Canadian airline just named best on the continent despite history of complaints

Air Canada just received a prestigious award from "the Oscars of the aviation industry."

Skytrax released its World Airline Awards on Tuesday, revealing its annual global and regional airline rankings for 2025.

Globally, Canadian airlines fared decently, with Air Canada ranking 19th out of 100, climbing 10 spots from 29th place in the 2024 ranking.

Porter Airlines also made moves, soaring to 44th place from 57th the previous year. Air Transat dropped one spot to 60th place, and WestJet experienced the steepest decline among Canadian airlines from 64th to 75th place globally this year.

Air industry heavyweights Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific were named the top three best airlines in the world for 2025.

Canadian airlines did way better regionally. Skytrax named Air Canada as the best airline in North America, beating out the United States' Delta Airlines for the number one spot.

Porter Airlines followed closely behind in third place, while Air Transat and WestJet lagged in seventh and ninth place.

Skytrax

Canadian airlines were also recognized in categories like the world's best regional airlines, where Porter ranked third, and the world's best leisure airlines, where Air Transat took the top spot. This is the third consecutive year the Montreal-based airline has triumphed in this category.

"It reflects our dedication to delivering excellent service and memorable journeys for our passengers," Pamela Lloyd-Bergeron, Air Transat's director of in-flight service, told Skytrax.

Although Air Canada was named the best airline in North America, it's far from perfect. The carrier has been called out by reality TV stars for flight delays and has been brought to court over baggage delays.

According to Skytrax, the World Airline Awards are independent and impartial, with all customer survey costs and the awards event hosted by and paid for by the company.

Travellers around the world vote in what is said to be the largest annual airline passenger satisfaction survey to determine the winning airlines.