If you have a choice in airlines for your next trip, AirAdvisor has taken the guesswork out of the decision. The team ranked America’s airlines across nine categories, from reliability and comfort to safety, reviews and price. Pulling in the latest data from 2023 and 2024—including 8.7 million flights, more than a million passenger reviews and financials from the biggest carriers—the results offer a clear picture of who’s flying high and who’s barely taxiing.
At the top of the list is Delta Air Lines, which has been crowned the best U.S. airline for the third consecutive year. With more than 200 million passengers annually, Delta has scale on its side, but also serious polish. The carrier scored highest in comfort, pet and family travel and lounges, and it remains the only U.S. airline to land in the global top tier. The only downside is price. Delta is also the most expensive airline. Still, with an average score of 8.33 out of 10, it’s the standard-setter for 2025.
Not far behind is Alaska Airlines, proof that mid-size doesn’t mean second-rate. Serving over 40 million passengers a year across the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada, Alaska shines in safety and customer reputation, while also ranking among the best for family and pet-friendly policies. Its one weakness is comfort, where it lags slightly behind bigger rivals, but with a score of 7.78, Alaska remains a top contender for those who want reliability without the Delta price tag.
In third place sits Hawaiian Airlines, which may fly fewer passengers but makes up for it with consistency. Known for reliability, Hawaiian had the best on-time performance of any U.S. carrier and ranked in the top three for customer reputation. Its score of 7.56 puts it firmly among the best choices for domestic travel, especially for families heading to paradise.
At the other end of the runway are the budget carriers. Frontier Airlines takes last place with an overall score of 4.17. It’s undeniably the cheapest way to fly, but consistently ranks worst for comfort, customer reputation and reliability. Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air fare only slightly better, tied at 4.28. Both are inexpensive and safe but come with serious trade-offs in comfort and service.
If comfort, reliability and reputation matter, Delta, Alaska and Hawaiian are the airlines to beat in 2025. If saving money is the only priority, prepare to compromise—and pack some extra patience.