Delta Airlines earned the top place on WalletHub’s list of the best airlines for being both the most reliable airline and the best overall. In terms of reliability, it found Delta to have the fewest cancelations, delays, denied boardings and mishandled luggage out of all other airlines.
On top of that, Delta was the second-most comfortable airline in terms of amenity offerings as well as in-flight experience. It also ranked high for being pet-friendly. Where it suffered, however, was when it came to affordability, so evidently, comfort comes at a cost.
(Image via: Mertbiol, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Cory W. Watts from Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
People who love to travel with their pets will find that American Airlines is not very accommodating. It had a score of 0.26 out of 5. Its score was only slightly better than Hawaiian, which got a 0. American Airlines was also the second-most expensive airline for travelers and nearly tied with Dela for cost per mile.
American Airlines did tie with Delta, Alaska, and Southwest for comfort but one of the biggest issues travelers had with American Airlines in 2023 was reliability. It ranked only 8th for reliability, earning a score of 19.09 out of 40. Mishandled baggage was one of its worst problems.
Spirit Airlines ranked just below Delta Airlines with a score of 66.57 vs. Delta’s 66.79 score. Spirit Airlines scored slightly better in some areas, such as canceled flights and mishandled baggage reports, but was worse when it came to flight delays, and especially denied boardings.
On the bright side, Spirit managed to earn the title of Most Affordable Airline, making it the best option for travelers on a budget. But arguably its most important feat was the fact that Spirit was the second-safest airline having the second-highest score of 27.02 versus Envoy’s score of 27.09.
Frontier Airlines ranked the lowest on WalletHub’s list for having the lowest reliability score and the lowest comfort score. Frontier customers not only experience frequent delays with the airline but they also deal with mishandled baggage, and denied boardings.
To make matters worse, they don’t even have Wi-Fi available on their plans, and aviation incidents and accidents are more frequent on Frontier than on other airlines. Where Frontier does fare better than other is in terms of affordability. So, maybe you’ll get bored or hurt, but at least it won’t cost you too much?
SkyWest Airlines ranked third in terms of affordability, and it also ranked third for reliability, which is partly why the airline ended up ranking in third place overall as the third-best airline in 2023, according to WalletHub. But in what areas did the airline suffer?
Well, we can tell you that it wasn’t because SkyWest isn’t pet friendly, because it actually got the second-highest score in that category. For safety, SkyWest ranked in the middle. No, it was when it came to legroom and entertainment options where SkyWest suffers the most, suggesting that SkyWest may not be your most enjoyable time in the air.
Southwest Airlines ranked second-to-last for reliability and dead last for safety, which is why it ranks among the worst airlines for travelers. Reports of mishandled baggage, canceled flights, delays, and denied boarding were all rampant in 2023. Injuries, also resulting in death, were prevalent, mostly occurring in flight.
If you want utter chaos on a plane, then Southwest may be your best bet. You may be more likely to live out your Snakes on a Plane fantasy there than anywhere else. And no, you won’t even have an affordable ticket to show off if you manage to land in one piece.
United Airlines ranked fourth overall. It had the second-highest reliability score, with even fewer canceled flights compared to Delta Airlines. As for denied boardings, it averaged a tad under Delta, receiving a score of 14.73 out of a possible 15, for which Delta received a perfect score.
United Airlines also performed slightly better than Delta for affordability but still ranked second-worst overall. For flight delays, it had fewer than Spirit but as few as Delta or even Alaska. For Safety, it ranked 10th, but its score, nonetheless, is comparable to most other airlines on the list.
(Image via N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons; Redolta, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Taking off from WalletHub’s list, we’ve come up with some of our own terrible additions that need to be mentioned, so you can avoid and hopefully save yourself some grief. The airline that specializes in Canadian travel has had some significant reports of flight problems and numerous consumer complaints.
According to 2022 statistics, Air Canada experienced 335 flight problems, according to Forbes, and had 1,292 reported complaints. Reliability, particularly mishandled baggage, was among the complaints of Air Canada, but hopefully, the airline is at work on this issue.
Alaska Airlines ranked fifth overall. Its reliability ranking was about in the middle in terms of ranking. For canceled flights, it ranked exceedingly low, but for delays, it ranked second best. Additionally, it scored moderately high for affordability. So where were Alaska’s greatest strengths that put it in fifth place overall?
Alaska Airlines tied with Delta Airlines for comfort. Offering comparable amenities, legroom, and complimentary snacks, among other things. Alaska seems to have comfort nailed down in many ways. It also earned the highest possible score for being pet friendly, along with Delta and SkyWest airlines.
Air India was another airline that had its fair share of problems in 2022. The airline had 49 flight problems, and 1,661 reported complaints. Given the cost of airfare, you’d expect a better experience for your money, and evidently, customers are in agreement.
Remember that filing complaints is always important, even if you feel like they don’t care, because it gives the company the knowledge they need to make improvements where they can. Air India may have some work to do to improve their customer experience, but it can’t do that if the customers don’t voice their complaints.
(Image via: Air india Flight 132 damage, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons; Alain Durand, GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons)
The other airline named after a state, Hawaiian Airlines, had a comparable safety score to Alaska Airlines but ranked slightly lower for comfort, in part because it does not offer complimentary Wi-Fi, which can be quite a bummer given that the flight would be fairly long no matter where you take off in the continental United States.
Hawaiian Airlines had the third-fewest canceled flights, below Spirt and United Airlines. They also had fewer incidents of mishandled baggage. Denied boarding was also on the low side but still more than Delta, which got a perfect score in that regard. On top of that, it had more aviation incidents and accidents compared to Delta.
Lufthansa is an airline based in Germany that also had a bad year in 2022, ranking among the most unreliable airlines for customers around the world. The airline had 167 flight problems and 1749 customer complaints in that year as well, showing that customers just aren’t happy.
Data was provided over the course of 12 months. Their customer service is said to be terrible, and they often slow to resolve issues, including compensation for claims. Cancellation fees and overcharges are among the issues customers have had, as well as a terrible in-flight experience with poor food and entertainment.
(Image via: Riik@mctr, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; User:my name, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
Jetblue Airways, as you would expect if you’ve ever seen their commercials about having DirecTV in every seat, leads as the most comfortable in-flight experience. Jetblue offers amenities like free Wi-Fi, complimentary snacks, and extra legroom. So, if comfort is your biggest concern, then it seems Jetblue has you covered.
But not all is good with Jetblue as its overall score was just 55.46 out of a possible 100. Among the problems with Jetblue was its reliability. Canceled flights and especially delays were a huge problem in 2023. And to add insult to injury, price was moderately high as well.
Flight delays and canceled flights are a growing problem for Virgin Atlantic. The airline, which serves people worldwide, has had a decrease in demand for flights, canceling flights for economic reasons. The airline has even gone as far as to cancel flights with only two weeks' advanced notice.
Virgin Atlantic received 1,512 total complaints from British customers in 2022. While flights were canceled, customers were able to seek financial compensation for the inconvenience. On average, customers were awarded $1,297 in compensation. While its good they were given something, it doesn’t quite eliminate the stress of dealing with an unreliable airline.
Envoy, however, had the highest safety score, making it the safest airline in 2023. Nonetheless, Spirit was only slightly under it. However, it does have its problems. Envoy Air ranked as one of the least reliable airlines on WalletHub’s list. Delays, mishandled baggage, and denied boardings - among other things - were all problems people experience with Envoy in 2023.
But Envoy’s problems don’t stop there; it also turned out to be the costliest airline.Envoy had the highest cost per mile, with travelers paying around 17.35 cents per mile compared to Spirit, which costs an average of 5.45 cents per mile.
