Korean Air Earns Best Cabin Service Award and Secures Ninth Consecutive APEX 5-Star Rating
Korean Air has once again reinforced its position as one of the world’s leading airlines, receiving dual honors at the prestigious APEX Best Awards 2026. The airline was recognized with the coveted Best Cabin Service Award, while also earning the Five-Star Global Airline Rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) for the ninth consecutive year. These achievements highlight the airline’s long-standing reputation for excellence and its unwavering dedication to providing travelers with an unparalleled passenger experience.
Awards That Reflect Passenger Voices
Unlike many industry accolades, the APEX awards stand out because they are based directly on feedback from passengers themselves. The 2026 results drew upon independently verified reviews of over one million flights across more than 600 airlines worldwide, collected in partnership with the TripIt® mobile app. Travelers assessed their in-flight journeys across multiple dimensions, including cabin service, comfort, food and beverage offerings, in-flight entertainment, and overall customer satisfaction.
Korean Air’s recognition is therefore more than just an industry acknowledgment; it is a genuine reflection of how customers perceive their experiences on board. Securing both Best Cabin Service and the Five-Star Global Airline Rating in the same year demonstrates that the airline continues to deliver on its promise of hospitality, consistency, and innovation at every stage of travel.
A Legacy of Recognition and Global Prestige
The 2026 honors come on the heels of a remarkable run of success for Korean Air in recent years. The airline has consistently been a standout performer in industry rankings and award programs. In 2025, Korean Air was named Airline of the Year by the aviation safety and product-rating agency AirlineRatings.com, a distinction that further validated its leadership in safety, service, and innovation.
Additionally, Korean Air’s in-flight entertainment has earned accolades. At the 2025 APEX Best Awards, the carrier was recognized with the title of Best Entertainment in East Asia, a testament to the airline’s investment in offering a wide range of engaging, high-quality content to passengers across its network.
Its premium beverage offerings have also been celebrated internationally. In Business Traveller’s Cellars in the Sky Awards, Korean Air received gold medals for its selection of wines in business class, highlighting its commitment to curating world-class menus that rival top restaurants and hospitality venues.
Furthermore, the airline has been consistently recognized by Skytrax, the globally respected airline and airport ranking organization. For five consecutive years, Korean Air has maintained its Skytrax 5-Star Airline rating, and it has also placed highly in Skytrax’s World’s Best Airlines rankings, cementing its role as a standard-bearer for full-service international carriers.
The Hallmarks of Korean Air’s Cabin Service
The Best Cabin Service Award reflects the very heart of what Korean Air has built its reputation upon: the warmth and professionalism of its cabin crew, the thoughtful design of its in-flight services, and its deep understanding of what travelers value most when they step on board.
Passengers consistently highlight Korean Air’s attentive and courteous service style, which blends modern efficiency with the cultural warmth of traditional Korean hospitality. The airline has invested in rigorous training programs for cabin crew members, ensuring consistency in service delivery across short-haul and long-haul flights. From welcoming passengers with genuine warmth to anticipating traveler needs mid-flight, Korean Air’s cabin staff embody the airline’s philosophy of treating every journey as a partnership between airline and traveler.
Beyond human touchpoints, the physical aspects of the cabin environment also play a key role. Korean Air’s cabins are designed with spacious seating, carefully curated menus inspired by both Korean and international cuisines, and entertainment options tailored to diverse passenger demographics. Together, these features combine to create a holistic experience that goes beyond transportation to provide true hospitality in the skies.
A Future of Elevated Experiences
While Korean Air celebrates its latest accolades, the airline is already looking toward the future with an ambitious vision for improving passenger experiences. One major initiative is the rollout of new cabin products, including redesigned seating in both economy and premium cabins, alongside enhancements to in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity options. These innovations aim to align with the evolving expectations of global travelers, who increasingly demand personalization, comfort, and seamless digital integration throughout their journeys.
Another focus is the renewal of premium lounges at major international hubs. Korean Air has announced plans to upgrade lounges at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and its home base at Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul. The revamped lounges will place greater emphasis on design, comfort, and convenience, offering travelers enhanced dining options, private workspaces, and tranquil environments for relaxation before boarding.
These upgrades are part of Korean Air’s long-term strategy to deliver a cohesive premium experience, ensuring that service excellence extends from check-in counters and airport lounges to in-flight cabins and post-flight services.
The Merger with Asiana Airlines: Building a Stronger Network
A defining development for Korean Air’s future is its ongoing merger with Asiana Airlines, another major South Korean carrier. Once completed, the merger is expected to create a global powerhouse airline with expanded route networks, improved connectivity, and stronger competitiveness in the international aviation market.
For passengers, this merger represents more than just expanded destinations. It will allow Korean Air to leverage economies of scale to invest further in service improvements, modernize its fleet, and maintain leadership in sustainability initiatives such as reducing carbon emissions and introducing next-generation fuel-efficient aircraft.
Through the merger, Korean Air aims to ensure that its tradition of hospitality is not only preserved but amplified, offering travelers an even broader set of choices and conveniences when flying to and from Korea and beyond.
A Global Benchmark for Excellence
Korean Air’s continued recognition across multiple award programs underlines its role as a benchmark for excellence in the global aviation sector. In an industry where customer expectations are constantly rising, the airline has shown remarkable resilience and adaptability.
By investing in innovation, training, sustainability, and customer-focused initiatives, Korean Air has demonstrated that it is not content to rest on its laurels. Instead, it continues to evolve in anticipation of what travelers will expect tomorrow.
The twin honors at the APEX Best Awards 2026—Best Cabin Service and the ninth consecutive Five-Star Global Airline rating—are more than symbolic achievements for Korean Air. They are affirmations of the airline’s guiding philosophy: to place the passenger at the center of every decision, every service, and every innovation.
From the cabin crew’s warmth to the airline’s investments in new products, lounges, and fleet upgrades, Korean Air continues to set new standards for international travel. With its strong legacy of recognition, its forward-looking strategies, and the impending merger with Asiana Airlines, Korean Air is poised not only to maintain its reputation as a world-class carrier but to elevate the global aviation experience for years to come.
At a time when air travel is rapidly evolving, Korean Air’s consistent success serves as a reminder that while technology and infrastructure are essential, it is the human connection, authentic hospitality, and relentless pursuit of excellence that truly define the passenger experience.