All Major US Airlines Ranked by Best Economy Experience for Domestic Flights
Disclosure: While I may have affiliate links on this post, I am not sponsored by any airline. My links may provide me with a commission if you decide to book a flight or make a purchase with any of them, but my opinions and the data on these airlines are not inflated because of any sponsorships.
Flying economy—also known as the main cabin, budget, standard, or basic—is the most common way to travel on an airplane. It’s how I always fly and, over years of traveling, I’ve come to especially appreciate the airlines that ensure all passengers, even those flying in economy, feel valued on their flights.
If you are wondering which airlines provide the best domestic flight experience for economy flyers, I’ve broken down how each of the eight top US airlines compare.
I researched and ranked each airline based on five categories: reliability, safety, in-flight amenities, in-flight comfort, and value.
The 8 major US airlines that are considered and will appear in these rankings include:
American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian/Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and United.
The flight experiences considered in these rankings are just for domestic flights, not international. Love traveling around the USA? Check out these top destinations in the US, from the Golden Gate Bridge to Motown.
Find domestic US flights on booking.com.
US Airlines Quick Facts
Airlines found in the most airports: American Airlines and United (over 350 destinations each), Delta (over 300 destinations).
Airlines with the most flights in 2025: American Airlines (2.2 million), Delta (1.8 million), United (1.7 million), Southwest (1.4 million). The rest have under half a million flights per year.
Smallest major airlines: Frontier is in more airports than Spirit, but had about 10,000 fewer flights in 2025. Both have less than a quarter of a million flights yearly.
Budget vs. traditional airlines: Frontier, JetBlue, and Spirit are considered budget airlines, offering only the ticket in the base price and charging a-la-carte for anything else. American, Delta, Hawaiian/Alaska, and United are traditional airlines. Southwest is a weird in-between and with changing rules, like adding seat selection and removing the former “two bags fly free” policy, I don’t think it can be considered a budget airline any longer.
US Airlines Ranking Categories
Most Reliable US Airlines
Flight cancelations, delays, and lost luggage are some of the most frustrating things to deal with while traveling and can be airline mistakes that cost you greatly. Some airlines seem to make these mistakes again and again, while others more frequently provide a reliable experience.
So, what is the most reliable airline in the US?
With so many layovers being under an hour, on-time flights really matter and are a key indicator of an airline’s reliability.
According to Cirium, a third-party statistics company that analyzes flight data, Delta Airlines is the top US airline with the highest on-time arrival percentage in 2025 at 80.9%. Following closely behind is Alaska Airlines (now merged with Hawaiian Airlines) with a 79.2% on-time rate.
Coming in dead last for on-time performance is Frontier, at only 72.14%, and JetBlue is only marginally better at 74.66%.
Moving past on-time performance, let’s look at which US airlines have the most flight cancelations.
Have you ever shown up to the airport just to find out that your flight was canceled? I have, when booking with Frontier.
Despite my personal experience, Frontier only has the third highest cancelation rate.
According to a Bureau of Transportation report from September 2025, JetBlue comes in the highest at a whopping 5% of flights canceled within a week before departure. American Airlines follows next behind at 3.4%.
Hawaiian Airlines takes the lead for least amount of flights canceled at only 0.7%. In second place, Southwest has a 1.3% cancelation rate.
The same report also covers mishandled baggage.
All of the major US airlines come in at under 1% for the amount of baggage mishandled, but Frontier and JetBlue finally have their time to shine, coming in at 0.41% and 0.37% respectively. I will mention though that, probably due to their extra charges for carry-ons, Frontier and Spirit both have a fraction of the amount of luggage that other major US airlines have.
American Airlines jumps up to 0.91% and, while they do have a significant amount of luggage to keep track of, they still have millions fewer than Southwest and Delta, who performed better than them.
When dealing with issues like delayed or canceled flights, or even simply when booking flights, checking in, and boarding, customer service really makes a difference.
A 2025 Newsweek ranking listed the best customer service companies in the travel and transportation industry. The results of their survey put Hawaiian Airlines at the top.
Only five major US airlines were included on the list, including Alaska, which has now merged with Hawaiian. The ones missing? Frontier, Spirit, American, and United.
Winner: Hawaiian/Alaska Airlines wins as the most reliable major US airline for their high on-time percentage, low cancelation rate, and excellent customer service. I personally had a great experience flying with them from Big Island, Hawaii to Maui, Hawaii.
Safest US Airlines
Safety is a much more straightforward parameter to measure than reliability. Questions to consider are which US airlines have the most incidents and which have the best safety audits.
A recent report of the safest airlines in the world, conducted by AirlineRatings.com, lists 25 airlines and then clarifies that all of the top 25 are very close in their safety ratings.
Three US airlines made the list: Alaska Airlines, Delta, and American Airlines.
When it comes to low-cost airlines, Southwest and JetBlue are also mentioned, giving them a spot in the top 5 safest US airlines.
Something interesting to note is that Hawaiian Airlines has never had a fatal accident since it launched almost 100 years ago! They do have a very small fleet, but it is still impressive, considering how long they have been flying.
Other younger airlines, such as JetBlue, Frontier, and Spirit also have a clean track record when it comes to fatal accidents.
Safety has evolved over time, with flying in general becoming safer, so I think it’s fair to just consider recent years when it comes to crashes. Delta has had a clean record for the past three decades, which is longer than JetBlue has been operating.
American Airlines’ most recent fatal crash was in 2009, but in general they still hold a high safety rating.
Winner: Overall, all major US airlines are generally considered very safe, but because of their extensive track record and high rankings on world leaderboards, Hawaiian/Alaska Airlines once again comes out on top.
Best In-Flight Amenities on Economy Flights
In-flight amenities aren’t as easy to find on statistic boards, so I have consulted each airlines’ websites to find their offerings.
Determining which large carriers offer the best in-flight entertainment options can be subjective, but here are some hard facts to consider, including provisions such as Wi-Fi, seatback entertainment, snacks, drinks, and free offerings.
Especially for those traveling for business, free Wi-Fi has become increasingly important to frequent flyers. The only major US airlines that offer free Wi-Fi without needing a membership to a rewards program are JetBlue and Hawaiian Airlines (although Hawaiian Airlines does not offer it on all flights).
Several airlines offer free Wi-Fi for their members of rewards programs. Some of those programs are free to join and do not require a credit card to sign up, including American Airlines (AAdvantage) and Delta (SkyMiles). Of those two, Delta provides seatback entertainment, whereas in American Airlines flights, passengers need to use their own devices.
United also provides seatback entertainment on many of their flights. Southwest, Frontier, and Spirit do not on any of their planes.
Now let’s talk snacks and drinks!
I always find it a bit miserable when I’m flying economy with Frontier or Spirit for more than two hours and don’t get so much as a free cup of water! Both budget airlines charge for any food or drink in-flight.
Most other major airlines do provide free snacks and drinks for all passengers on their domestic flights. Hawaiian Airlines served delicious passion-orange-guava juice on a very short flight and on long-haul flights (including to the mainland USA), they serve complimentary meals. Delta provides the mot variety and best quality snacks. United, American, and JetBlue offer basic free snacks as well.
Some airlines provide a few free offerings that are worth mentioning and add to the in-flight experience. For example, Delta and United often offer free headphones for seatback entertainment. Some airlines offer free pillows and blankets, but typically just for international flights, so I won’t mention those for this domestic flights ranking.
Winner: With free Wi-Fi, seatback entertainment, a variety of snacks, and free offerings such as headphones, Delta ranks as the best major US airline when it comes to in-flight amenities for economy passengers.
Most Comfortable Domestic Flights in Economy
When it comes to determining which US airlines offer the most comfortable economy class, I like to take into consideration seat width and legroom, but beyond that just the general comfort of the planes and how easily I am able to relax in them.
Let’s start with the quantifiable parameters. When it comes to both legroom space and seat width, the difference between the roomiest airline and the tightest is just a few inches. However, even a few inches can make a difference and the airline that wins in both categories is JetBlue.
Delta and United both come in just under JetBlue and are tied for second most legroom and seat width.
The narrowest seats go to Southwest, Frontier, and American. Spirit has the least amount of legroom, followed closely by Frontier and Hawaiian.
Beyond those two measurements, the overall atmosphere in the cabin of the airplanes provide the best sense of comfort. Service on Delta is top notch, with excellent flight attendants who always act with professionalism. Delta’s seat material also seems much more comfortable than other airlines.
The overall atmosphere on Frontier and Spirit can feel overwhelming. There are constant announcements, usually full of spammy messages about signing up for their credit cards, which makes it hard to relax.
Winner: JetBlue wins when it comes to comfort, but Delta and United are not far behind.
Best Value Airlines for Domestic Flights
When booking flights, I tend to try and find the cheapest domestic flights, but sometimes that comes at a cost. When weighing the value of a flight, don’t just think about the cost of the initial ticket—consider what that cost will cost you, as well.
For example, I have flown with Frontier many times because their ticket prices usually come in around $100 cheaper than their competition. However, with them I have had cancelations, major delays (including when coming home from New York after my first visit), and faced poor customer service.
Spirit is similar to Frontier, and gates for both of them are usually pushed to the most rundown parts of the airport with sparse, uncomfortable seating, and few restaurant and shopping options. They also both charge for carry-on luggage and charge more for checked luggage than other major airlines.
Delta, on the other hand, provides a premium experience, even for economy passengers on domestic flights. They, along with most other major US airlines, such as JetBlue and American, allow a free personal item and carry-on bag. United only offers a free carry-on for standard economy and above, not for basic economy on domestic flights.
Beyond that, Delta flights are usually in the nicest parts of airports, surrounded by the best amenities and closest gates to security. With all those perks, domestic Delta flights do usually cost the most when comparing online.
American Airlines and United both offer a good balance in value between what is offered and what you have to give up. American has the largest fleet in the world, and I’ve found that there are often many options for American flights, with some being nearly as cheap as Frontier and Spirit, but with free carry-ons and a better quality experience.
JetBlue and Southwest are often applauded for their low prices, while still offering a free carry-on item and good customer service. However, they are much more limited in their flight availability, which means flying with them may mean more connections and fewer direct flights.
Other perks on major US airlines include free seat selection for Hawaiian/Alaska flights and free Wi-Fi on JetBlue flights.
Winner: American Airlines offers an average experience, on par with what you pay to fly with them. Their biggest value comes from their abundant flight availability, which can’t be beat and makes finding deals through them easier.
Top US Airlines Ranked — The Results
Of the five categories used for this ranking, Hawaiian/Alaska won two of the categories—safety and reliability—but, before we award them as winner, let’s look at which major US airline proves to be the most well-rounded.
JetBlue performs well in comfort, safety, and value, but they fall behind when it comes to reliability.
Frontier and Spirit are near the bottom for comfort, reliability, and in-flight entertainment. They also don’t provide much value, despite having generally lower ticket prices.
American falls behind in most categories as well, but as the largest airline with the most flight options they won the value category.
Neither Southwest nor United won in any categories or really stand out as the best or worst.
Can Delta beat out Hawaiian/Alaska?
Delta ranks very high in reliability and safety, narrowly losing to Hawaiian/Alaska in those categories. However, they win for in-flight amenities and rank higher for both comfort and value. Further, they are a much larger airline, providing premium economy experiences for domestic flights all over the US.
Overall Winner: For these reasons and their performance record, Delta has been awarded as the best major US airline in this ranking, based off reliability, safety, in-flight entertainment, comfort, and value.
Find Delta domestic US flights on booking.com.
Here is the final ranking, and rationale, at a glance.
Delta - performs well overall, with great customer service and a premium experience, even in economy; can be pricier than the competition
Hawaiian/Alaska - performs well overall, with great amenities and reliability and the highest safety record; does have limited availability throughout the US and slightly less roomy seats
JetBlue - free Wi-Fi, great comfort, high safety ratings, and good value; lacking in reliability and availability
United - good in-flight experience, from entertainment to comfort; lacking in reliability and charges for carry-on for most domestic flights
Southwest - safe, reliable, and a good value; lacking in comfort and in-flight amenities and are not as widely available
American Airlines - good value, availability, and safety; not as reliable or as good in-flight amenities or comfort
Spirit - low ticket cost and high safety ratings; no in-flight amenities, poor comfort, and need to pay for carry-on
Frontier - low ticket cost and high safety ratings; no in-flight amenities, poor comfort, and need to pay for carry-on
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