Updated: February 2020
Looking to fly on the safest airlines possible? Here’s a look at the top 20 safest airlines in the world as compiled by AirlineRatings.com.
What are the world’s safest airlines, and how can you and your company’s travelers take advantage of them?
According to AirlineRatings.com, the world’s safest airline in 2020 is Qantas a repeat winner and the largest and most prominent Australian carrier. The site, which monitors 405 airlines around the world, announced Qantas along with 19 others as its top 20 safest airlines in the world.
Global travel is safer today than it has ever been before. Still, not all airlines are equal safety-wise, and your company has the opportunity to seek out safer carriers when team members work in other parts of the country or world.
To learn more about these safe airline options, check out the criteria and full list below.
AirlineRatings.com’s Criteria for Safe Airlines
AirlineRatings.com is the only site in the world that monitors and rates the safety of individual airlines. It uses a scientific approach to generate its rankings, including the following criteria:
- Audits by government and industry regulators
- Crash and serious incident records
- Profitability
- Safety initiatives
- Fleet age
Competition is fierce to be listed among the safest airlines in the world, which means that a slight change in one of the criteria listed above can force an airline off the list.
For example, Japan Airlines was left off the top 20 in 2019 because one of its pilots was discovered to be intoxicated while at London’s Heathrow Airport. Etihad Airways, the second largest carrier in the United Arab Emirates, was left off the 2019 list in part because of its heavy financial losses. As you can see below, Etihad is back on the list at No. 4 after a stronger year.
Qantas and the Top 20 Safest Airlines in the World
Editors from AirlineRatings.com noted that Qantas has never experienced a fatality in the jet era, and the airline has also “been the lead airline in virtually every major operational safety advancement over the past 60 years.” For those reasons (and others), Qantas was an obvious choice as the world’s safest airlines.
Here’s a look at the full list of the world’s safest airlines for 2020:
- Qantas
- Air New Zealand
- EVA Air
- Etihad
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Alaska Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Virgin Australia
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic Airlines
- TAP Portugal
- SAS
- Royal Jordanian
- Swiss
- Finnair
- Lufthansa
- Aer Lingus
- KLM
AirlineRatings.com also provides a top 10 list of the safest “budget” airlines in the world. Here’s a look at the safest airlines in the budget category (in alphabetical order):
- Air Arabia
- Flybe
- Frontier
- HK Express
- IndiGo
- Jetblue
- Volaris
- Vueling
- Westjet
- Wizz
Of course, different publications and government agencies rank airlines by more than just their safety records. Just one example: The U.S. Department of Transportation ranks the best and worst airlines for overbooking.
What Should This List Mean for Your Company?
The term “risk management” should be top-of-mind for any executive at a company whose team members often engage in global travel. When your employees are working away from the office, there is immense liability linked to their travel — and risk management is how you limit that liability.
The difference between an airline among the top 20 safest in the world and an airline not included in the top group may seem marginal. But, still, it may be worth paying slightly higher rates to fly safer airlines. Not only do you limit liability, but the newer fleets among the top 20 safest airlines might help reduce travel disruptions and delayed meetings/presentations.
Get Support for Your Business Travel Needs
Global travel can be complex and difficult to manage for companies large and small. At JTB Business Travel, we are the comprehensive corporate travel agency that uses a common sense approach when making recommendations and delivering services. We can help your team members secure the safest flights possible, and we can also help your business maximize the return on its investment in business travel.
Get in touch today and learn more about how we can support your business travel needs.
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