Every trip consists of a thousand touchpoints, and for travelers, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is decided at each turn. From curbside check-in to in-flight service, every detail matters. That is why Forbes Travel Guide’s second annual Verified Air Travel Awards celebrate those airlines and airports that deliver a world-class guest experience.
The 18 awards for 2025 span everything from luxurious first- and business-class cabins to excellent airport dining and lounges. For the second year, Emirates and Delta Air Lines won Best International Airline and Best U.S. Airline, respectively. New York’s LaGuardia was named the Best U.S. Airport, while Singapore Changi took the honor of Best International Airport. And Air New Zealand earned Innovation of the Year for its new Skycouch seats.
An FTG executive editorial committee narrowed down a list of nominees for each category. The winners were determined by an invitation-only survey of more than 9,000 of the most well-traveled people in the hospitality industry, including luxury travel advisors and FTG’s most frequent fliers—its incognito inspectors and training team. The results were validated by the experts at Forbes Travel Guide, known for the integrity and objectivity of its 67-year-old Star Ratings system (which relies on incognito evaluations by expert inspectors for the annual ratings of hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruise ships).
“Today’s travelers are all too often inundated with clever marketing or self-serving focus groups, making it harder than ever to distinguish genuine excellence from polished branding,” says Peter Greenberg, Emmy Award-winning travel journalist and host of Eye on Travel on CBS Radio. “The Verified Air Travel Awards provide a trusted benchmark—an annual check validated by Forbes Travel Guide to separate substance from spin. The real difference here is that these Verified Air Travel Awards aren’t driven by a transient popularity contest but are based on the expertise of the most discerning voices in travel and hospitality.” Prepare for your next departure with the new fleet of winners for 2025.
2025 Forbes Travel Guide Verified Air Travel Awards
Best International Airline
Emirates
The secret to the Dubai-based airline’s success is that it continually refines every aspect of the passenger experience. For example, Emirates recently debuted an opulent lounge-like check-in area for its first-class and Skywards Platinum members, and it’s the first autism-certified airline, with more than 30,000 cabin crew and ground staff trained to support travelers with autism.
Best U.S. Airline
Delta Air Lines
The Atlanta-based carrier won five 2025 Verified Air Travel Awards—more than any other airline. Delta, which celebrates its centennial this year, earns loyalty for bringing food and drink favorites—including Shake Shack and Champagne Taittinger—to the skies, focusing on customer service and providing complimentary Wi-Fi to all passengers.
Best Small Airline
JSX
This public charter service makes passengers feel as if they are flying private. The cabin contains just 30 seats—none in the dreaded middle—all with ample leg room. And you can check in as late as 20 minutes before a domestic flight (45 for international) from a private terminal without worry.
Best International Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Two-time winner Singapore Changi redefined what an airport could be, adding unusual features such as the world’s tallest indoor waterfall (the striking seven-story Rain Vortex), a 24-hour movie theater, butterfly and bamboo gardens, and a rooftop pool and Jacuzzi where travelers can watch planes take off.
Best U.S. Airport
LaGuardia Airport
The Queens, New York, airport continues to bask in the afterglow of its $8 billion renovation that wrapped up in 2024. LaGuardia wins this category for the second year for its spacious gate areas, state-of-the-art architecture and food from New York culinary institutions such as H&H Bagels and Junior’s.
Best International First Class
Emirates First Class on the Boeing 777-300ER
Emirates suites deliver sky-high luxury: floor-to-ceiling doors, zero-gravity seats, Bulgari fragrances and food—ranging from movie snacks to caviar—whenever hunger strikes. The airline piles on extras like chauffeured transfers, a service that helps passengers quickly navigate connections in Dubai and airport lounge access.
Best U.S. First Class
Delta Air Lines A321neo First Class
Aboard Delta’s most fuel-efficient plane, the modern A321neo’s first class features 20 memory-foam-padded recliners. Set in a two-two configuration, the seats have winged headrests and screens for privacy, mood lighting and plenty of storage.
Best International Business Class
Qatar Airways Qsuites
The Qsuites cater to those traveling with groups, allowing configurations for twin, double or quadruple suites. But even for those who are flying solo, there are plenty of perks: get ready for bed with Diptyque amenities, slip into pajamas from The White Company, or just close the door and drift off to sleep in the lie-flat seat.
Best U.S. Business Class
Delta One
In the Delta One cabin, stretch out on a flat-bed seat with bedding from Missoni—the Italian luxury brand also provides the toiletry kits packed with Grown Alchemist skincare products. A bonus: this business class ticket grants access to the stellar Delta One Lounge.
Best Independent Airport Lounge
Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno, Hamad International Airport
Prominent chef Yannick Alléno, who has 21 restaurants worldwide, brings an á la carte menu of French dishes with Qatari flair to this Doha lounge, the first from Louis Vuitton. Passengers will almost forget they’re in an airport with the monogrammed furniture, beautiful art and abundant greenery.
“What I love most is the atmosphere—the light, the calm, the sense of serenity,” Alléno told Forbes Travel Guide about the lounge. “Lighting is essential to me; it shapes the perception of a dish and defines the rhythm of the experience. I also love that the lounge embodies a new expression of hospitality, elegant, international and open 24 hours a day. It reflects the shared vision between Louis Vuitton and myself: excellence in every detail, and a desire to leave guests with a lasting, memorable imprint rather than just a passing experience.”
Best International Airline Lounge
Emirates First Class Lounge, Dubai
The airline’s expansive Dubai lounge offers everything a traveler could need and more: delicious dishes ranging from baked John Dory to 72-hour braised beef short ribs, a cigar bar, a Moët & Chandon bar, shower spas, a complimentary 15-minute spa treatment and plentiful areas to rest or work. Though arguably the best perk is the convenient direct boarding from the lounge.
Best U.S. Airline Lounge
Delta One Lounge, JFK Airport
Opened in 2024 as the first lounge for Delta One passengers, the JFK outpost is larger than any Sky Club, encompassing more than 39,000 square feet. Like the Delta One business cabins, the lounge ups the luxury ante with three-course meals in the Brasserie, shower suites (a valet steaming service will have your clothes pressed and waiting for you afterward), relaxation pods with massage chairs and spa treatments.
Best Airport Dining
Singapore Changi Airport
The more than 200 dining spots at the airport and the adjacent Jewel Changi mall are so good, they draw locals who aren’t even traveling. For iconic Singaporean dishes, enjoy Jumbo Seafood’s chili crab or Ya Kun’s kaya toast (a sandwich with a coconut-like spread). Or try one of the new restaurants that opened in 2025, including Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles, a Tokyo ramen favorite, or Gwangjang Gaon, a Seoul export with mouthwatering short ribs.
Best In-Flight Culinary Collaboration
Air France and Daniel Boulud
Renowned Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star chef Daniel Boulud embarked on his second collaboration with the airline, creating new French dishes such as chicken with saffron, turnips, pumpkin, green olive semolina for Air France’s La Première and Business cabins.
Boulud told FTG that he sought to create food that is soulful, balanced and seasonal. “Each dish brings out many classic flavors of regional France,” he said. “It is important to me that Air France guests get an authentic taste of my cuisine, just as one would get at my various bistros, casual fine dining or Daniel in New York.”
Innovation of the Year
Air New Zealand’s Economy Skycouch seats
The New Zealand airline came up with a creative way to make long-haul flights more comfortable in economy class. Available in the 777-300ER and 787-9 aircraft, the Skycouch converts a three-seat row into a sofa. The seats have adjustable leg rests that can create a lie-flat couch, allowing you and a travel companion to sprawl out on the provided bedding.
Best Loyalty Program
American Airlines AAdvantage
AAdvantage offers a more accessible path to elite status than most loyalty programs. Accumulate miles and Loyalty Points through shopping at more than 1,200 partner stores, dining at member restaurants and using co-branded credit cards. Members also can still earn by traveling: American flies to 350 destinations in more than 60 countries and is a member of the Oneworld Alliance, a vast network that serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories.
Best Private Airport Experience
PS, Los Angeles
Opened in 2017 as the first private airport for commercial travel in the United States, the PS terminal makes the journey seamless with its own TSA security and customs, a public salon or private suite for pre-flight relaxing, and a luxury vehicle escort to the tarmac. It recently launched PS Direct, a domestic arrival service that picks up passengers at the airplane door and whisks them home or to a hotel without even setting foot in the airport.
Best Airline App
Delta Air Lines
The easy-to-use Fly Delta app provides live flight updates, personalized notifications, luggage tracking and global and regional upgrade certificate redemptions—a new feature for Platinum and Diamond Medallion members.
The Verified Air Travel Award winners will be honored at The Summit, Forbes Travel Guide’s annual event dedicated to travel and luxury, in Monaco February 24 to 27, 2026.
