First In Flight
Most people can agree that flying these days isn't as enjoyable as it once was. Long lines, delays, cancellation, cramped legs—it all adds up to an often stressful and high blood pressure-inducing experience. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are still some airlines out there who are doing things right (for the most part). And according to WalletHub, these are the best of the best when it comes to airlines in America.
We will look at the overall rankings first—and then break it down into specific category winners as well (reliability, comfort, safety, etc).
Methodology
Before we jump in, it probably makes sense to give you an overview of the methodology used to rank the airlines. Much more than just price, they looked at 14 different factors broken down into four main categories:
Baggage and departures (50 points): Canceled Flights, Delays, Mishandled Baggage Reports, Denied Boarding
Animal Incidents (5 points): -1 for lost animals, -3 for injuries and -6 for deaths.
In-Flight Comfort and Cost (15 points): Leg Room, Entertainment Options, Wi-Fi Availability, Complimentary Refreshments, Price
Safety (30 points): Number of Fatal Injuries in Aviation Accidents (2019-2024), Number of Injuries in Aviation Incidents & Accidents (2019-2024), Number of Aviation Incidents & Accidents per Total Number of Flight Operations (2019-2024), Average Fleet Age
9: American Airlines
Overall Score: 45.81
As you may have guessed, given their overall score, American Airlines scored poorly in a bunch of categories, particularly Mishandled Baggage Reports and Delays.
Anthony92931, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
8: Frontier Airlines
Overall Score: 47.02
When it comes to Canceled Flights, no airline scored worse than Frontier.
Colin Cooke Photo, Wikimedia Commons
7: United Airlines
Overall Score: 56.58
United is middle of the pack in Mishandled Baggage Reports but second worst in Canceled Flight—just 0.02 points behind Frontier.
Robert Myers, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
6: Hawaiian Airlines
Overall Score: 57.32
Fly Hawaiian and you are more likely to be saying Aloha to flight cancellation than on most other airlines.
Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
5: Alaska Airlines
Overall Score: 58.38
Alaska Airlines ranked second lowest for Mishandled Baggage Reports as well. But they did rank one of the best in Denied Boardings and stood as third overall safest airline.
Adam Moreira (AEMoreira042281), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
4: Southwest Airlines
Overall Score: 62.19
Southwest has good legroom and good entertainment options—and in the Canceled Flights category, they scored 7.24 out of a possible 8 points (the best of any airline on the list).
Runner1928, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3: JetBlue Airways
Overall Score: 63.38
JetBlue scored among the best in most categories—except for Delays, which saw them rank second-to-last, only ahead of American Airlines.
Tomas Del Coro, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
2: Delta Airlines
Overall Score: 64.24
Where Delta shines brightest is with their perfect Denied Boardings score and the best ranking in the Delays category as well.
Mertbiol, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
1: Spirit Airlines
Overall Score: 69.12
Five points ahead of second-place Delta—Spirit Airlines ranked in the top three in: Aviation Incidents & Accidents, Mishandled Baggage Reports, and Delays.
Regional Airlines
They also looked at a couple regional airlines and scored them as such:
SkyWest Airlines: 68.08
Envoy Air: 38.56
As you can see by the scores—it wasn't even close.
There were also some category winners worth mentioning...
Most Affordable Airline: Spirit Airlines
Along with winning Best Overall, Spirit Airlines also stood out as the most affordable, according to the data.
Tomas Del Coro, Wikimedia Commons
Most Reliable Airline: Delta Air Lines
Second place overall, but for reliability, the data points to Delta.
Bill Abbott, Wikimedia Commons
Most Comfortable Airlines: JetBlue Airways and Hawaiian Airlines
If comfort is a priority, JetBlue and Hawaiian are the stand-outs in this category. Both earned top scores in: Leg Room, Entertainment Options, Wi-Fi Availability, and Complimentary Refreshments.
Coldstreamer20, Wikimedia Commons
Best Airline For Pets: Skywest Airlines, United Airlines, and Envoy Air
Flying with your fur baby? Skywest, United, and Envoy are your best choices.
Darren Koch, Wikimedia Commons
Safest Airline: Spirit Airlines
Adding one more trophy to their mantle—the data crowns Spirit airlines the safest of the bunch.
DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Your Experience?
Have you flown any of these airlines? Do your experiences match up with the data? Let us know if you agree with the ranking or not.
You might also like:
The Best First Class Perks Aboard Emirates Airline
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What Flight Attendants Wish All Travelers Knew
Sources: 1
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