Last year was deadly for aviation with 268 fatalities.
AirlineRatings.com has analyzed the top airlines worldwide based on safety standards, and only one U.S. carrier made it into the top 10—Alaska Airlines. This comes despite a serious incident last January when a door plug blew off mid-flight from an Alaska Airlines plane, sparking industry-wide reactions. In the budget airline category, Frontier Airlines ranked fifth, while Southwest Airlines came in ninth.
The safest airline in the world, however, is Air New Zealand. Australia-based Qantas took second place, with just 1.5 points separating the two neighboring countries. “Whilst both airlines uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training, Air New Zealand continues to have a younger fleet than Qantas, which separates the two,” said Sharon Petersen, CEO of Airline Ratings. Both airlines have consistently battled for these top spots.
A three-way tie for third place occurred between Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates. All three scored equally in fleet age, pilot skill, safety practices, and incident rates. As for U.S. airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and American Airlines ranked 12th and 13th, respectively, while Delta (21st place) and United Airlines (23rd place) also made the list, though at the bottom.
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In a separate list of the 25 safest low-cost airlines, Hong Kong Express took the top spot. The airline has not had any major accidents and maintains a strong safety record, according to AirlineRatings.com. Spirit Airlines, however, was excluded from the list due to filing for bankruptcy in 2024. Any airline found financially unstable, involved in a crash, or failing its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification is automatically disqualified from consideration.
How Are the Rankings Calculated?
Airlines are scored based on several factors, including fleet age, fleet size, fatalities, incident rates, profitability, IOSA certification, pilot training and skill, and serious incidents in the past two years. Of the 385 airlines monitored, 50 made it onto these two lists. The rankings also consider how incidents are managed, along with whether they were caused by operational issues or manufacturing flaws.
Safety Concerns
Concerns over safety protocols have intensified following the Boeing door plug incident in January 2024. Additionally, a growing number of near-miss incidents and procedural lapses have raised alarms. Aviation faced a difficult year in 2024, with three major crashes resulting in 268 fatalities. The Azerbaijan plane crash on December 25 killed 38 people, and the Jeju Air flight crash in South Korea a few days later became the deadliest in the country’s history, claiming 179 of the 181 lives on board.
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Despite these tragedies, air travel remains safer than other forms of transportation. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 2023 was the safest year for flying in recent history. There was one fatal accident involving a turboprop, which claimed 72 lives, bringing the total number of fatalities for the year to 110. The IATA also noted that 37 million aircraft (jets and turboprops) took off in 2023, with one accident for every 1.26 million flights—the lowest accident rate in a decade.
Still, some airlines are more robust when it comes to safety. If you’re nervous about flying after recent events, you can check the safety score of an airline and review any incidents involving its planes. As tempting as lower prices may be, opting for an airline with a strong safety record may offer more peace of mind.
