As of June 2023, air traffic was almost back to pre-pandemic levels. In short, people are hitting the friendly skies hard after years plagued by shutdowns and limited route availability. But to get the best bang for your buck, you’ll want to make sure you’re picking an airline that checks off all (or most) of the boxes. While price is still one of the driving factors that impact ticket purchases, other concerns such as checked bag fees, in-flight offerings, and customer service are all real issues that can influence whether you fly with one airline over another.
So, before you book that next weekend getaway, family vacation, or business trip, think about what you need from an airline, and book accordingly. Here’s the current ranking of the top airlines in the U.S. based on a data review survey of on-time flights, baggage handling, service fees, in-flight service, safety, and other factors conducted by Wallethub. Note that the focus is solely on domestic national and regional carriers — international carriers are not part of this survey. This survey reviewed the following airlines:
- Delta Air Lines
- American Airlines
- United Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- JetBlue
- SkyWest Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Envoy Air
- Frontier Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Spirit Airlines
Best Overall Airline: Delta Air Lines
Regardless of why you’re heading to the nearest jetway, the data has spoken. Delta Airlines is the top airline in the country for the second year in a row, according to Wallethub. How did they earn this rank? Apparently, they have the lowest rate for cancellations, delays, lost or mishandled luggage, and denied boardings. Delta also tied with Alaska Airlines and SkyWest Airlines for the Most Pet-Friendly award and also earned the Most Reliable airline for on-time departures and arrivals.
This major carrier is one of the world’s oldest airlines that’s still in operation, having been founded in 1925. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the airline operates over 5,400 flights daily, provides routes to over 325 destinations across 52 countries in every continent except Antarctica. While Atlanta is the main hub, the carrier has hubs in eight other cities across the U.S. For the world traveler set, Delta is part of SkyTeam, an alliance that gives you access to codeshare flights and airport lounges for other major international carriers including Aeroméxico, Air France, Korean Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and KLM to name a few.
Runners Up:
- 2nd Place: Spirit Airlines
- 3rd Place: SkyWest Airlines
- 4th Place: United Airlines
- 5th Place: Alaska Airlines
Most Affordable Airline: Spirit Airlines
Unsurprisingly, Spirit Airlines nabbed the Most Affordable title for 2023. The budget carrier has made a name for itself by offering deeply discounted tickets for both long and short routes across the country. But while people often snicker about the add-on fees for printing tickets or bringing a carry-on, the airline also was runner-up for Best Overall thanks to lower baggage mishandlings and a higher safety rating.
Spirit Airlines actually began as a trucking company in 1964 before entering the airline game in 1992. Today, the carrier operates flights across the U.S. as well as to the Caribbean and parts of Latin America. It’s the seventh largest passenger carrier in North America as of this year and is the largest low-cost carrier in North America. Most notably for the past few years, Spirit has avoided a takeover by JetBlue and ultimately severed a bid to merge with competitor budget airliner, Frontier Airlines — which came in second for the Most Affordable award.
Runners Up:
- 2nd Place: Frontier Airlines
- 3rd Place: SkyWest Airlines
- 4th Place: JetBlue
- 5th Place: Hawaiian Airlines
Most Comfortable Airline: JetBlue
Comfort is technically a subjective term, but JetBlue leads the pack as the most comfortable airline to fly in the U.S. How did they snag this distinction? The airline offers at least 30 inches of legroom for economy seats and has plenty of in-flight entertainment options at every seat — something the brand has been offering since its inception. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi is free on most flights as well as free food and drinks for flights longer than two hours. And that’s before you factor in the JetBlue Mint product, which is the airline’s answer to business class and features sliding door suites, full lie-flat seating, and elevated dining options.
The New York City-based airliner began as a simple budget airliner in 1999, but now straddles as a median option for travelers that want to save a few coins but don’t want to feel like they’re flying Spirit or Frontier. The brand lured early adopters with premium offerings like Sirius XM and in-flight TVs for every seat. These days, the carrier operates over 1,000 flights daily and manages routes to 100 destinations across the U.S. and international locales including spots in Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, and codeshares with select airlines in the Oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance programs.
Runners Up:
- 2nd Place: Delta Air Lines
- 3rd Place: Alaska Airlines
- 4th Place: Southwest Airlines
- 5th Place: American Airlines
Safest Airline: Envoy Air
Envoy Air is actually a regional carrier for American Airlines (AA) and is in fact a wholly owned subsidiary of the larger national carrier. The tiny carrier earned this award thanks to having a five-year history without any fatalities and fewer than 15 passenger or staff injuries that required medical interventions. However, it’s also one of the younger entries in the Wallethub survery since Envoy Air has only officially been in operation for less than 10 years since it was established in 2014. However, before you get giddy, they landed the bottom spot for the “Most Affordable” award.
The petite airline carrier is headquartered in Irving, Texas — which is unsurprising given that AA is also headquartered in Texas. The airline only operates Embraer jets, making over 1,000 flights a day to over 150 destinations across North America, the Caribbean, and South America. While Envoy is a technically newer airline, the concept of an AA subsidiary is by no means new since earlier iterations were known as American Eagle. To this day, you probably aren’t familiar with Envoy Air since their livery carries the American Eagle brand.
Runners Up:
- 2nd Place: Spirit Airlines
- 3rd Place: Frontier Airlines
- 4th Place: JetBlue
- 5th Place: Alaska Airlines
Most Pet-Friendly Airline: Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, SkyWest Airlines (tied)
Yes, the award for the Most Pet-Friendly airline is a three-way split between Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and SkyWest Airlines. Between the winners, both Delta and SkyWest had no animal-related incidents in 2022. However, full disclosure that of the 11 U.S. carriers reviewed for this survey, six don’t transport animals as cargo so they weren’t included in this category: Envoy, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and Spirit. So, only five domestic airlines were reviewed for this award. Understand that some of the airlines that don’t transport cargo animals do still support pet travel as long as they can fit in a TSA-approved pet carrier under the seat in the cabin. For example, United Airlines does allow pets in the cabin but caps the total number of crated pets that can be brought onboard per flight.
Runners Up:
- 4th Place: American Airlines
- 5th Place: Hawaiian Airlines
