It’s our first Expat summer since moving to the Middle East. As a result of the ‘hotter than hell’ summer months, it is a necessity that all Expats evacuate. And so we did, for a month. Our month of travelling is almost over but in the past 4 weeks we have been on 5 flights, visited 4 airports and 4 different countries. As such we also experienced the hospitality of many different airlines through our travels. In fact, we have experienced many more airline services through this year.
When you travel often enough, you experience really good flights and really crappy ones. However sometimes the really crappy flights can be avoided by choosing a better airline. That being said, budget, dates and flight paths all factor in to choosing the best available airline for your travels. Recently I made the mistake of booking with an airline I knew had a bad reputation for service. I can’t tell you what my other choices could have been at the time of booking but I wish I had went with a better airline. It definitely would’ve been worth the extra cash to have more elbow room, friendlier flight attendants and flights that actually left on time!
How do you pick the best airline?
What factors do you consider when choosing an airline? For me, there are 3 things I factor in. 1) cost 2) previous experiences with airlines and 3) recent media coverage. Little did I know that airlines actually do get rated and reviewed by passengers to receive a Skytrax award. The best part is that we as passengers, can contribute to this survey! I couldn’t find the breakdown of categories airlines were evaluated on but I’d be interested to know more. Looking at the list for the top 10 airlines for 2016, a lot of my favourites are on there. However there are also a lot of surprises. Check out the list here (top 100 available on this list).
My top 5 favourites.
So here’s my top 5 favourites for airlines these days.
- Qatar airways (you’ll really appreciate their hospitality, space and I dare you to go hungry on their flights)
- Qantas airways
- British airways
- Bangkok airways
- Easyjet
What have I based my opinion on? Food on flight, flight attendant hospitality, ease of checking in, in-flight service (eg movies), punctuality are probably the most pertinent things I rate them on.
And on my hitlist:
- Air transat (click here to read more)
- Malaysian airlines
Yup, just the two. And my decisions have been based bad experiences, delays and bad press!
So what I’d like to find out from you lot out there is what your favourite airlines are or ones to avoid. Because, let’s face it, we can’t always afford to fly within the top 10 best airlines all the time!
Send me your thoughts below. Do you agree or disagree with the list?
I loved Qatar Airways most of the time. Pegasus airways is on my hit list. Air Canada from London to Doha was terrible, but I had a good experience from Vancouver to Toronto and Toronto to Bogota. Didn’t love Avianca. Gulf air is good, Stay away from any and all flights that connect in China if you want to leave on time (LOL). Although China Southern’s international flight from Guangzhou to Vancouver was very nice. Any flight I ever took in the Philippines was delayed….I think that is all the comments I have to offer!!
Thanks for the tips Denise! Yeah Air Canada can be hit and miss but I think other airlines have topped the list. I have to ask… What happened with Pegasus airways?