Tejal Somvanshi
Two Canadian airlines took major honours at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards, but they won different categories. Air Canada was named Best Airline in North America. Air Transat won World's Best Leisure Airline. These are distinct awards, and conflating them overstates either airline's result.
What each airline won
Air Canada won Best Airline in North America for the second consecutive year and for the tenth time since 2010. In the global ranking, it placed 17th — a two-position improvement from the previous year. It also received additional category awards: best cabin crew in Canada, best economy catering in North America, and World's Best Business Class Lounge Dining at its Toronto Signature Suite, which took that title for a third consecutive year.
Air Transat was named World's Best Leisure Airline 2026 by Skytrax for the eighth time. That is a separate category from the overall regional and global rankings. Air Transat specialises in leisure and vacation travel, and the award reflects passenger survey scores within that competitive set.
The awards are based on passenger surveys conducted between September 2025 and August 2026. More than 100 nationalities participated, and more than 300 airlines were included in the survey.
What the rankings mean for travellers
The regional award and the global ranking measure different things. Air Canada won the best airline in its region — North America — but ranked 17th globally. That means there are 16 airlines in other regions that surveyed passengers rated higher on an overall basis. If you are comparing airlines for a transatlantic or transpacific flight, the regional winner is relevant context but not the whole picture.
For leisure travellers on charter and vacation routes, Air Transat's leisure-airline award is the more directly applicable signal. Skytrax runs the leisure category because the product and passenger expectations on a charter flight to a holiday destination differ from those on a full-service carrier's business route.
The survey covers economy, business class, cabin crew, ground service, lounge facilities, and catering. Specific sub-category results are available on the Skytrax website for travellers comparing individual service elements rather than an overall score.
Check the Skytrax site directly for the full ranked list and sub-category results.
