• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Best in Business Travel

Singapore Airlines named best global airline for business travel

By
Fortune Editors
Fortune Editors
and
Travel + Leisure
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 10, 2015, 10:00 AM ET
Top 10 Airlines
TripAdvisor has released its 2018 ranking of the world's 10 best airlines - and only one U.S. carrier made the list. Courtesy of Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is ranked the best among international carriers in the Best in Business Travel survey again this year, two years in a row.

For our second annual survey, Fortune partnered with Travel + Leisure to ask readers about their habits and brand preferences while traveling for work. They named their favorite airlines and rated them using a variety of criteria, including customer service, frequent flier programs, in-flight class experience, food and entertainment options, and airport lounges.

Here’s what sets Singapore Airlines apart from the rest:

• Many of its 15,000 menus are tailored to the carrier’s route map. First- and business-class fliers leaving from London, for example, can have a full English breakfast.

• KrisFlyer Spree, the airline’s new online mall, means passengers have nearly 2,000 brands—from Paul Smith to Muji—at their fingertips.

• A new premium economy class will debut on U.S. flights by the end of 2015, with custom leather seats, foldout leg rests, and 13.3-inch HD screens.

• A new customer-experience management system will soon give crew members access to passengers’ travel preferences.

See below for rankings of international airlines by survey categories.

Best International Airlines for Business Travel — Overall

Drinks bottles sit at the end of a First Class passenger bar inside an Airbus SAS A380 aircraft, operated by Qatar Airways Ltd., on day two of the 51st International Paris Air Show in Paris, France, on Tuesday, June 16, 2015.

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates
3. Air New Zealand
4. Cathay Pacific
5. Qatar Airways

Best Customer Service

Tourists check-in at an All Nippon Airways (ANA) counter as the new Haneda-Hanoi route opens at Tokyo's Haneda airport.

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Air New Zealand
3. Cathay Pacific
4. ANA/All Nippon Airways
5. Japan Airlines

Best Airport Lounges

Patrons make use of Singapore Airlines Ltd.'s Kris lounge for first class passengers, at Changi Airport in Singapore.

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. Emirates
4. Cathay Pacific
5. Virgin Atlantic Airways

Best Frequent-Flier Loyalty Programs

Singapore Airlines Ltd. signage is displayed at the company's check in counters at Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong, China.

1. Singapore Airlines
2. EVA Air
3. Turkish Airlines
4. Cathay Pacific
5. Asiana Airlines

Best Economy Class In-Flight Experience

Light-emitting diode (LED) lights illuminate the economy class cabin of an Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, produced by Airbus Group NV, inside a Japan Airlines Co. (JAL) hangar during a media preview at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. JAL ordered 18 A350-900 aircraft and 13 larger A350-1000s President Yoshiharu Ueki told reporters last year. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Air New Zealand
3. Virgin Atlantic Airways
4. Japan Airlines
5. Emirates

Best Premium Economy In-Flight Experience

Passengers on a Virgin America flight to New York stow their bags.

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Virgin Atlantic Airways
3. Air France
4. Lufthansa
5. British Airways

Best Business Class In-Flight Experience

A stewardess poses in the bar of the business class of an Airbus A380 from Emirates.

1. Emirates
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Qatar Airways
4. Cathay Pacific
5. Virgin Atlantic Airways

Best First Class In-Flight Experience

1. Cathay Pacific
2. Emirates
3. Lufthansa
4. British Airways
5. KLM

 

For more on the Best in Business Travel 2015, visit travelandleisure.com/best-in-business-travel. To see the survey methodology, go here. 

Read: Virgin America named the best U.S. airline for business travel

Read: The Best Hotels for Business Travel

About the Authors
Fortune Editors
By Fortune Editors
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Travel + Leisure
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in

Investingprecious metals
Silver pulls back after topping $80 in historic year-end rally
By Robin Paxton and BloombergDecember 28, 2025
1 hour ago
Arts & EntertainmentObituary
Brigitte Bardot, sex symbol then animal activist, dies at 91
By Angelina Rascouet, Gregory Viscusi and BloombergDecember 28, 2025
2 hours ago
North AmericaMexico
Interoceanic Train derails in southern Mexico, injuring at least 15 and halting traffic on line
By The Associated PressDecember 28, 2025
2 hours ago
AsiaMilitary
North Korea’s Kim tests long-range cruise missiles over West Sea
By Heesu Lee and BloombergDecember 28, 2025
2 hours ago
PoliticsUkraine invasion
Trump says Ukraine and Russia are ‘closer than ever’ to peace after talking to Zelenskyy and Putin
By Will Weissert, Seung Min Kim, Elise Morton and The Associated PressDecember 28, 2025
3 hours ago
EconomyJobs
The job market in 2026 will suffer from ‘uncomfortably slow growth’ in the first half but reverse higher later in the year, JPMorgan says
By Jason MaDecember 28, 2025
3 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Malcolm Gladwell tells young people if they want a STEM degree, 'don’t go to Harvard.' You may end up at the bottom of your class and drop out
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 27, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Banking
Russian official warns a banking crisis is possible amid nonpayments. 'I don’t want to think about a continuation of the war or an escalation'
By Jason MaDecember 27, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Europe
Christmas 500 years ago was a drunken 6-week feast that may have been considerably better than the modern holiday, medieval historian says
By Bobbi Sutherland and The ConversationDecember 25, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Peter Thiel and Larry Page are preparing to flee California in case the state passes a billionaire wealth tax, report says
By Jason MaDecember 27, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Arts & Entertainment
Gen Zers and millennials flock to so-called analog islands 'because so little of their life feels tangible'
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressDecember 28, 2025
10 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, CEOs of Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald's say opportunity is still there—if you have the right mindset
By Preston ForeDecember 26, 2025
3 days ago