Skytrax honors Cathay Pacific as the world’s top airline

Airline passengers have spoken and selected Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways as 2014’s best airline and Singapore Airlines as the best first-class cabins, according to Skytrax Awards handed out Tuesday.

The awards, presented at the Farnborough International Airshow in Britain, are based on data gathered from more than 18 million customer passenger surveys from August 2013 to May 2014, a Skytrax statement says.

People from more than 105 countries weighed in on their travel experiences in the air and on the ground. No U.S. carriers ranked in the top 20 airlines for 2014.

Cathay Pacific, founded in 1946 by an American and an Australian, was selected as Skytrax’s No. 1 in 2003, 2005 and 2009. Other than the Hong Kong airline, carriers from Asia and the Middle East dominated the top 10:

2. Qatar Airways
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Emirates
5. Turkish Airlines
6. ANA All Nippon Airways
7. Garuda Indonesia
8. Asiana Airlines
9. Etihad Airways
10. Lufthansa

When it comes to premium class, Singapore Airlines was followed by ANA All Nippon Airways and Etihad Airways. AirAsia was named the best low-cost airline in the world, and Virgin America was deemed the best low-cost airline in the U.S.

Skytrax, which turned 25 this year, ranks airlines, airports and other air travel-related variables.

Info: Skytrax