Why Were Air New Zealand & Singapore Airlines Ranked The World’s Top Carriers Last Year?

What makes the 'best' airline the 'best' is debatable. What does 'best' mean? Does it refer to the airlines that passengers report enjoying the most? Or does it refer to the airline with the best safety record and practices? Or perhaps some other criteria? Skytrax provides the most popular international airline ranking, but the organization is not the only airline-ranking player in town. Airlinerating.com offers its own ranking of international airlines with noticeable differences from Skytrax.