SIA ranked 3rd, Scoot 5th in World’s Best Airlines 2026 in their categories

SINGAPORE – National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has placed third in the World’s Best Full-Service Airlines ranking for 2026 by AirlineRatings.com, an airline safety and product rating website.

It ranked behind Doha-based Qatar Airways in first place and Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific in second place. 

Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of SIA, came in fifth in the World’s Best Low Cost Carriers ranking for 2026, behind competitors HK Express, Jetstar, AirAsia and AirBaltic. 

In 2025, SIA was ranked No. 5 and Scoot No. 8 in their respective categories.

AirlineRatings.com has been releasing its World’s Best Airlines ranking annually since 2014, and assessed around 370 airlines for its 2026 list. 

SIA has appeared on its list of the best full-service airlines every year since 2014 and topped the list once, in 2019. 

Scoot has made the list of the best low-cost carriers almost every year since the rankings’ inception. It was named Best Low-Cost Airline in the Asia-Pacific region from 2015 to 2018. 

Speaking to The Straits Times, Ms Sharon Petersen, the Perth-based chief executive of AirlineRatings.com, says all airlines are evaluated by airline experts and reviewers, as well as her global team.

“Our rankings are based on measurable factors such as seat pitch, availability of amenities like blankets and pillows, and menu choices. We work collaboratively with airline experts around the world to better assess things like customer service and in-flight service,” she adds. 

Unlike the website’s annual rankings of the World’s Safest Airlines – published in January for 2026 – which focus on safety, the World’s Best Airlines rankings are judged based on passenger-facing criteria such as comfort, choice, product consistency and value across an airline’s route network.

In 2025, Ms Petersen introduced a new category called Best Hybrid Airlines, recognising the carriers that adopt both full-service and low-cost carrier operating models, based on considerations like flight duration. 

These airlines typically offer buy-on-board meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages on short- to medium-haul routes, but retain a full-service economy product and enhanced business class – including lie-flat beds and suites – on longer flights. 

“It’s important to recognise this category because low-cost carriers have placed so much pressure, in terms of cost, on full-service airlines that these airlines have had no choice but to operate differently to remain competitive,” says Ms Petersen. She adds that hybrid airlines are more common in Europe and the Americas. 

The top three carriers on the 2026 list of the World’s Best Hybrid Airlines are Lufthansa, Canadian airline WestJet and Virgin Australia.

Ms Petersen says: “I want to further push the message that we’ve got three types of airlines and to help the public make an informed decision about the airline they are flying, so their expectations of the on-board product are not ill-advised.”

SIA also ranked highly in other categories, topping the World’s Best First Class list and placing second in World’s Best Economy Class, behind Air New Zealand. Changi Airport was named World’s Best Airport. 

These results come ahead of another closely watched industry benchmark due later in 2026: the World Airline Awards by London-based international air transport rating organisation Skytrax, typically announced in June. 

In 2025, Skytrax named Qatar Airways the World’s Best Airline, followed by SIA in second place and Cathay Pacific in third. 

Top 10 full-service airlines for 2026 

1. Qatar Airways 
2. Cathay Pacific 
3. Singapore Airlines 
4. Korean Air
5. Starlux Airlines 
6. Japan Airlines 
7. Turkish Airlines 
8. Emirates
9. Air New Zealand 
10. Etihad Airways

Top 10 low-cost carriers for 2026 

1. HK Express
2. Jetstar
3. AirAsia
4. AirBaltic
5. Scoot
6. Flynas 
7. Breeze Airways 
8. EasyJet 
9. Wizz Air
10. Vietjet