Largest airlines in the world

Considering different metrics, such as the number of destinations, passengers, aircraft and workload, we can highlight the following largest airlines:

• American Airlines — more than 6700 flights daily, 881 aircrafts, 157 destinations
• Delta Airlines — around 5400 flights daily to all continents, 834 aircrafts, 355 destinations
• Turkish Airlines — 312 aircrafts and 306 destinations
• China Southern Airlines — 121 destinations, 626 aircrafts, in the top 10 in number of passengers per year

Largest airlines in Europe:

• Ryanair — serving only 34 countries, Ryanair carries more international passengers than any other airline
• Lufthansa — 201 destinations, in the top 10 in number of passengers per year
• International Airlines Group (with British Airways and Iberia as subsidiaries) serves about 200 destinations worldwide
• easyJet — in the top 10 in number of aircrafts and passengers per year

Largest airlines in US:

• American Airlines and Delta Airlines mentioned above as the biggest airlines not only in the US but in the world
• TAM Airlines — the largest airline in South America

 

Featured airlines

• Normally, airlines are divided into traditional and low-cost ones. Look at the table below to understand the difference between them.

Traditional airlines	Low-cost airlines
Division into economy and business class	A shared cabin for all passengers
High baggage allowance	Baggage is usually strictly limited or paid additionally
Options of ticket exchange or money refund in case of cancelling the flight	No ability to change or cancel a flight for free, money is not refunded
Both direct and transfer flights	Direct flights only
Drinks and food are free on board	Drinks and food are paid additionally
Ability to choose seats	Random seats (particular seats can be booked for an extra charge)
Both online services and offline ticket offices	Online purchase of tickets only

• Consider the facts above to decide which type of airline suits you best.
• Pay attention to top-rated low-cost airlines, such as Ryanair, WizzAir, FlyDubai, AirAsia, and others, if you don’t mind random seating or the absence of free food and drinks.
• If you are not limited in budget, consider traditional airlines and their specific features. For example, virtual reality glasses are included in the price of a first-class ticket on Qantas, and the ability to listen to pilots’ conversations is free on-board United Airlines.