Canadian airlines landed a number of top awards at this year’s prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards – dubbed “the Oscars of the aviation industry.” Leading the way were category winners Air Canada, Air Transat, and Porter Airlines. And joining them in the worldwide top 100 were WestJet and Air Canada Rouge.
Announced this year in London, UK, on Sept. 18, the Skytrax awards are based on customer satisfaction surveys of millions of global travellers.
The top award went to Singapore Airlines, nipping last year’s winner, Qatar Airways. Air Canada was the top Canadian carrier at No. 17, moving up two spots and 12 overall since 2024.
Also among the Canadian quintet of top finishers were high-flying Porter Airlines at 34 (up from 44 last year and 57 in 2024), Transat at 59 (up three spots from 2025), WestJet 85 (down from 75) and Air Canada Rouge at 100 (moving down form 94).
Air Canada
Air Canada was named the Best Airline in North America at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards for the second year in a row. It represents the 10th time Air Canada has received this honour since 2010.
Air Canada also moved up two spots and ranks 17th among the World’s Top 100 Airlines in 2026, the only North American carrier to make top 20.
Other accolades for the carrier included:
- The World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining for the Air Canada Signature suite
- Best Cabin Crew in Canada
- Best Economy On Board Catering in North America
- Best Business Class Lounge in North America
Air Transat
Air Transat once again earned international recognition, being named World’s Best Leisure Airline and Best Leisure Airline North America. The honour marks the eighth time the company has received the global title, having previously won the award in 2012, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025. It was recognized as North America’s Best Leisure Airline in 2022.
Porter Airlines
Porter was voted Best Regional Airline in North America and second globally. It was airline’s third consecutive year receiving the honour.
Other Canadian rankings
- World’s Best Regional Airline – Porter (2), WestJet (13)
- North America – Best Airline By Region – Air Canada (1) Porter (3), Air Transat (7)
- North America – Best Regional Airline – Porter (1), WestJet (5)
- North America – Most Family-Friendly Airline – Air Canada (2)
- North America – Best Low-Cost Airline – Air Canada Rouge (4)
- North America – Best Airline Staff – Transat (7)
- World’s Best Inflight Entertainment – Air Canada (17)
- World’s Best Premium Economy – Air Canada (18)
The envelope, please
Meanwhile, the world’s 20 best airlines for 2026 (based on more than 300 airlines) are:
- Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. Cathay Pacific
4. ANA All Nippon Airways
5. Turkish Airlines
6. Emirates
7. Air France
8. Hainan Airlines
9. Japan Airlines
10. Korean Air
11. EVA Air
12. Qantas Airways
13. STARLUX Airlines
14. Lufthansa
15. Saudi Arabian Airlines
16. Iberia
17. Air Canada
18. Virgin Atlantic
19. Swiss Int’l Air Lines
20. Thai Airways
About the awards
The World Airline Awards are wholly independent and impartial, introduced in 1999 to provide a customer satisfaction study that was truly global. Travellers across the world vote in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to determine the award winners. All costs of the Survey and Awards event are paid by Skytrax, and airlines do not pay any entry or registration fee.
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