South Korean flag carrier Korean Air has once again been recognised as a 5-star airline by Skytrax in its 2025 World Airline Star Rating.
Founded in London in 1989, Skytrax is an international air transport rating organisation that assesses airlines based on comprehensive service evaluations. Since launching its World Airline Star Rating program in 1999, Skytrax has become a trusted benchmark for airline excellence. Airlines are rated on a 1-to-5-star scale, with only 10 carriers worldwide earning the coveted 5-star distinction.
The 2025 assessment involved a rigorous two-week evaluation conducted by three Skytrax auditors using the “mystery shopper” methodology. They flew on seven Korean Air routes, meticulously reviewing over 550 service elements spanning the entire passenger journey including airport check-in, transit experience, lounges, inflight dining, onboard amenities, cabin service, entertainment, seat comfort and baggage handling.
Korean Air received high marks for its intuitive website design, streamlined passenger experience, premium inflight dining options, expertly curated wine selection and convenient meal pre-ordering service. The airline was also recognised for its advanced entertainment offerings, comfortable seating across all cabin classes (First, Prestige and Economy) and exceptional cleanliness throughout the aircraft.
Korean Air’s cabin crew earned praise for their warm and professional service across all cabin classes. The airline also received high marks for its efficient service delivery, multilingual proficiency of crew members and skillful handling of service complexities.
”The Certification of Korean Air with the highest 5-Star Airline Rating for 2025 is a testament to their consistent focus on delivering a high-quality passenger experience. This 5-Star Airline Rating confirms that Korean Air continues to excel in key areas such as cabin comfort, catering and a very accomplished service delivery both onboard and on each flight,” remarked Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax.
Korean Air’s commitment to service excellence has been recognised both domestically and globally. In 2024, the airline became the first Korean carrier to receive Consumer-Centered Management (CCM) certification from the Korean Fair Trade Commission for three consecutive years. Additionally, the airline secured the APEX 5-Star Global Airline rating for the eighth consecutive year and was named Airline of the Year of 2025 by AirlineRatings.com.
About Korean Air
Serving the world for more than 55 years, Korean Air is one of the world's top 20 airlines, carrying more than 27 million passengers in 2019, pre-Covid. With its global hub at Incheon International Airport (ICN), the airline serves 116 cities in 40 countries on five continents with a modern fleet of 161 aircraft and over 20,000 professional employees.
Korean Air's outstanding performance and commitment to the highest level of safety and customer service has widely been recognised. The airline has been granted numerous awards including a 5-star airline rating from Skytrax as well as Air Transport World’s Airline of the Year and Cargo Operator of the Year awards.
Korean Air is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, and has grown into one of the largest transpacific airlines through its joint venture with Delta Air Lines.
For more information about Korean Air, please visit www.koreanair.com, Korean Air Newsroom, facebook.com/KoreanAir, instagram.com/KoreanAirworld and Twitter@KoreanAir_KE.
