British Airways named Europe’s favourite airline for second year running

British Airways has been voted the favourite airline in the UK and Europe for the second year running, while easyJet has tied for third place among the world’s favourite low-cost carriers.

The results come from AirlineRatings.com’s 2026 Flyers’ Choice Awards, which are based entirely on passenger votes.

British Airways finished ahead of Lufthansa and KLM in the UK/Europe category. It retained the title it won in the 2025 awards, when Lufthansa was also runner-up and airBaltic took third place.

British Airways retains passenger vote in Europe

AirlineRatings said passengers tend to be loyal to carriers from their home regions. Six of the seven regional winners successfully defended the titles they won in 2025.

For Europe, the 2026 results were:

1. 1. British Airways
2. 2. Lufthansa
3. 3. KLM

AirlineRatings described BA’s repeat win as particularly notable given the breadth of competition in Europe, where established network airlines compete with some of the world’s largest low-cost carriers.

The award also comes as British Airways continues a major programme to improve its passenger experience.

The airline is investing £7 billion across its business. It has already delivered over 1,000 improvement projects, covering areas including aircraft cabins, lounges, digital systems, and operational performance.

One significant passenger experience improvement was the airline’s introduction of free Starlink WiFi. The first Starlink-equipped BA flight operated in March, and the airline plans to introduce the service across its long-haul and short-haul fleets, excluding BA Cityflyer.

BA has also been progressively installing its Club Suite business-class product across its long-haul fleet. The airline says around two-thirds of its Heathrow-based long-haul aircraft now feature Club Suite.

British Airways has also made significant operational improvements. The airline achieved an 86% punctuality rate at London Heathrow during the first quarter of 2025—a record high D-15 result which the airline attributed to its £100 million investment in AI, machine learning, and operational resilience. 

easyJet ties for third among favourite low-cost airlines

easyJet tied with Australia’s Jetstar for third place in the Favourite Low-Cost Carrier vote. Vietjet Air took first place, followed by AirAsia. AirlineRatings said just one vote separated Jetstar and easyJet, resulting in the two airlines sharing third place.

easyJet’s result is notable as it ranked near the top among low-cost airlines across several regions, rather than only among European competitors. It also follows a strong result in AirlineRatings’ separate 2026 safety rankings, in which easyJet was ranked fifth among the world’s safest low-cost airline groups.

Passenger awards differ from AirlineRatings’ expert rankings

The Flyers’ Choice Awards are determined solely by travellers. Voting for the 2026 awards closed on July 31. These rankings are separate from AirlineRatings’ World’s Best and World’s Safest airline awards, which are decided by its editorial team using defined assessment criteria.

The passenger vote measures which airlines have succeeded in winning over travellers.

Globally, Singapore Airlines was the biggest winner in the 2026 Flyers’ Choice Awards, collecting four titles. It won Preferred Economy, Best Cabin Crew Service, favourite airline in Central and South East Asia, and the Airline That Gave the Greatest Peace of Mind.

Qatar Airways won Preferred Business Class for its Qsuite. Emirates was passengers’ favourite Premium Economy airline.

For British Airways, however, winning the regional vote provides a second consecutive endorsement from passengers in one of the world’s most competitive aviation markets.