This Is the Safest Airline in the World

People are flying again, though the current COVID surge has put a damper on many a winter vacation. If you're going to fly, though, you'll want to make sure your airline of choice is following best practices for safety—which is why AirlineRatings.com's latest ranking comes in particularly handy. Travel + Leisure reports that Air New Zealand takes the top spot on the site's annual list, which is based on its assessment of 385 airlines from around the world. AirlineRatings.com looks at a variety of factors, including an airline's crash and serious incident records, the age of its fleet, government audits, and the recent addition of COVID-19 health and safety protocols. "Air New Zealand is a standout airline with a firm focus on safety and its customers," says Geoffrey Thomas, the site's EIC, noting the airline has "excelled across the broad safety spectrum, never losing sight of the smallest detail while caring for its flight crews who have worked under significant stress." See what other airlines made the top 10:

1. Air New Zealand
2. Etihad Airways
3. Qatar Airways
4. Singapore Airlines
5. TAP Air Portugal
6. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
7. Qantas
8. Alaska Airlines
9. EVA Air
10. Virgin Australia/Atlantic

See more airlines that get high ratings for safety. (More airlines stories.)