Air New Zealand Tops 2025 Safest Airlines Rankings

AirlineRatings.com reveals its annual list, with no U.S. airlines in the top five for full-service carriers.

Air New Zealand was ranked the safest full-service airline for 2025, narrowly beating Qantas due to its younger fleet.
Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates tied for third place, with Virgin Australia and Etihad Airways rounding out the top five.
Alaska Airlines was the highest-ranked U.S. carrier at ninth place, followed by Hawaiian Airlines at 12th and American Airlines at 13th.
Hong Kong Express led the low-cost airline category, with Frontier Airlines as the top U.S. low-cost carrier in fifth place.
United Airlines ranked last among full-service carriers, while Spirit Airlines was excluded from the low-cost list after filing for bankruptcy in 2024.