Everyone wants to pick the best possible airline when planning out a trip. Whether flying within your country or looking to go further internationally, most trips lead to travelers wanting a great experience. The destination determines how successful of a trip it is, but the flight will set the tone. A horrible flight with delays, poor customer service or unfair prices will sour the mood of someone before they embark on their actual vacation. However, the flip side can see a great flight experience add to the overall experience both going to the destination and returning home.

Each airline has their own respective strengths and flaws collectively. It usually depends on getting the right flight on the right day. However, there are some common themes among airlines that lead to them getting collectively positive or negative reaction from travelers flying with them. We will take a look at both sides when it comes to the reaction of customers either very happy or downright upset with the flights. Find out which airlines will give you the experience you desire or would regret. These are ten of the best airlines right now in 2018 along with ten that travelers should avoid at all costs.

20 Best: Korean Air

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Korean Air is the largest airline and the most popular when it comes to South Korea. Many platforms have ranked it high due to the reviews being overwhelmingly positive when it comes to Korean Air’s flights. Folks traveling to Korea or leaving to head elsewhere internationally typically have high praise for the professional operation of this airline.

Korean Air is known for having comfortable seats, considered better than most flights. The wide and reclining seats add to the fun of the flying experience. Korean Air is also known for having great flight staffs that make it an overall top ten airline in the world.

19 Avoid: Spirit Airlines

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American travelers likely expected to see Spirit Airlines on the negative side of the list. Many first-time travelers or folks on a strict budget will pick Spirit as their airline of choice, but it is often a negative experience.

Spirit stands out due to usually offering the cheapest flight for anyone flying within the United States. The airline is considered shady for having various hidden fees such as paying for carry-on bags. Yelp, Trip Advisor and most other review sites give Spirit a negative review. Spirit Airlines has the crown for the worst airline in the United States with little competition.

18 Best: Azul

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The Brazilian airline Azul has a great reputation when it comes to flights visiting the beautiful location or heading out to other parts of the world. Azul certainly is the pride airline of Brazil with flights going to 98 different airports in the country.

The United States, Uruguay, Argentina, Portugal and French Guiana provide the other 12 airports that Azul flies with. Reviews are glowingly positive with most travelers having a great experience. The little things like a pleasant staff and generally good punctuality with flights have seen Azul become a top tier airline the folks of Brazil get to enjoy most.

17 Avoid: Jet Airways

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Jet Airways is a large airline based in India that flies all over the world. Despite being a major airline, the overall reception to Jet Airways has been negative due to various issues coming into play. It is generally considered among the worst major airlines in the world.

Travelers complain about the flights rarely reaching the destination at the estimated time. The overall quality of service has been questioned as well with less comfortable flights and not as much perks as the other airlines on the market. Jet Airways finds its way on the worst airlines of the world mostly due to failing to live up to the potential.

16 Best: Qatar Airways

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The reviews for Qatar Airways makes it one of the premiere airlines in the world. There are over 150 destinations when flying with Qatar Airways out of Qatar. Many people wanting to visit North America, Europe, Africa or most places will fly with Qatar Airways to get to their destination.

The flights are considered top notch with great comfort and a generally great service. Qatar Airways’ first class and business class seating levels are very much praised for being a fun way of flying. The large planes are even visually impressive to make passengers feel even more secure knowing they’re flying in the best of ways.

15 Avoid: Aerolineas Argentinas

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Aerolineas Argentinas is a very busy airline as the largest one in Argentina. Travelers fly around the world when leaving Argentina or taking a long trip to get there. While Aerolineas Argentinas is considered a very popular one due to the number of passengers per year, it has a generally negative reputation.

The overall service is described as mediocre. Flyers will get the bare minimum of quality when taking a long trip with Aerolineas Argentinas. Claims processing issues are one of the common complaints that bring their score down on review sites from unhappy travelers. This makes Aerolineas Argentinas have a reputation as a top ten worst airline.

14 Best: Jet2

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Jet2 is one of the more surprising names on the list. Many of the cheaper airlines on the list tend to be on the negative side like Spirit. However, Jet2 proves that airlines can still deliver the best experience when offering great prices on flights.

The position of Jet2 has it as the fourth largest United Kingdom airline. Jet2’s biggest asset is that it typically offers the cheapest price. Many reviewers reveal they were shocked to have a great flying experience while paying less for tickets than the other airlines. Consistency and a great value are two things that make Jet2 a great airline.

13 Avoid: Iberia

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Spain’s biggest airline makes the list for negative reasons as Iberia has a low review score on quite a few websites. Many people flying to or from Spain will witness the Iberia airline experience for the first time.

The general service is considered fine but nothing special to write home about. Issues like claims processing complaints and less comfortable accommodations than the other major airlines lead to Iberia having a low ranking compared to its peers in the industry. Time will tell if Iberia can improve their issues for the better, but it currently has a negative reputation so far in 2018.

12 Best: Southwest Airlines

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The best major airline based in the United States is Southwest Airlines. Despite having a great deal of competition, Southwest Airlines is the only major airline based in the U.S. to have exceptionally high marks on Trip Advisor in 2018.

The price range is typically a good value in the same range as most other airlines in the United States. However, the fees or lack of fees when it comes to checking bags gives it an edge over the competitors. Southwest Airlines also has a better track record when it comes to on-time performance and great on-flight staffs. Other U.S. airlines must step it up to reach the level of Southwest.

11 Avoid: Ryanair

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Ryanair is an Irish airline with a reputation for negative things in 2018. The low marks on various review sites will make travelers think twice about going on any flights with Ryanair. One major negative is that travelers often rated the quality of service lower than most other airlines of similar size.

Another recent story to hurt the reputation of Ryanir featured dozens of passengers suffering minor injuries when the flight lost cabin pressure. It is likely the negative momentum for Ryanair will continue to get worse after this story continues to make the rounds. The airline certainly earned its spot in the top worst of 2018.

10 Best: EVA Air

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Taiwanese airline EVA Air is one of the best in the world right now. 2018 reviews have it looking like a top tier airline service. With 40 international destinations, residents of Taiwan get the luck of flying to other places in great fashion.

EVA Air gets high praise from passengers for a generally great flight from punctuality to comfort to a great staff. A great flight is almost guaranteed when using EVA Air for an international flight. Given the longer flight times for most of its destinations, EVA Air deserves a lot of respect for finding a way to leave customers satisfied.

9 Avoid: Air Mauritius

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Air Mauritius has a terrible review score online when comparing it to other airlines all over the world. As the flag carrier airline for Mauritius, it goes to various places all over the world like India, London and Shanghai. The service certainly provides options to get to many wonderful places, but it has a poor reputation.

Business Insider recently gave it a score of 5.99/10 which would be a failing grade by any means, especially when rating an airline. Claims processing issues and a disappointing on-time performance each provides red flags to give Air Mauritius a spot among the worst airlines in 2018.

8 Best: Japan Airlines

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Japan Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Japan and has a great reputation for delivering satisfying flights. Most passengers have a great experience when flying within Japan or internationally using the airline.

Many of the little things add up to make Japan Airlines a beloved airline. Reviewers praised things like the staff always providing pleasant moments, ensuring the passengers are comfortable. Food and seat comfort options are each described as being among the best you’ll find on any airline. Japan Airlines’ pristine reputation proves that great customer service and catering to the passengers’ comfort will always be highly important for an airline.

7 Avoid: Easyjet

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One British airline with a negative score on many review sites is Easyjet. The airline typically offers a great price when it comes to affordable tickets for those wanting to fly without spending too much. However, there are a lot of issues reported from passengers flying with Easyjet.

A Business Insider score of 5.6/10 has travelers upset with a lot of issues when it comes to losing luggage and dealing with long flight delays. Easyjet is off to a poor start in 2018 and must work hard to repair their reputation before the year ends. With a lot of airlines in the UK, Easyjet has no room for a substantially long error.

6 Best: Emirates

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Emirates is a premiere airline located in Dubai and owned by the government of Dubai's Investment Corporation of Dubai. Obviously, a lot of money is invested into making the airline a successful venture. It has overwhelmingly positive reviews from those that fly with it.

One highly successful fact about Emirates is that it is the fourth largest airline when it comes to total international passengers carried. People use it to fly all over the world or just make a trip to Dubai where it is based in. The comfort on Emirates stands out as an asset that puts it above other airlines.

5 Avoid: Pakistan International Airlines

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The various negative complaints about Pakistan International Airlines has made it one of the worst airlines in the world today. As a major airline based in Pakistan, the airline gets a lot of passengers each year, but the overall reaction to flying with them is quite ugly.

Many important aspects of a flight receive a low grade for Pakistan International Airlines. The on-time performance is significantly below average, and the overall quality of service is at a very low score. Every review site will see folks complaining about how much they were disappointed with Pakistan International Airlines. It truly deserves a spot among the worst in 2018.

4 Best: Air New Zealand

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Air New Zealand is one of the most well-regarded airlines when it comes to international flights. As the flag carrier airline of New Zealand, it does a great job getting passengers in a pleasant mood when landing in or flying out of Air New Zealand.

One great accolade for Air New Zealand is that it has been in the running for Airline of the Year from many respectable outlets over the past few years. The airline continues to grow and reach success for all the right reasons. Positive scores with customer service, on-time performance and quality of service makes it arguably the best airline in the world today.

3 Avoid: Royal Jordanian Airlines

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Royal Jordanian Airlines has a very negative reputation for making trips difficult for travelers. As the flag carrier airline for Jordan, many expect a better service when flying with the airline in 2018. Unfortunately, it hits all the negatives when embarking on a flight.

The quality of service score is among the worst of major airlines. There are many complaints about delays and other issues leading to not living up to the expectations promised by Royal Jordanian Airlines. Low scores on all the review websites has Royal Jordanian Airlines ranking extremely low worldwide. It is considered among the worst airlines in the world today.

2 Best: Singapore Airlines

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The praise for Singapore Airlines has given it the top rank on many refutable lists, like Trip Advisor, when it comes to the best overall airline today. Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Singapore and gives the best value for its customers.

Between fair prices and great quality of service, the review pages for Singapore Airlines are typically ratings of the highest order. Even smaller things like great flight meals and entertainment options add to the overall love it gets from passengers. Singapore Airlines is currently an elite 2018 airline with great service in every way measured today.

1 Avoid: Wow Air

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The obscure Wow Air has the reputation for being the worst airline in the world right now. Wow Air is based in Iceland and flies to various places in Europe at a low cost compared to other airlines. Despite the cheap prices for tickets, most passengers are left disappointed with their time on Wow Air.

An online joke has become common for folks to refer to the Wow in Wow Air as standing for “Worst of the Worst.” The airline has been ranked as the worst in on-time performance, in-flight service and most delays so far in 2018. There is more than enough evidence to name Wow Air the overall worst airline in the world today.

References: Trip Advisor, Business Insider, This Is Insider, Grapevine