It’s no surprise to people who fly the airline, but travelers have ranked Aegean Air, Greece’s main carrier, fifth among the world’s 20 best airlines outside the US in a survey of more than 429,000 travelers to determine the winners of international travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler’s 2018 Readers Choice Awards.
Aegean has been rated the best regional airline in Europe for seven consecutive years after having taken over from Greece’s previous national carrier, Olympic, which had fallen on hard economic times and seeing its reputation falling fast.
Conde Nast noted that while Aegean not yet fly transatlantic that “Its affiliation with Star Alliance gives it a wider global reach. Flying a modern fleet of narrow-body Airbus planes, the carrier is known for its professional, friendly staff, and… plans to add new markets and expand by more than 50 percent.”
According to the listing, the following airlines were voted best in class, in reverse order:
– 20. Icelandair
– 19. British Airways
– 18. Aer Lingus
– 17. Air France
– 16. SAS Scandinavian Airlines
– 15. KLM
– 14. Qantas
– 13. Swiss
– 12. EVA Air
– 11. Turkish Airlines
– 10. Lufthansa
– 9. Cathay Pacific
– 8. Virgin Atlantic
– 7. Korean Air
– 6. Etihad Airways
– 5. Aegean Airlines
– 4. Air New Zealand
– 3. Qatar Airways
– 2. Emirates
– 1. Singapore Airlines
In last year’s list, Aegean came in 9th.
In a brief description, Conde Nast Traveler said that although Aegean does not fly across the Atlantic yet, “its affiliation with Star Alliance gives it a wider global reach.” The airline, it said, “is known for its professional, friendly staff, and in the coming years, plans to add new markets and expand by more than 50 percent.”
