text: Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Airline of the Year 2017: Air New Zealand – Air New Zealand was named Airline of the Year for the fourth year in a row in AirlineRatings.com's 2017 Airline Excellence Awards. Editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas said the Kiwi airline "came out number one in virtually all of our audit criteria." Hide Caption 1 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Cabin Crew: Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic – Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic held onto their Best Cabin Crew crown. In 2016 AirlineRatings.com praised them as a "benchmark of what cabin service should be." Hide Caption 2 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Business Class: Virgin Australia – Virgin Australia was awarded Best Business Class for 2017, replacing Singapore Airlines at the top of the leaderboard. Hide Caption 3 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best First Class and Best Long Haul (Middle East/Africa): Etihad Airways – Relative newcomer Etihad Airways has impressed with its premium offerings, which AirlineRatings.com said made it a "major force in the airline industry" in 2016. It won Best First Class and Best Long Haul (Middle East/Africa). Hide Caption 4 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best In-Flight Entertainment: Emirates Airlines – Stealing the title from Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines was also awarded Best In-Flight Entertainment for 2017. Hide Caption 5 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Domestic Airline Service: Qantas – Qantas scored a hat trick with three wins in 2017, including Best Domestic Airline Service. Hide Caption 6 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Lounges: Qantas – Having been an industry leader when it installed showers in its lounges some decades ago, Qantas won fresh praise from AirlineRatings.com in 2016 for its robust broadband Internet access -- something other airlines' lounges fell down on. Hide Caption 7 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Catering: Qantas – Qantas won Best Catering for the third year in a row. It offers four main meal options in economy class and customers can order online ahead of the flight. Hide Caption 8 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Long-Haul Airline (Americas): Delta Airlines – Delta Airlines has held on to its title of Best Long-Haul Airline in the Americas. AirlineRatings.com's Geoffrey Thomas said in 2016 that Delta Air Lines has emerged as "a new force in international travel with new energy, in-flight product and new aircraft." Hide Caption 9 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Best Long-Haul Airline (Asia): Singapore Airlines – Singapore Airlines was named Best Long-Haul Airline in Asia. AirlineRatings.com said in 2016, "The airline has always listened to its customers and it shows again and again." Hide Caption 10 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Value and Safety in Low-Cost Airlines (Asia): Scoot – Singapore Airlines owns low-cost carrier Scoot, which was awarded for Value and Safety in Low-Cost Airlines (Asia). CNN's Richard Quest (pictured left, in hat) flew with them during his budget round-the-world trip in 2016. Hide Caption 11 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Value and Safety in Low-Cost Airlines (Asia): Norwegian – Norwegian was honored for value and safety in the low-cost airline sector. In April 2016, CNN's Richard Quest named Norwegian as one to watch due to its expansion into low-cost long-haul. Hide Caption 12 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Value and Safety in Low-Cost Airlines (Africa): Scoot – South-African budget airline Kulula.com, known for its striking green livery, launched in 2001. This year it's been honored for value and safety in the low-cost sector. Hide Caption 13 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards EVA Air: Top 10 airline – The Taiwanese airline was named one of AirlineRatings.com's top 10 airlines for 2017. It's made headlines for quirky innovations such as its family of Hello Kitty jets Hide Caption 14 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards All Nippon Airlines: Top 10 airline – Also a fan of fun livery, as showcased in its family of "Star Wars" jets, All Nippon Airlines also made it into the top 10 list. Hide Caption 15 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Cathay Pacific: Top 10 airline – Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific was honored in the top 10 list for 2017. Hide Caption 16 of 18 
   
   Photos: 2017 Airline Excellence Awards Lufthansa: Top 10 airline – Germany's flag carrier and Europe's largest airline, Lufthansa was honored in the top 10 list. Hide Caption 17 of 18 ||||| News 
   
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target: – "Get Lucky" could very well be New Zealand's theme song, at least when it comes to its national airline. CNN reports that for the fourth time, Air New Zealand has captured first place in AirlineRatings.com's 2017 Airline Excellence Awards, which rated airlines around the world on criteria including safety, environmental leadership, financials, and in-flight innovations. "Air New Zealand came out number one in virtually all of our audit criteria, which is an exceptional performance," site editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas says in a release. Here, others in the top five: Air New Zealand Qantas Singapore Airlines Cathay Pacific Airlines Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic More that earned top honors here.