AirlineRatings.com has released its annual list of the world's safest carriers for 2021, just as COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll out and travelers ponder post-pandemic trips. Scroll ahead to see which U.S. carriers made the top 20 and which airlines you should consider for your next international trip. The website made its rankings based on the following criteria: each airline’s crash and serious incident record, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, government audits, industry-leading safety initiatives and fleet age.
20. United Airlines
19. KLM
18. Lufthansa
17. Finnair
16. Scandinavian Airlines, aka SAS
15. American Airlines
14. Delta Air Lines
13. Southwest Airlines
12. Hawaiian Airlines
11. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic
10. British Airways
9. Cathay Pacific Airways
8. Alaska Airlines
7. Etihad Airways
6. EVA Air
5. Emirates
4. Singapore Airlines
3. Air New Zealand
2. Qatar Airways
1. Qantas.
So why is it No. 1? "Over its 100-year history, the world’s oldest continuously operating airline has amassed a truly amazing record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry’s most experienced airline," AirlineRatings.com said.
The website ticked off a list of Qantas' accomplishments: its role in developing the Future Air Navigation System linking planes and air traffic control towers; fleet-wide, real-time monitoring of engines, flight data recorders; and GPS-guided automatic landings and precision approaches around mountains using Required Navigation Performance. AirlineRatings.com also noted that Qantas has implemented some of the biggest safety enhancements introduced in the past 60 years.
S: USA Today