Travel expert names 'best airline in the world'

Travel expert Simon Calder has named Ryanair as the best airline in the world, a conclusion he shared on his The Travel Expert podcast with the Daily Telegraph. Calder cited a combination of safety, low costs, and staff as the reasons behind his ranking. His comments come despite Ryanair’s frequent criticism over a no-frills experience, booking add-ons, and strict baggage rules. Calder argued the airline has flown 2.2 billion people without any fatal accidents. In the discussion, he added that for three flights he paid a total of £52. The article also highlights Ryanair’s scale: it served 5,400 airports in 2025, posted operating profit of €2,374.2m, and flew 208 million booked passengers with a short-haul fleet of 647 aircraft. It operates the most routes globally and leads in Europe by scheduled passengers.