--- title: Heading Overseas? These Are the Best International Airlines for Your Money Now description: To find the best international airlines, MONEY ranked carriers on average fares, cost per kilometer, on-time arrivals, & customer satisfaction authors: - name: Kerri Anne Renzulli url: https://money.com/author/kerri-anne-renzulli/ at_money_since: 2014 articles: 185 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/kerenzulli former_staff: true - name: Megan Leonhardt url: https://money.com/author/megan-leonhardt/ at_money_since: 2016 articles: 204 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://x.com/Megan_Leonhardt former_staff: true published: '2017-03-17T14:15:07.000Z' modified: '2024-02-23T09:33:47.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - airfares - best airlines - Best in travel 2017 - budget travel - Cheap Travel - deals word_count: 639 canonical: https://money.com/best-international-airlines-2017/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Singapore Airlines](https://img.money.com/2017/03/171703_tra_singaporeairlines.jpg) ![](https://img.money.com/2017/03/money-best-in-travel-2017-logo-e1489080135308.jpg?quality=85) Before you strap yourself into an airplane seat for eight-plus hours, you want to be sure you’ll have a pleasant experience at a decent price. To find the airlines that deliver both, Money ranked the most popular international carriers based on average fares, cost per kilometer, on-time arrivals, and customer satisfaction ratings for comfort, food and drink, entertainment, service, amenities, and overall value. (Read all of Money's Best in Travel 2017.) * * * **OVERALL WINNER** **Asia Pacific: [Singapore Airlines](http://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/us/home)** Our overall winner for the second year in a row—and [Travel + Leisure’s No. 1 international carrier](http://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/international-airlines-in-us#etihad) for 21 years—dominates thanks to its standout service, wide variety of entertainment options, and excellent in-flight dining. “Singapore puts a huge emphasis on quality of in-flight experience, and you always hear that people want to fly them again,” says Patrick Surry, chief data scientist at [Hopper](https://www.hopper.com/). Such premium treatment won’t cost you a fortune: Each kilometer flown costs 10¢ on average—cheaper than more than half of all international carriers, according to online trip planner [Rome2rio](https://www.rome2rio.com/). Because Singapore partners with major domestic airlines like JetBlue, United, and Virgin America, you can still earn loyalty points with your regular carrier. * * * **REGIONAL WINNERS** **Middle East/Africa: [Qatar Airways](http://www.qatarairways.com/us/en/homepage.page?s_kwcid=AL!3739!3!166932583916!e!!g!!qatar%20airways&ef_id=Ub9YSwAAANwApBCM:20170315203141:s&gclid=CjwKEAjwzKPGBRCS55Oe46q9hCkSJAAMvVuMfGA3YMeX2jLNsqu6Hh_1bLqIzEj6sfR6H8FfmABE7hoCtbTw_wcB)** This Doha-based airline, our No. 2 pick overall, earns top marks when it comes to seat comfort and entertainment, which includes smartphone connectivity and more than 3,000 viewing options. If that’s not enough to keep young travelers occupied, kids can also choose from dozens of toys and board games to play with in-flight. For the grownups, Qatar offers a custom wine list that changes every three months. Its cost per kilometer is the same as Singapore’s and 7¢ below the average rate of our international airline pool. JetBlue and American fliers can earn loyalty points. **Europe: [Norwegian Airlines](https://www.norwegian.com/us?gclid=CjwKEAjwzKPGBRCS55Oe46q9hCkSJAAMvVuMd7_Xu3yEKdmkCMvtcD9lYcr3liFPQ88dXe2OzTo7WRoCl7nw_wcB)** As a budget carrier, Norwegian may lack the many amenities and luxe feel of our top two international airlines, but it outperforms them on price. The average cost of a roundtrip flight is $410, down 13% from last year, according to [Hopper](http://www.hopper.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjwzKPGBRCS55Oe46q9hCkSJAAMvVuMH18uuznlMQ9syh6ht2Nb3UCBuifiVHi6b44Tqts4DhoCV9Tw_wcB). You can expect the price to go down again this year, as Norwegian announced it will begin new low-cost transatlantic flights in June from airports in New York and Connecticut. Though you will have to pony up for food and bags, a majority of travelers find the tradeoffs worthwhile, according to reviews collected by [SkyTrax](http://www.airlinequality.com/): The carrier earned an almost perfect score in the site’s value-for money category and won world’s best longhaul low-cost airline. **Latin America: [Copa Airlines](https://www.copaair.com/en/web/us)** Headquartered in Panama, Copa flies to more than 30 destinations across the Americas and the Caribbean. With an 89% on-time rate, according to [FlightStats](http://www.flightstats.com/go/Home/home.do), Copa offers a reliable experience. (More than half of international carriers score below 78% on timeliness.) According to [Hopper](http://www.hopper.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjwzKPGBRCS55Oe46q9hCkSJAAMvVuMH18uuznlMQ9syh6ht2Nb3UCBuifiVHi6b44Tqts4DhoCV9Tw_wcB), the cost of a roundtrip fare dropped 11.4% from 2016 to 2017, bringing the average to $421. That’s the third-lowest among all of the international carriers Money ranked. * * * **THE FULL RANKINGS** 1\. Singapore Airlines 2\. Qatar Airways 3\. Emirates 4\. Japan Airlines (JAL) 5\. All Nippon Airways (ANA) 6\. Qantas Airways 7\. EVA Air 8\. Norwegian 9\. Cathay Pacific Airways 10\. Thai Airways 11\. Korean Air 12\. Aeroflot 13\. Aegean Airlines 14\. Lufthansa 15\. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 16\. Royal Jordanian 17\. Air New Zealand 18\. Etihad Airways 19\. China Southern Airlines 20\. Malaysia Airlines 21\. Ryanair 22\. Swiss 23\. Asiana Airlines 24\. AirAsia 25\. Vietnam Airlines 26\. Aer Lingus 27\. easyJet 28\. Turkish Airlines 29\. Virgin Australia 30\. Virgin Atlantic 31\. Finnair 32\. China Airlines 33\. Austrian Airlines 34\. Gulf Air 35\. Jet Airways 36\. Copa Airlines 37\. South African Airways 38\. Air Tahiti Nui 39\. Iberia 40\. Avianca 41\. Air Berlin 42\. Fiji Airways 43\. Icelandair 44\. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) 45\. SilkAir 46\. LOT Polish Airlines 47\. 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