The Best U.S. Airlines In 2024—According To A New Report

21.04.2024 - 06:53 / forbes.com / Spirit Airlines / Delta Airlines / Hawaiian Airlines / Southwest Airlines / United S.Airlines

When you’re looking for flights, you’re probably most loyal to the airline that you have status with or that has a hub in your city—most often, they’re one in the same. Or, you’re looking for the best flight deals, which should be a little bit easier to come by this spring as flight costs are down 7% year-over-year. But safety, comfort, and other factors are also top of mind when it comes to booking flights, and a new study from WalletHub, a personal finance company, took those considerations and other metrics into consideration to determine the best U.S. airlines of 2024.

Alaska Airlines is the top U.S. airline, according to the report that used 13 metrics to evaluate the nine largest carriers in the country, plus a regional carrier.

This year’s list is a shakeup from the previous two years, as Alaska has dethroned Delta as the top airline. Delta was WalletHub’s top airline in 2022 and 2023. But Alaska has been previously ranked as the best airline, taking the top spot on WalletHub’s list from 2017 to 2019 and again in 2021.

A budget carrier, Spirit Airlines, cracked the top 3 and was also named the safest airline. Meanwhile, Delta led in categories like reliability and comfort.

For its rankings, WalletHub considered factors like reliability, comfort, affordability, and safety. That’s to say the analysts considered which airlines had the lowest rates of delays and cancellations, which airlines offer the most leg room and in-flight perks like free wifi, the price of flights, and safety incidents per 100,000 flights.

The analysts used data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. When it comes to things like flight cancellations and delays, the team collected information about each airline, but then tossed out any disruptions that were caused by weather, security, or National Aviation System-related cancellations as they’re not specific to any one carrier.

Categories were also weighted differently, with baggage and departures accounting for 50 points, safety counting for 35 points, and in-flight comfort counting for 15 points. Within each category, points were assigned — i.e. in the comfort category, leg room got a max score of 2 points.

Ahead, we dive into the ratings from WalletHub, which includes best overall, most comfortable, safest, and the most budget-friendly.

Here are the top airlines, according to the study findings from WalletHub:

No. 1: Alaska Airlines

No. 2: SkyWest Airlines

No. 3: Spirit Airlines

No. 4: Delta Airlines

No. 5: United Airlines

No. 6: JetBlue Airways

No. 7: Hawaiian Airlines

No. 8: American Airlines

No. 9: Frontier Airlines

No. 10: Southwest Airlines

WalletHub analysts say Delta had the lowest rates of cancellations, delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings, which