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New Zealand's  Air New Zealand has nabbed the 2016 Airline of the Year award in the prestigious AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards.

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New Zealand's  Air New Zealand has nabbed the 2016 Airline of the Year award in the prestigious AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards.

Air New Zealand, which is winning the award for the 3rd time in a row, beat out other hot favourites like Australia's Qantas and United Arab Emirate's Etihad to clinch the top spot.

The airline was praised for its  award-winning inflight innovations - like the Premium Economy Spaceseat designed so the person in front can't lean into a passenger's space, operational safety and environmental leadership.

 

Another innovation which places Air New Zealand ahead of the pack is it's Skycouch, a row of three economy seats with footrests that lift up to create a flexible space for young families or couples.

Excelling in inflight experience was Qantas Air which earned top the spot in the Best Lounges, Best Catering and Best Domestic Service categories.

Qantas Air also gained recognition for its robust broadband Internet access, while Etihad was named Best First Class and Singapore Airlines' won best Business Class and Best In-Flight Entertainment.

Virgin Australia and partner airline, Virgin Atlantic won Best Cabin Crew for the second year in a row.

Also clinching top prizes were Virgin Australia which was named Best New World Carrier, while Delta Air Lines (Americas), Lufthansa (Europe), Etihad (Middle East/Africa) and Cathay Pacific Airways for Asia/Pacific nabbed awards for excellence in Long Haul.

 

Check out the full list of AirlineRatings.com's top 10 airlines for 2016:

1. Air New Zealand

2. Qantas

3. Etihad

4. Cathay Pacific

5. Singapore Airlines

6. Emirates

7. EVA Air

8. Virgin Atlantic/Virgin Australia

9. All Nippon Airways

10. Lufthansa