World Airline Rankings Dip to 37th Before Hitting a US Carrier

The latest Skytrax world airline rankings go all the way down to 37th place before a U.S. carrier shows up, a finding that validates numerous complaints from America’s flying public.

Atlanta-based Delta managed to come in as a disappointing 37 out of 335 airlines, MLive.com reported.

According to Skytrax, the top ten carriers are:

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. ANA All Nippon Airways
4. Emirates
5. EVA Air
6. Cathay Pacific
7. Lufthansa
8. Hainan Airlines
9. Garuda Indonesia
10. Thai Airways

Skytrax held a special gala ceremony at the iconic Langham Hotel in London to honor airline leaders at the 2018 World Airline Awards, but the U.S. was left standing in the back of the room.

Granted, there are dozens of airline ratings, and some U.S. carriers have featured prominently, but the rankings by Skytrax, an online source that rates and reviews airlines and airports across the globe, is considered to be the “holy grail” index.

Skytrax said it conducted the online survey of customer satisfaction from August 2017 to May 2018, including more than 100 customer nationalities and 20.36 million eligible entries.

Last year, it was a similar scenario, with no U.S. airlines featured among the top rankings. Just a glance at social media shows why.

Hundreds of complaints flood Twitter and Facebook, all from disgruntled passengers complaining about terrible service and flight delays. For example:

#AmericanAirlines very disappointed: my flight TPA to ORD one hour delayed dep due to paperwork cord for my delay, cabin was tight as sardines, then flt to CVG was just cancelled. Not impressed, inclined not to fly AA again!

— Mike Hill (@hillms23) July 16, 2018

Thanks @Delta for the 18 hr wait after the abrupt cancellation of my flight due to "air traffic control and thunderstorms". Really bad weather as you can see. Horrible customer service and not sure I'll ever fly with delta again if I can help it. #deltaairlines #flysouthwest pic.twitter.com/5KxAX9UMMv

— Ian Thompson (@ian_nompson) July 15, 2018

Is it unreasonable to expect a call or apology from American Airlines. flight staff spilled a full pot of scolding hot coffee on my chest. Medics treated the burns, flt crew helpful, admitting fault. nothing from AA. Not even an offer to pay drycleaning! #americanairlines #AA

— Senator Troy Carter (@TROYSEE) July 16, 2018

• Shrinking Plane Seats Don't Hinder Evacuations, FAA Says
• Leg Room Squeeze: American Airlines Cuts More Inches Between Rows