Forbes Travel Guide Verified Air Travel Awards (Lounges and Services)

Written by Matthew Justice on Jan 30, 2026

Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) has released the 2025 list of winners for their 2nd annual Verified Air Travel Awards. The awards focus on many categories, but for the purpose of this blog, we will only focus on a handful. These awards highlight the best airports, fine dining, lavish lounges, and other premium services.

The winners were decided by an invitation-only survey of 5,000 of the most well-traveled people in the hospitality industry, including luxury travel advisors, frequent fliers, and selected others. The results were validated by the experts at FTG, known for the integrity and objectivity of its 66-year-old Star Ratings system (which relies on incognito inspections by expert inspectors to determine the annual ratings).

Below are the results for the Forbes Travel Guide Air Travel Awards for 2024 and 2025, broken up by seven selected categories.

Best International Airline Lounge

1. 2025: Emirates First Class Lounge, Dubai (DXB)
2. 2024: Emirates First Class Lounge, Dubai (DXB)

Best Independent Airport Lounge

1. 2025: Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno, Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)
2. 2024: Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno, Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

Best U.S. Airline Lounge

1. 2025: Delta One, New York Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
2. 2024: Delta One, New York Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Best Private Airport Experience

1. 2025: PS, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
2. 2024: Heathrow VIP (LHR)

Best International Airport

1. 2025: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
2. 2024: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

Best U.S. Airport

1. 2025: New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
2. 2024: New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Best Airport Dining

1. 2025: Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
2. 2024: Dubai International Airport (DXB)

Related

• Dragonpass Global (Lounge) Awards 2025
• World Travel Awards: 2025 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)
• SKYTRAX: 2025 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)
• Priority Pass Excellence Awards (2025 Edition)
• SKYTRAX: 2024 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)
• Priority Pass Excellence Awards (2024 Edition)
• World Travel Awards: 2024 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)
• SKYTRAX: 2023 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)
• World Travel Awards: 2023 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)
• Report: U.S. Airports with the Best Lounges 2023
• SKYTRAX: 2022 Best Lounge Awards (Survey Results)

Closing Thoughts

This list of winners for sure fits in the top-notch in exclusivity and service. I have been to a small handful of these airports and, sadly, none of the venues. On this blog I track over 5 annual award programs, but this one for sure is the most selective. I look forward to the 2026 awards to see if anything new gets added.