Choosing a favorite airline is subjective. What makes an airline the best for one traveler might not matter to another. For example, maybe you like Southwest’s policy of allowing two free checked bags, but that perk doesn’t matter to someone on Team Carry-On.
Whatever the reason you like one airline over another, you have one.
For me, it’s a little more complicated. I have co-brand credit cards from every airline we regularly use. I have no status with any airline, and I’m not looking to achieve any status level, either. I pick an airline based on a combination of the flight experience, price, and schedule. We also must consider the likelihood of a schedule meltdown during our trip. That means I’m looking for the lowest price, but I’m willing to pay more for an airline I’d prefer to fly. Schedule and cost are set, so the only variable I have to put a value for in the equation is which airline we like to fly on the most.
No airline is immune to strandings due to weather, staffing, or other reasons, but some airlines are more prone than others.
Please understand that these ratings are mine alone (with some serious input from Sharon since I’m not a stupid husband) (Note from Sharon: Yup. Happy wife = happy life!). Your situation and rankings might be opposite from mine (ours). That’s OK because, like many things, Your Mileage May Vary.
1. Delta (Unchanged for 2025)
Delta is still our favorite airline. They tend to do all of the important things right most of the time. Their flights are usually on time. The onboard product is consistent throughout their fleet, offering Wi-Fi on almost all of their planes, which is free to all SkyMiles members on domestic routes, while offering IFE, unlike other airlines that tell passengers to use their own devices. On average, Delta’s employees seem to enjoy their jobs, or at least they act as if they do.
The big advantage of flying on Delta is that their primary hub, located in Atlanta, is very close to Orlando, where we live. While we can find some non-stop flights on Delta (like New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis), most of our other flights will require a connection. Because Delta has so many flights in and out of Atlanta, even if there’s a problem (like a weather delay, mechanical issue, or a missed connection), there’s usually a different way we can get to our destination. Delta just generally runs a good airline, at least in our eyes.
Of course, Delta’s not immune to meltdowns, as seen in the Crowdflare fiasco in 2024.
While Delta wasn’t the airline we flew the most in 2024, our flights were uneventful. Our experience gave us no reason to drop Delta from the top spot.
2. JetBlue (Unchanged)
JetBlue keeps its #2 spot in our ranking this year.
It helps that JetBlue now flies from the brand-new Terminal C in Orlando. Our JetBlue flights to the New York area have been great, even if the airline doesn’t use their newest planes on these routes.
JetBlue tries to do things that make the onboard experience pleasant. You get free Wi-Fi at every seat on all of their planes. They’re upgrading all their older planes to have up-to-date media screens with DIRECTV and SiriusXM radio. They’ve also said they will add first class seats to planes without a Mint cabin.
3. Alaska (Unchanged)
I want to fly with Alaska more. I feel that if we did, they’d rank even higher. We’ve taken a few flights with them over the years and have been pleasantly surprised by the airline. Alaska is based in the Northwestern US, and they only fly to Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego from Orlando, which is why our experiences with them are fairly limited. Many people who fly with Alaska tend to love their customer service, lounges, and loyalty program (and frequent flyers LIKING a loyalty program is rare). So, while we don’t fly with Alaska often, I rank them at #3 because if we have the chance, I’m likely to fly with them over other airlines.
4. Southwest (Up from #5)
Southwest makes a comeback to #4 after two years of sliding in the rankings. While they’ve had their issues, it seems they’re addressing many of the concerns that caused them to stumble.
The biggest change on the horizon is the transition from open seating to assigned seating. For years, Southwest’s unique boarding system allowed passengers to pick their seats based on boarding order—but this often led to confusion and frustration. With assigned seating, Southwest hopes to streamline the boarding process and eliminate much of the tension. It won’t happen overnight, and there’s always a chance the rollout could be messy, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Southwest still has other selling points, like its Transfarency® policy, which ensures no hidden fees. They’re the only airline that allows two free checked bags for all passengers, which is a rarity in the industry nowadays. Their onboard experience, while not luxurious, is solid. Southwest planes don’t have IFE screens but offer free movies and live TV streaming via their Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi, now priced at $8 per segment (a shift from $8 per day), is still reasonable compared to other airlines.
While their fares are no longer consistently the lowest, Southwest continues to offer good value for travelers who appreciate simplicity, transparency, and the ability to check bags for free.
5. United (Down from #4)
United drops a spot this year, mainly due to Southwest’s improvements. While we didn’t fly United in 2024, our experiences from 2023 haven’t changed. United is one of the largest U.S. carriers, but their routes don’t usually match our needs. Operational reliability has improved, but they’re still not as consistent as Delta or as customer-focused as JetBlue. Overall, United is a solid, middle-of-the-road option—neither amazing nor terrible. If they offered more flights that suited us, they might have stayed higher, but for now, Southwest edges them out.
6. American (unchanged)
American remains in the #6 spot this year. Our only flights with American in 2024 were to Austin, with one connection on a flight to Las Vegas. However, now that American has dropped flights to Austin, it’s unlikely we’ll fly with them much in 2025.
We’ve had bad experiences with AA’s employees (remember the “Your bag is too big for the overhead” incident Sharon experienced), but we’ve adjusted our expectations and how we pack before getting on one of their planes. I also find American to have some of the least comfortable economy seats among major U.S. airlines. Since I need to pay extra for a Main Cabin Extra seat to make the flight more comfortable, they’re staying in the same position in the rankings—though they could easily drop further.
7. Spirit (Unchanged)
I flew with Spirit again this year, and it only reinforced my opinion from my first trip with them. While I didn’t get to fly in the Big Front Seat this time, I did score an exit row, which made the five-hour flight from Las Vegas to Orlando much more bearable.
We’ve now reached the point where we actually include Spirit in our flight searches, which is a big shift from when we wouldn’t have considered them an option at all.
8. Frontier (Unchanged)
Sharon flew with Frontier once this year, and based on that experience, our opinion of the airline remains unchanged. As expected, it was a no-frills experience, and that’s exactly what we got. The seats don’t recline, and there’s no functional tray table to work on.
While Frontier often promotes low fares, the reality is that when you add essentials like a carry-on bag and possibly a checked bag, the ticket price increases by around $50 each way—and, since they lowered their maximum baggage weight, possibly more.
Frontier has also introduced economy, premium, and business fare options that bundle common add-ons, making the ticket-purchasing process feel more like other airlines.
9. Allegiant (Unchanged)
Allegiant rounds out our list. For us, it’s an airline we’d rather avoid for several reasons, which I’ve detailed in a separate post.
Final Thoughts
And that’s our updated ranking for 2024. We’ve excluded some airlines with limited route networks, like Hawaiian, Sun Country, and Silver Airways, from this list. Our rankings are based on Sharon’s and my preferences: we value reliability, a good flight experience, and minimal hassle. A dependable airline with schedules that fit our needs matters more than finding the cheapest fare or chasing frequent flyer status. Your priorities may differ, and that’s okay.
2024 confirmed a few things for us: we are happy to find that flying with Spirit wasn’t as bad as we once thought, and Southwest has straightened the ship and is finally dealing with the problems from their boarding process. Frontier is also a more acceptable option, marking a notable shift in how we view low-cost carriers. And American is now an airline I’ll only consider if we’re trying to burn AAdvantage miles and knowing that I’ll need to purchase a better seat.
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