Best low-cost airlines in 2023: flydubai and Wizz Air rank in top 25

Sharjah's Air Arabia slips out of this year's list

The UAE's flydubai is one of the world's top low-cost airlines in 2023. Photo: Chad Slattery

Many of us lament the end of the golden age of flying, when catching a flight was all about glamour, gourmet meals and ample legroom. These days, unless you can afford to fly in premium cabins with lie-flat beds and in-flight showers, the reality is a little different.

And that's especially true when flying on a low-cost airline where affordable ticket prices take precedence over in-flight frills. Pocket-friendly prices are important when it comes to booking travel, but what you get for your money can vary wildly depending on the airline. This leaves many travellers wondering what are the best budget airlines?

Airline Ratings has the answer via its curation of the world’s best low-cost airlines for 2023.

The list is compiled alphabetically rather than in ranking order, in the same way as the top 20 list of the world’s best airlines, which this year was topped by Air New Zealand, and included both Etihad Airways and Emirates.

Dubai's budget airline flydubai is included in this year's ranking of the top 25 best affordable airlines.

The carrier recently announced its new lie-flat business class suites, making it the first in the world to introduce such seats on a single-aisle Boeing aircraft.

Flydubai was also named the best budget airline in the Middle East. It joins the likes of Southwest, AirAsia, Jetstar and Ryanair as the best low-cost options in their respective regions around the globe.

Wizz Air, the Hungarian airline which has a UAE base via Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, is also included in this year’s ranking. Its inclusion comes despite the airline being named the worst in the UK for flight delays.

Another budget airline in the UAE, Sharjah's Air Arabia, failed to rank in the top 25 in this year’s list after placing in the top 20 last year.

VietJet came out as one of the best budget carriers in the world, with the Vietnamese airline not only ranking in the top 25, but also picking up awards for best airline catering for a low-cost carrier and as the world’s best ultra low-cost airline.

The top 25 low-cost airlines in 2023

1. AirAsia, Malaysia
2. Allegiant, United States
3. Bonza, Australia
4. Cebu Pacific, Philippines
5. easyJet, UK
6. Eurowings, Germany
7. Flair, Canada
8. flydubai, UAE
9. Frontier, United States
10. GOL, Brazil
11. IndiGo, India
12. Jet2, UK
13. JetBlue, United States
14. Jetstar, Australia
15. Norse Atlantic, Norway
16. Peach, Japan
17. Ryanair, Ireland
18. Scoot, Singapore
19. Spirit, United States
20. Southwest, United States
21. Transavia, Netherlands
22. TUI, Germany
23. VietJet, Vietnam
24. Vueling, Spain
25. Wizz Air, Hungary