Last week I wrote about the best airports in the world. But if you want to get to one of them, which airline should you take? Skytrax has that covered, too. Here’s a list of the top five airlines from 2011, followed by the winners in specific categories, all from World Airline Awards, “the most prestigious and coveted awards for the airline industry”:

1. Qatar Airlines
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Asiana Airlines (South Korea)
4. Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong)
5. Thai Airways International

(Singapore is the only one of these I’ve had the pleasure of flying. Maybe I took Cathay once, but I can’t remember. Flying Singapore was great for our family of six, but that was several years ago. Too bad they’re so expensive now.)

Best cabin staff:

1. Asiana Airlines
2. Malaysia Airlines
3. Singapore Airlines

(Our family flew Malaysia once, too. In our estimation, it’s pretty close to Singapore overall. It’s hard to beat Asian hospitality.)

And best economy class meals:

1. Thai Airways
2. Turkish Airlines
3. Asiana Airlines

(Any airline that served Dr. Pepper would get a vote from me.)

[photo: “Fabulous Flight Attendants,” by Carol Schafer, used under a Creative Commons license]