Best in Travel: The 2017 SmarterTravel Editors’ Choice and Readers’ Picks Winners

It’s no longer something to keep hidden.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

OAG, which dubs itself an “air travel intelligence company,” has released its top-10 rankings of the most and least punctual airlines in 2016. The group analyzed 54 million flight records using full-year data from 2016 to compile the list, and for the purposes of the study defined “on-time” as “a flight that arrives or departs within 14 minutes and 59 seconds (under 15 minutes) of its scheduled arrival/departure time.”

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Ever dreamed of packing up everything and moving to another country? Here are the most livable cities in the world, according to a study by The Economist.

The world’s best this, the world’s best that. Everyone has an opinion. But those opinions only accrue real value when they’re aggregated with those of other people, and preferably other people with first-hand experience of the matter being judged.

Turn your travel flexibility into cash. Well, not cash actually. Gift cards. But still, a reward with some monetary value.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Perhaps no other airline merger has raised more questions than Alaska Airlines’ acquisition of Virgin America. Two certifiably fine airlines, with very different corporate cultures and products. Oil and water. How would they mix?

Just when you thought the Boston vs. New York City rivalry couldn’t get any more heated, TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) released a controversial study stating that Regina Pizzeria, located in Boston’s Little Italy neighborhood, is the best pizza restaurant in the U.S.

Wondering what the best airlines are according to the average flyer? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) gives a good idea in its Travelers’ Choice best airline rankings each year based on real travelers’ reviews. And the results are different than most trade studies that list the “best airlines.”

Skytrax is out with its annual list of the World’s Top 100 Airlines, perhaps the most recognized worldwide ranking of best airlines. As usual, and to the chagrin of travelers here in the states, most of the top performers are not U.S. airlines. Instead, the list is dominated by Asian, Middle Eastern, and, to a lesser extent, European carriers.