A Seventh Consecutive Crown
Skytrax‘s 2026 World Airline Awards placed LATAM Airlines first in South America for the seventh consecutive year. The carrier finished ahead of Azul Brazilian Airlines, JetSMART Airlines, SKY Airline and Avianca. That sequence confirms LATAM’s status as the region’s reference full-service carrier. The awards were announced on 18 September 2026, following Skytrax’s global passenger satisfaction survey.
Skytrax figures show LATAM took more than the top regional title. The group also received the award for Best Airline Staff Service in South America. Additional regional honours covered business class, economy class, onboard catering and the flagship executive lounge in Santiago, Chile. Together, these results show perceived strength across the full customer journey.
The 2026 survey drew 24.8 million eligible passenger responses. Skytrax collected them between September 2025 and August 2026, covering travellers of more than 100 nationalities across over 300 airlines. That scale gives the LATAM Skytrax ranking real weight for investors tracking demand trends and brand perception in South American aviation.
What Does the LATAM Skytrax Result Mean for Investors?
The regional ranking shows LATAM at the top, with Azul second, JetSMART third, SKY Airline fourth and Avianca fifth. Gol and Aerolíneas Argentinas follow further down the top ten. JetSMART also took Best Low-Cost Airline in South America for the fourth time. That result highlights the rise of ultra-low-cost competition on point-to-point routes. However, LATAM’s strength in premium cabins, staff service and lounge quality positions it as the preferred carrier for higher-yield corporate and long-haul connecting traffic.
As a result, the awards strengthen LATAM’s hand in negotiations with corporate accounts and alliance partners. Skytrax’s survey window coincided with capacity adjustments and fare normalisation across South America, as carriers responded to currency moves and demand recovery. The seventh consecutive win signals resilience in LATAM’s franchise even as regional peers invest heavily in fleets and digital service.
The Santiago lounge award supports LATAM’s hub strategy in Chile. It reinforces the carrier’s role as a gateway for traffic between Brazil, the Southern Cone, North America and Europe. For investors, this positions LATAM not just as a national champion but as a regional platform. It retains pricing power in premium segments and scope to shift mix towards higher-margin cabins and ancillary services.
Signal or Catalyst?
For now, the LATAM Skytrax result is primarily a brand signal rather than a direct earnings driver. Yet it comes when institutional investors and lenders are watching which carriers can convert brand strength into sustained yield discipline. Fuel prices, foreign-exchange volatility and infrastructure pressures continue to move across the region.
The next concrete data points will come from LATAM’s upcoming traffic and yield disclosures. Investors should also watch how Azul, JetSMART, SKY Airline and Avianca respond in product and pricing to challenge the region’s newly reaffirmed Skytrax leader.
Quick answers
LATAM Airlines has won the Skytrax Best Airline in South America award for seven consecutive years, with the most recent title awarded in September 2026.
Skytrax collected 24.8 million eligible passenger survey responses between September 2025 and August 2026, covering travellers from more than 100 nationalities across over 300 airlines.
Azul Brazilian Airlines ranked second, JetSMART Airlines third, SKY Airline fourth and Avianca fifth; JetSMART also took Best Low-Cost Airline in South America for the fourth time.
