When thinking about the range of qualities we look for in an airline, the ability to deliver us to our destination alive is at the top of the list (just slightly edging out leg room). Safety is primary when flying: we want to travel on airlines that are rigorous about safety inspections, use innovative navigation technology, and adhere to basic best practices, like making sure the plane is heading in the right direction and closing all doors before taking off.
Unfortunately, some airlines—as per the ratings listed on AirlineRatings.com—have some work to do. The aviation safety–focused website performs a comprehensive analysis of data from several international aviation and government sources and gives every airline they monitor a numerical rating from 1 to 7. (Airlines that receive a 7 are considered the safest; those that receive a 1 are the least safe.) The ratings are based on several factors, including whether or not the airline is FAA-endorsed, if it meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, and whether it operates only Russian-built aircrafts (which, apparently, automatically earns an air carrier a demerit).
So which airlines flunked this evaluation? Here's a list of all the carriers that received a 3 or lower, divided by rating and how likely we'd be to fly on them:
That's Okay, I'll Pass (Rating: 3)
- Afriqiyah
- Air Bagan
- AirAsia Thailand
- AirAsia Zest
- Avia Traffic Company
- Bangkok Air
- Camair-Co
- Cambodia Angkor Air
- Drukair Royal Bhutan
- FastJet
- Felix Airways
- Fly540
- Garuda Indonesia
- JetStar Pacific
- LAM
- Libyan Airlines
- Nauru Airlines
- Orient Thai Airlines
- Polynesian Airlines
- Scat
- Somon Air
- Tajik Air
Definitely Not (Rating: 2)
- Airlines PNG
- Ariana Afghan Airlines
- Blue Wing
- Daallo Airlines
- Kam Air
- NOK Air
Not If You Paid Me (Rating: 1)
- Batik Air
- Citilink
- KalStar Aviation
- Lion Air
- Nepal Airlines
- Sriwijaya Air and Nam Air
- Tara Air
- TransNusa
- Wings Air
- Xpress Air
The World's 20 Safest Airlines
On a brighter note, AirlineRatings.com just released their annual announcement of the world's 20 safest airlines. At the top of the list for the third year in a row is Australian carrier Quantas, which has never had a fatality. Here's the full list, in alphabetical order: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Quantas, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia.
By Anya Hoffman, a contributing digital editor at Travel + Leisure. You can follow her on Twitter at @anya_hoffman.
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