NEEDHAM, Mass., April 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the travel planning and booking site, today announced the winners of its first annual Travelers' Choice^® awards for airlines, recognizing travelers' favorite carriers around the globe. Emirates was named the top airline in the world, followed by Singapore Airlines and Azul.

The awards honor 50 airlines overall, including top lists for the World, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa; as well as 16 regional winners. The awards also highlight top airlines by level of service, covering First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of airline reviews and ratings submitted by travelers worldwide, over a 12-month period. The hallmarks of Travelers' Choice award winners are outstanding service, quality and value.

"We are proud to announce the inaugural Travelers' Choice awards for airlines, to help travelers make the most well-informed air travel decisions, based on the experiences of the global TripAdvisor community," said Bryan Saltzburg, senior vice president and general manager for TripAdvisor Flights. "The airline industry is investing billions of dollars in new aircraft and service enhancements to differentiate the flying experience and these awards recognize the carriers offering the very best experiences and value to the traveling public."

"We are honored to be named the Best Airline in the World in the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards for Airlines 2017," said Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airlines. "The fact that the awards are a result of unbiased reviews and feedback speaks to our commitment to deliver a superior travel experience for our customers. We want travelers to continue making Emirates their first choice whenever they think to travel. That is why we continue to invest in products and services across all classes, and why our service teams work hard and put their hearts into providing the very best experience for our customers both onboard and on the ground every day."

"Our mission of inspiring humanity sets us apart from every other airline," said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue executive vice president of customer experience. "This recognition by TripAdvisor and our customers demonstrates once again, that we are on the right path.  Thanks to our 20,000 crewmembers who live and breathe our unique values every day. It's our culture that inspires us to provide exceptional service, while we continue to build upon the product our customers love."

Among the top 10 global list, Asia holds the highest number of individual winners, with total of five (Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, Thai Smile and Garuda Indonesia); followed by the United States, with two airlines in the top rankings: JetBlue and Alaska Airlines, in fourth and ninth places, respectively.

Top 10 Airlines in the World:

1.      Emirates, United Arab Emirates
2.      Singapore Airlines, Singapore
3.      Azul, Brazil
4.      JetBlue, United States
5.      Air New Zealand, New Zealand
6.      Korean Air, South Korea
7.      Japan Airlines, Japan
8.      Thai Smile, Thailand
9.      Alaska Airlines, United States
10.  Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia

Class of Service Global Winners:

Best First Class: Emirates, United Arab Emirates
Best Business Class: Aeroflot, Russia
Best Premium Economy Class in the World: Air New Zealand, New Zealand
Best Economy Class in the World: Emirates, United Arab Emirates

North America Awards:

Top Major Airline in North America:
Delta Air Lines, United States

Top Mid-Size & Low Cost Airlines in North America:

1.      JetBlue, United States
2.      Alaska Airlines, United States
3.      Southwest, United States
4.      Virgin America, United States
5.      Westjet, Canada

For the complete list of winners from the 2017 Travelers' Choice awards for airlines, visit  www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Airlines. Travelers can also follow the conversation on Twitter at #TravelersChoice.

TripAdvisor is the world's largest travel site**. Travelers can read millions of reviews and opinions and book their next trip at: www.tripadvisor.com.

Methodology:

Winners were based on airline reviews submitted on TripAdvisor Flights from February 2016 to February 2017.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to unleash the potential of every trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers, with 465 million reviews and opinions covering 7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions, and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features — checking more than 200 websites to help travelers find and book today's lowest hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 390 million average unique monthly visitors** in 49 markets worldwide. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better. Go better.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: 

www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com and www.viator.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, November 2016
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q3 2016

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SOURCE TripAdvisor