Over the last 30 years I have flown 27 airlines *(list below). However, based on my recent experience of flying 4 flight segments on Qatar, it is definitely the worst airline in the world.
The onboard crew was unfriendly, the equipment faulty, the ground crew was poorly informed and non-caring, and the toilets had a foul smell so strong that it hit you even before boarding the flight! And this was all on beautiful flying days in great weather!
We had to replace the headsets some 7 times due to frayed and broken wires. The flight from Istanbul to Doha was delayed by over an hour, but the ground crew refused to share any information, did not make any announcements, and even pretended to not know anything about flight status. From Qatar to Bangalore, not only were the toilets flooded and stinking, the entire rear half of the plan smelled so much that it was impossible to stand there.
Imagine our shock on learning that Qatar had been awarded the Airline of the Year in the 2011 World Airline Awards. We felt it’s clearly the worst world airline. At least there’s no lack of humor in the world.
Airlines I’ve flown over 30 years, and used in this comparison(some alive and some dead):
Lufthansa, British Midland, TAP, United, Northwest, Continental, American, PanAm, Southwest, Alaska Qantas, JAL, Singapore Airlines, Thai, Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, Emirates, Qatar, EgyptAir, Air India, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Air Deccan, Air Sahara, Spice Jet, Indigo