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The Safest Airlines in the World for 2016

Jan. 05, 2016
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4 min read
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The Safest Airlines in the World for 2016
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Every year, AirlineRatings.com, the world's only safety- and product-rating website, announces its safest airlines and low-cost carriers from the 407 total airlines it monitors. For the past two years, Qantas came out on top for the site's world's safest airline award, and this year was no different.

In today's announcement, AirlineRatings.com awarded the Australian carrier as the world's safest airline for the third year in a row. As the world's oldest continuously operating airline, it's now accepted as the industry's most experienced carrier, as it has amassed an extraordinary record including no fatalities in the jet era. It's been a leader in the development of the Future Air Navigation System; the use of the Flight Data Recorder to monitor plane and crew performance; automatic landings using Global Navigation Satellite System; and the use of Required Navigation Performance to aid precision approaches in mountainous areas during cloudy weather. In addition to boasting a phenomenal safety rating, the airline offers a great business-class product for getting to, from and around Australia — and its food is pretty great as well.

Cathay Pacific has long had one of the best business-class cabins around and is one of the safest carriers in the sky.

Rounding out the site's top-20 list of the world's safest airlines in alphabetical order are:

Air New Zealand

Alaska Airlines

All Nippon Airlines

American Airlines

Cathay Pacific Airways

Emirates

Etihad Airways

EVA Air

Finnair

Hawaiian Airlines

Japan Airlines

KLM

Lufthansa

Scandinavian Airline System

Singapore Airlines

Swiss

United Airlines

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Australia

As for how the site comes up with these ratings, it uses a seven-star system that considers airlines' efforts toward safety innovation, new planes, audits from both government and aviation-governing bodies and associations and airlines' operational histories and incident/fatality records. An airline that has suffered a crash involving fatalities is given a one-star deduction for 10 years from the date of the incident.

Of the 407 airlines surveyed by the site, 148 have the top seven-star safety ranking, but almost 50 have three stars or less. There are 10 airlines with only one star, and all of them are from Indonesia, Nepal and Surinam.

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Aer Lingus' record earned it a spot as one of the ten safest low-cost carriers. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

The site also released its top-10 safest low-cost carriers for 2016. According to the rankings, unlike most low-cost carriers, these have all passed the stringent IOSA and have an excellent safety record. Here they are in alphabetical order:

Aer Lingus

Flybe

HK Express

JetBlue

Jetstar Australia

Thomas Cook

TUIfly

Virgin America

Volaris

WestJet

The rankings for 2016 come at a sensitive time for the aviation industry. We saw several high-profile accidents in 2015, such as the Metrojet explosion in Egypt that killed all 224 passengers and crew on board and the Germanwings crash in the southern French Alps that killed 156 passengers and crew.

However, there is some good news. According to Aviation-Safety.net data, the 16 accidents in 2015 with a total of 560 fatalities were below the 10-year average of 31 accidents and 714 fatalities. Last year was also an improvement over 2014, when there were 21 fatal accidents with 986 fatalities. Airlines also carried a record 3.6 billion passengers on 34 million flights in 2015, not to mention US airlines boasted record profits. For comparison, 50 years ago there were a staggering 87 crashes killing 1,597 when airlines carried only 141 million passengers — 5% of today's number.

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Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
1XEarn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.