Why UAE And Qatar Have The 'World's

Why UAE And Qatar Have The 'World's Best' Airlines
On a business class flight from Rome to Boston, there is no leg rest. The seat does not recline all the way. There is no separation between the passengers. The dinner is not bad, sort of like an Applebees. In the same class cabin on a trip from New York to Abu Dhabi, tiny lights illuminate the ceiling of an Etihad flight like stars. There’s a leg rest. The seat reclines flat. The dinner is Spago’s. My passport fell out of my front chest pocket while sleeping, wrapped in a thick blanket. A flight attendant proceeded to rip apart the entire seat until he found it, which he did, in about a minute. On a São Paulo bound Delta flight out of Boston in the rain, a missed connection means I’m sleeping on the floor in the airport because there’s no room at the local Inn. Fair comparison? Industry experts think so.
Check out any list of the world’s leading airlines and you’ll be hard pressed to find a U.S. carrier. Within the top 10 ranked by Skytrax, only one country has two airlines on the list: the United Arab Emirates and their flagship carrier Emirates Airlines flying out of Dubai and the smaller Etihad Airways based in Abu Dhabi. UAE’s smaller neighbor, Qatar, is home to the No. 2 ranked airline Qatar Airways. It trails Emirates at No. 1. Etihad is ranked No. 7. The closest thing to an American carrier on the list is Air Canada out of Toronto.
By just about every estimate, these three Persian Gulf carriers are the best in the business.