The Top 10 Airlines I Took During My 380 Days Of Travel Around The World

In this latest top 10 series, I will be covering the top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel around the world.

Here is a list of Ten Top 10 I will be covering in this series:

• Countries
• Cities
• People
• Horrible Experiences
• Favourite Experiences
• Life Lessons
• Hikes and Treks
• Airlines
• Accommodation
• Food

During my 380 days of travel, I flew on a total of 73 flight segments on 37 different airlines. Thanks to using frequent flyer miles, I got a chance to test drive many airlines without paying a lot of money.

Some airlines were terrible, and some were terrific. The rest were quite forgettable and I can’t remember at all what my experience in them was like.

Most of my flights during my journey was on budget airlines or economy. However, I did use some extra frequent flyer miles and tried out one first class flight and two business class ones. Redeeming my frequent flyer miles on business and first class was definitely a fun experience; however, they do cost a lot of miles so I limited them to a few carriers that really interested me or if I had no choice.

Without further delay, here are the top 10 airlines I took:

The top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel around the world

#10 – Korea Air

 

When I was trying to fly to Beijing from South Korea, I actually got denied boarding the plane. This resulted in me losing my flight and I had to pay more money to re-book another one. The customer service from Korea Air was second to none and they really took the time to help me get to my next destination without any problems.

Despite the actual plane ride being fairly average, the customer service really stood out to me and made this carrier a memorable one as a result.

Because of the caring customer service, I put Korea Air at number 10 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#9 – LATAM

 

While LATAM wasn’t the nicest airline, it was very convenient. When I travelled in South America, LATAM was the second most airline I used because of their numerous availability.

I used my British Airways Avios to book my flight and it was definitely easy to use to reach many South American destinations.

So if you’re travelling in South America, you can count on LATAM to be one of the most reliable airlines to take in this continent.

I personally tried the LATAM business class flight from Bogota to Buenos Aires and it was pretty good. The seat reclined all the way back and turned to a makeshift bed allowing me several hours of sleep before reaching Argentina.

Because of LATAM’s convenience, I put this airline at number 9 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#8 – Belavia

 

Belavia is one of the most random airlines I took. It’s basically the cheapest airline you can take to go from Ukraine to Belarus and from Belarus to Lithuania. Upon boarding the plane, I was shocked how really nice it was!

And for the price I paid, I was even more surprised they gave us food to eat in the plane. United Airlines and many other European Airlines doesn’t give you anything to eat so I was shocked that this airline from the little-known country of Belarus would provide such amenity.

Because of the price and surprise amenities, I put Belavia at number 8 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#7 – Turkish Airlines

 

While Turkish Airlines didn’t blow my mind in terms of comfort or service, it’s a solid airline to take. The seats are fairly comfortable despite the fairy tight leg room. And most importantly, the food in Turkish Airlines is really good.

Turkish Airlines is also quite amusing because people who fly on this airline has a weird habit of standing up during take off and landing. It’s quite amusing to see people blatantly break the rules of the airline and just stand up and start opening the overhead compartment when you’re suppose to be seated for safety reasons.

Because Turkish Airlines is such a solid a solid airline company, I place it at number 7 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#6 – Thai Airways

For some reason, Thai Airways ended up being the most frequented airline I took during my travels. It’s probably because when redeeming Aeroplan miles, their availability is quite open and I ended up flying on 8 segments on Thai Airways.

At first, I found the landing on Thai Airways to be quite scary because at times, the plane would bounce like a basketball.

However, after taking it a few times, I grown to enjoy the Thai safety intro before the plane takes off and the customer service is also quite good.

The food in the plane is good and I found the seats to be comfortable.

Overall, I enjoyed flying on Thai Airways and place it at number 6 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#5 – South African Airways

 

South African Airways was one of my favourite airlines during my travels. I couldn’t believe how much leg room there was in economy. The food was also good and same as the customer service.

Apparently, the airlines is struggling financially which is terrible because their customer service and amenities is quite generous. Perhaps they will make some changes in the future to stay competitive and remove some of these amazing perks I experienced while taking this airline.

Because I liked South African airlines so much, I put it at top 5 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#4 – Cathay Pacific

 

When I took the time to redeem my Alaska miles, I used it on Cathay Pacific’s first class and business class seats because I heard it’s in the top 5 best in the world.

From the moment I skipped the long lines and had priority boarding, to the menu full of delicious food, to sleeping on a bed in a plane. Cathay Pacific definitely delivered every step of the way. It would be higher on this list if it had a shock factor but I pretty much expected all these greatness upon taking this airlines.

Because how great Cathay Pacific’s business and first class were, I put this airline at top 4 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#3 – Avianca

 

Avianca is an airline that services South America. Their home base is in Colombia and they have many routes all over the continent. I took Avianca when I was flying from Mexico to Bogota as well as other routes in South America.

I was very impressed how modern their cabins looked and the food and entertainment was top notch. Avianca is one of the most comfortable airline I have ever taken and I would love to take it again.

Because how impressive Avianca airline’s cabin and comfort, I put this airline at number 3 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#2 – EVA Air

 

Ever since my sister took EVA Air, all she does is rave about how amazing this airline is. So, during my travels in Beijing and Bali, I decided to redeem some of my Aeroplan miles on EVA Air and was I glad I did!

The airline’s cabin is very comfortable. Food is amazing. Entertainment is great. It’s almost the perfect airline in economy class.

The next time I fly in Asia, I will definitely seriously consider routing through Taiwan just so I can fly on EVA again.

Because of how amazing the EVA Air’s economy cabin, I put it at number 2 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

#1 – Singapore Airlines

 

Saving the best for last, Singapore Airlines blew me away. If there’s an airline that’s doing things right, Singapore Airlines is the one. My girlfriend and I got a chance to take Singapore airlines on our way to Brunei and they served us ice cream! What airline serves you ice cream din economy? It was such an unforgettable small touch.

The seats were very comfortable and entertainment was top notch. I wish I got a chance to take Singapore Airlines more because it is very impressive and comfortable.

The next time I redeem my miles and I’m going to Asia, besides EVA Air, I definitely look forward to selecting Singapore Airlines.

Because Singapore Airlines is so comfortable and have amazing food and decent service, I put this airline at number 1 of my top 10 airlines I took during my 380 days of travel.

Conclusion

Saving up and redeeming frequent flyer miles has given me and many other people opportunity to sample all the different airlines out there in the world.

It’s quite eye opening to experience such massive difference in service and comfort from airline to airline.

One of the biggest shocker is how terrible North American and many European airlines are compared to Asian or Gulf airlines.

While I enjoy travelling in North America and Europe, I don’t look forward to flying to those continents because many of the plane in both continents are usually awful.

I’ve definitely been spoiled by Asian airlines like Cathay, Singapore and EVA, South America’s Avianca, and South African Airways.

What’s the most enjoyable airlines you’ve taken when travelling?

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