(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) UAE carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates have been ranked among the world's 10 best airlines. According to AirlineRatings.com's latest list, the Abu Dhabi-based national carrier Etihad Airways has been rated third while Emirates has been ranked 10th best carrier in the world.
Dubai's flagship carrier also won the highest rating for the best-in-flight entertainment and best premium economy. Australia's Qantas was picked for the best lounges.
The study takes into account 12 key criteria that include fleet age, passenger reviews, profitability, investment rating, product offerings, and staff relations.
UAE airlines have been spending billions of dirhams on refurbishments, upgrades, and introducing new features.
Emirates recently said it is phasing out the printed paper vision of boarding passes for flights departing Dubai and will require most passengers to use a mobile boarding pass instead. It also announced free wi-fi for all passengers in every class of travel.
Etihad Airways also launched new Wi-Fly 'Chat' and 'Surf' packages. Travellers will benefit from complimentary 'Chat' messaging throughout their entire flight by signing in with an Etihad Guest membership or enrolling online before flying to benefit immediately. The free chat feature includes access to popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and WeChat, to name a few.
According to AirlineRatings.com, the top 25 premium airlines are Air New Zealand, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic, EVA Air, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa / Swiss, SAS, TAP Portugal, All Nippon Airways, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, British Airways, Jet Blue, JAL, Vietnam Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Hawaiian, KLM, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.
In the low-cost airline category, flydubai was rated the best in the Middle East region.
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