World’s Safest Airlines, Ranked

When it comes to airlines, we spend most of our time harping on the fact that they’re charging more for fewer amenities, running late or canceling flights, and lacking in customer service. But there’s another concern that should be top of mind: safety. Which airlines are best at delivering passengers to their destination without putting them at risk?

To answer that question, AirlineRatings.com conducts an annual review to determine the safest airlines in the world. The 98-year-old Australian-based company examines 385 airlines using different criteria, including fleet age, crash and serious incident record, and government audits. It even added a COVID-19 rating to its latest results.

Here, we share their list of the 20 major airlines and 10 low-cost airlines that get perfect scores for safety. And then, because things like customer service, amenities and reliability matter, too, we’ve ranked these safety-first airlines from worst to best based on their customer reviews. The airlines at the top of this list promise the best of everything: high-quality amenities, first-rate service and, most important of all, a safe ride.

Safety rating: 7/7

Number of serious crashes since 1970: 14

Worst crash: 271 killed in crash of 1979

*Serious crashes are defined as those in which there was at least one airline passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role, and where at least one of the dead passengers was not a stowaway, hijacker or saboteur.

Passenger rating: 2.2/10

Passengers love: First-rate frequent-flier program and ongoing efforts to improve

Sample good review: “Its frequent flyer program is miles ahead of the other U.S. carriers. Website and app are great. New hires are more enthusiastic and customer friendly. New planes are nice. I have had the occasional bad experience — most often due to weather. But on the whole, my opinion is largely positive.” (Michael)

Passengers hate: Poor customer service; frequent delays and cancellations 

Sample bad review: “Avoid American Airlines at all cost.” (Winifred)

Safety Rating: 7/7

Number of serious crashes since 1970: 11

Worst crash: 111 killed in crash of 1989

Passenger rating: 2.8/10

Customers love: Generally good reliability and food

Sample good review: “The food was great, giving you a lot of good-tasting stuff for a relatively low price.” (Dmitri)

Customers hate: Subpar cleanliness, comfort and service

Sample bad review: “I can’t express how much of a disappointment and annoyance came with choosing this airline to travel, from rude staff to horrible customer service all the way to dirty cabin and hungover crew. This was by far the worst airline I have ever encountered in around 40 flights I have taken in my life.” (Mike)