North Korean airline voted the world’s worst but passengers disagree

If an Air Koryo passenger ignores its no-photography rule, a flight attendant might take the camera and delete the pictures herself. Crumpling up a newspaper bearing the image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un can earn travelers a stern lecture, or worse.Those are among many quirks that may help explain why North Korea’s airline has earned a singular distinction: It’s been ranked the world’s worst airline for four straight years. Air Koryo is the only carrier to have been awarded just one star in rankings released recently by the UK-based SkyTrax consultancy agency.

It’s a bit of a giggle, actually. They are clearly not the world’s worst airline.

Said Simon Cockerell, of the Koryo Group,

Some experts and frequent Air Koryo passengers disagree with the “world’s worst” title. The airline is a definitely a unique ride, but fairly reliable, they say. The SkyTrax ratings are focused on service and not safety. Koryo group spokesman Simon Cockerell said Air Koryo’s weaknesses tend to be the kind of thing SkyTrax focuses on: cabin attendants tend not to speak foreign languages very well, there is no in-flight magazine, the meals aren’t going to win any awards and, on older planes, condensation from the cooling systems tended to dampen seats and drip on passengers. Smith noted that Air Koryo’s fleet is mainly Russian TU-204s and AN-148s, which may not be as comfortable or efficient as their American or European-built counterparts, but are not unsound. In fact, getting its passengers where they are going — in one piece — might be Air Koryo’s strong point.

Everything about North Korea is seen as a kind of running joke, so we should probably expect that its airline is seen this way too, right or wrong.

Moranbong Band

World Air Koryo