I already trust Zagat Guides for their restaurant reviews—what difference does it make if the food is served in an airplane?

Just released on Tuesday, Zagat’s 2007 Global Airline Survey covers 20 US airlines and 64 international airlines, as well as 46 international airports. Each carrier is judged on its comfort, food, service, and website—scored with both ratings (scale of 0-30) and reviews (travelers’ comments). The results:

US
Top economy rating: Midwest Airlines
Top premium rating: Virgin America
Best airport: Tampa International
Worst airport: New York LaGuardia

International
Top economy rating: Singapore Airlines
Top premium rating: Singapore Airlines
Best airport: Hong Kong International
Worst airport: Paris Charles de Gaulle

Two obvious categories missing were cost and safety—though it could be argued that those issues are less suited for experiential surveys than data-heavy analysis.

I personally love the airline survey. Where else are the carriers judged side-by-side on such basic, consistent standards and compared so candidly? Reading the reviews are refreshingly fun, too, if not entirely voyeuristic:
• “schedule should be published under fiction,”
• “makes standing in the DMV seem like fun,”
• “at least they smile when they cram you into a tiny seat,”
• “world leaders in dramatic opening and closing of galley curtains.”

Publishing its airline surveys since 1990, Zagat also rates other services, such as hotels, nightlife, movies, golf, and most notably, restaurants. Its guides can be found at bookstores, on Zagat.com, and via Zagat To Go and Zagat.mobi.