--- title: Flying International? Here Are the Absolute Best Airlines for Your Buck, Ranked description: They hit the sweet spot of price and in-flight experience. authors: - name: Allana Akhtar url: https://money.com/author/allana-akhtar/ at_money_since: 2017 articles: 101 covers: - Lifestyle - Business - Career Advice - Economy and Politics - Education - Identity Theft - Loans - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Technology former_staff: true - name: Prachi Bhardwaj role: Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/prachi-bhardwaj/ at_money_since: 2018 articles: 92 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Identity Theft - Investing - Loans - Personal Finance - Shopping - Taxes - Technology former_staff: true - name: Shaina Mishkin url: https://money.com/author/shaina-mishkin/ at_money_since: 2017 articles: 131 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Economy and Politics - Housing - Investing - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology former_staff: true - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2019-03-29T10:00:24.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T11:35:42.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - Best in Travel 2019 word_count: 984 canonical: https://money.com/flying-international-here-are-the-absolute-best-airlines-for-your-buck-ranked/ 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/). ![190313-best-international-airlines-featured](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190313-best-international-airlines-featured.jpg) Traveling this year but don’t know how you'll get there? ![](https://img.money.com/2019/02/best-in-travel-badge.png) While there are plenty of options when it comes to flying internationally, it’s hard to strike a balance between the things that matter most to long-haul travelers. Which airlines have a good reputation for being on time? Which are (hopefully) not going to lose your luggage? Which are actually affordable? Money crunched the numbers to find the airlines that rise to the top. To find the best international airlines for economy travelers, Money evaluated data points for 70 of the largest international air carriers on factors including cost and fees, customer service, and flight performance. Flight prices are provided from [Rome2Rio](http://www.rome2rio.com). (Looking for domestic options? Here are the [absolute best—and worst—airlines in the U.S.](https://money.com/the-absolute-best-and-worst-u-s-airlines-according-to-39-factors-like-cost-delays-and-fees/)) Read on to find out the best international airline overall — and 29 other airlines that beat the competition. We also highlighted winners for individual regions, which can help if you have a dream destination in mind but are overwhelmed by all your traveling options. And if you’re still searching for a place to go, check out our [20 best places to travel in 2019](https://money.com/best-places-to-travel-2019/) for inspiration. * * * ## **The Best International Airline:** Singapore Airlines ![Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong and Airbus COO Fabrice Bregier Unveil SE A380 with Refitted Cabins](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190313-best-international-airlines-singapore-airlines.jpg) **\*\*Regional Winner: Asia\*\* **Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,066 Singapore Airlines is synonymous with luxury and quality as it takes the No. 1 spot on Money’s best international airlines list for the fourth year in a row—and with good reason. A flight on Singapore is relatively affordable, averaging 11¢ per kilometer, according to Rome2Rio. *Travel + Leisure* has ranked it the top international airline for 23 years, with high marks for food quality, in-flight and customer service, and comfort. The airline has managed to maintain its high quality since launching the longest flight in the world last October: a daily 19-hour, 9,500-mile trek between Newark and Singapore. The world-renowned airline staff is trained for four months—twice as long as the industry average—to ensure the air carrier maintains a top-flight customer experience. Food service is kept to a minimum during sleep hours and handled entirely in the front of the plane, and menus are designed by famous chefs and wine consultants, offering up to 50 never-frozen meals. And great service isn’t limited to first class. Compared with its peers, Singapore Airlines offers more legroom in economy and a key amenity: warm towels. ## 2\. Qatar Airways ![DOHA, QATAR - APRIL 25 2017: Airplane of Qatar airways in the international airport of Doha](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190313-best-international-airlines-qatar-airlines.jpg) **\*\*Regional Winner: Middle East\*\* **Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,056 Qatar Airways has been flying for only 15 years. But among our international airlines, it had the best on-time arrival rate, with 86% of its flights getting to their destination within 15 minutes of the expected time, according to FlightStats. The airline also offers 4,000 in-flight entertainment options, wide seats, and ample legroom. ## 3\. Japan Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,194 ## 4\. Emirates Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,101 ## 5\. All Nippon Airways (ANA) Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,242 ## 6\. Air New Zealand ![](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190313-best-international-airlines-air-new-zealand.jpg) **\*\*Regional Winner: Oceania\*\* **Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,079 With a shorter average delay than regional competitors and better in-cabin comfort and service, Air New Zealand also offers Wi-Fi on every flight. Plus the average price of a coach ticket decreased 13% between 2017 and 2018. ## 7\. Korean Air Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,099 ## **8\. Qantas Airways** Average price of a roundtrip flight: $ 1,195 ## **9\. Cathay Pacific Airways** Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,053 ## 10\. Thai Airways International Average price of a roundtrip flight: $906 ## 11\. Virgin Atlantic Airways ![270179342](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190313-best-international-airlines-virgin-atlantic.jpg) **\*\*Regional Winner: Europe\*\* **Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,141 Europe’s best airline had the highest overall customer experience score among European airlines. And while the average price seems high, the cost per kilometer is about 14¢—less than any other European airline on our list. One added bonus: *Travel + Leisure’*s survey takers say Virgin Atlantic has one of the best loyalty programs. ## 12\. Asiana Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $876 ## 13\. Virgin Australia Average price of a roundtrip flight: $1,142 ## 14\. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $445 ## 15\. AirAsia Average price of a roundtrip flight: $192 ## 16\. Turkish Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $623 ## 17\. Aegean Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $312 ## 18\. Jet Airways Average price of a roundtrip flight: $831 ## 19\. Malaysia Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $623 ## 20\. Swiss Average price of a roundtrip flight: $493 ## 21\. Lufthansa Average price of a roundtrip flight: $480 ## 22\. Norwegian Air Average price of a roundtrip flight: $307 ## 23\. China Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $931 ## 24\. Finnair Average price of a roundtrip flight: $796 ## 25\. SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) Average price of a roundtrip flight: $332 ## 26\. Royal Jordanian Average price of a roundtrip flight: $701 ## 27\. Vietnam Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $756 ## 28\. COPA Airlines ![504144439](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190313-best-international-airlines-copa-airlines.jpg) **\*\*Regional Winner: Latin America\*\* **Average price of a roundtrip flight: $712 Boasting an 84% on-time arrival rate—one of the best on our overall list—COPA is famously reliable. It’s also the best Latin American airline on our list in terms of value, according to *Travel + Leisure’*s survey. ## 29\. China Eastern Airlines Average price of a roundtrip flight: $856 ## 30\. Iberia Average price of a roundtrip flight: $315 ## **Methodology** Money analyzed data points for around 70 of the largest international airlines. Price factors were weighed most heavily in determining the rankings. Criteria included average cost per kilometer, average price of a coach flight, and year-over-year price changes; percentage of on-time arrivals and average length of delays; and customer satisfaction ratings for food, in-flight and customer service, value, comfort, loyalty programs, and in-flight entertainment. For missing data, medians were used or a closely related data point was weighed more heavily. Data providers for all three rankings include Rome2Rio, FlightStats, Skytrax, Travel + Leisure, American Customer Satisfaction Index, U.S. Department of Transportation, J.D. 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