The safest airlines for 2026 revealed — and five are US carriers
Five US airlines named ‘safest in the world’ in 2026 carrier ranking
- The independent aviation website Airline Ratings has released its annual ranking of the 25 safest full-service and low-cost airlines for 2026 after analyzing 320 carriers.
- UAE-based Etihad was named the safest full-service airline globally, followed by Cathay Pacific and Qantas. Alaska Airlines is the highest-ranked US full-service carrier at No. 15 globally, with Delta at No. 23 and American Airlines at No. 24.
- In the low-cost category, Hong Kong-based HK Express topped the global list, while Southwest was the highest-placed US carrier at No. 6, followed by JetBlue at No. 14.
- Airline Ratings looked at whether the airline had serious pilot-related safety incidents and the number of fatal accidents in the past 10 years, excluding accidents caused by terrorism, hijacking, pilot suicides, or accidents involving other airlines.
- Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen said all airlines in the top 25 are world leaders in aviation safety, adding, “claims that one is significantly safer or less safe than another are both sensationalist and false.”