rights and assisting them in obtaining compensation when faced with issues, released its list of the best airlines for 2025 on Tuesday, November 18.
The ranking was determined by factors such as on-time performance, customer ratings, and handling of flight delays and cancellations. Each airline was given an AirHelp score based on these criteria.
Analyzing data from airlines and passenger surveys from October 2024 to September 2025, the annual ranking aims to provide travelers with valuable information to help them plan their air travels more effectively.
According to the 2025 list, the top three airlines globally are Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, and Virgin Atlantic, all of which excelled in all three analyzed categories.
Qatar Airways reclaimed the top spot, becoming AirHelp’s best global airline. The airline, headquartered in Doha, had previously held the title for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2023 but slipped to second place in 2024.
CEO Tomasz Pawliszyn of AirHelp noted that Qatar Airways excelled particularly in customer ratings this year, attributing their success to this aspect.
Last year’s top airline, Brussels Airlines, fell to ninth place in 2025. Pawliszyn explained that Brussels Airlines saw a decline in compensation handling and on-time performance, allowing Qatar Airways to reclaim the top spot and providing opportunities for other airlines to enter the top ten.
The airlines ranking in the top ten globally in 2025 come from North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. The best-performing American airline, American Airlines, ranked 11th in AirHelp’s global ranking.
While United Airlines and Delta Airlines ranked higher than American Airlines in on-time performance and customer ratings, American Airlines outperformed them in handling compensation claims, according to AirHelp’s data.
Eight American airlines made it onto AirHelp’s list of the top 100 airlines globally.
Taiwan’s EVA Airways ranked 34th, while China Airlines ranked 69th in the global ranking.
Here is AirHelp’s list of the best airlines globally:
1. Qatar Airways – AirHelp Score: 8.16
2. Etihad Airways – AirHelp Score: 8.07
3. Virgin Atlantic – AirHelp Score: 8.03
4. Qantas – AirHelp Score: 7.99
5. KM Malta Airlines – AirHelp Score: 7.85
6. Aeromexico – AirHelp Score: 7.84
7. Oman Air – AirHelp Score: 7.82
8. Saudia – AirHelp Score: 7.69
9. Brussels Airlines – AirHelp Score: 7.66
10. LOT Polish Airlines – AirHelp Score: 7.65
Here is the overall ranking of the major U.S. airlines by AirHelp:
American Airlines – (Global Rank: 11; AirHelp Score: 7.64)
United Airlines – (Global Rank: 13; AirHelp Score: 7.54)
Delta Airlines – (Global Rank: 15; AirHelp Score: 7.46)
Frontier Airlines – (Global Rank: 36; AirHelp Score: 7.07)
Hawaiian Airlines – (Global Rank: 50; AirHelp Score: 6.73)
Southwest Airlines – (Global Rank: 52; AirHelp Score: 6.68)
Alaska Airlines – (Global Rank: 76; AirHelp Score: 5.95)
JetBlue Airways – (Global Rank: 89; AirHelp Score: 5.31)