Everett Potter's Travel Report

Comfort in the skies on Qatar Airways

By Everett Potter

Buckling your airplane seatbelt and weight-loss personality Richard Simmons aren’t things you’d necessarily think go together. But if you flew on Air New Zealand in the recent past, it’s Simmons who may have video-instructed you how to buckle up.

Great companies always think outside the box, and Air New Zealand is no exception. In the most recent Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards survey, the Kiwi airline came in No. 2. And while readers didn’t specifically rank in-flight entertainment, ANZ’s fresh, amusing spin on the standard safety video surely gave passengers a memorable impression of the airline.

The factors our readers did vote on, across 76 global airlines: cabin comfort, in-flight service, customer service, value, and food. No one was surprised to see Singapore Airlines topping the list; it has been the No. 1 airline for the past 17 years. And Singapore Airlines must be doing something right—it didn’t even have Richard Simmons entertaining its passengers.  Read more in Travel + Leisure

Where did Virgin America rank in the World's Best Airlines?

By Everett Potter

Tired fliers often think about how nice it would be to stretch out across a whole row of economy-class seats and take a nap. But let’s face it: airline seats were simply not designed for napping. That is, until Air New Zealand introduced its “Sky Couch,” with flip-up seats created for just that purpose.

Comforts like these are just one reason ANZ was voted the No. 4 World’s Best Airline in our annual World’s Best Awards, where our readers ranked 76 airlines based on cabin comfort, in-flight service, customer service, value, and food.

So which airlines came out on top? Read my Travel + Leisure  story to find out.