Planning to fly in 2024? America’s best and worst airlines ranked

If you are making plans to travel in 2024 then you are going to want to check out this gallery! Click on to discover the best and worst American airlines.

The cost of flights has been skyrocketing since the end of the pandemic but that hasn’t really been stopping anyone from booking their next vacation. Yet the price of your ticket isn’t the only thing you should be considering when you travel this year…

Which airline isn’t going to lose your luggage or force you to endure hours or even days of delays without compensation or assistance are also important things to think about. 

With that in mind, the personal finance website WalletHub decided to rank eleven of the largest American airlines to see which ones came out on top and which ones were left in the dust by their competitors, and the final answers might actually surprise you.

WalletHub looked at fourteen different metrics that included things like price, delays, legroom, canceled flights, mishandled baggage reports, animal incidents, and entertainment options, and gave each of the eleven airlines a score out of 100. 

Other important metrics examined included complimentary refreshments. injuries and accidents, Wi-Fi availability, animal-related incidents, fatal injuries, and fleet age. So who was the best and who was the worst? 

Delta came in first with the highest final score in relation to any of its competitors at 66.76. The airline had the lowest number of cancellations, delays, denied boardings, and mishandled baggage reports.

Spirit came in a close second to Delta with a final score of 66.57. You wouldn’t think America’s low-cost carrier would fare so well but the budget airline's rock-bottom prices are what propelled it to the number two spot. 

Skyway Airlines is a regional carrier you've probably never heard of but it proved itself to be exceptional with a final score of 63.71, which means if you see them pop up on your next Google Flights search then they might be worth your booking. 

United wasn't a leader in any of the fourteen categories but the airline did do an all-around good job at everything, which is how it earned the number four spot with a final score of 62.83. 

Alaska proved to be one of America’s most pet-friendly airlines so you might want to consider them the next time you need to fly around the country with your dog. Netting a final score of 59.03, Alaska turned out to be a solid middling choice for anyone looking for a flight.

Hawaiian had a pretty low rate of denied boardings and WalletHub gave the airline the highest score in that metric with a 14.91 out of 15. But that wasn’t enough to push the regional carrier to the top of the list and they earned a very okay final score of 57.14. 

Despite being ranked the best airline for comfort and in-flight experience,  JetBlue was ranked near the bottom of the list because they’re apparently really bad for mishandling luggage and canceling flights. The airline only got a final score of 55.46. 

Envoy Air, most commonly known for operating American Airlines' American Eagle brand, was ranked the safest of the eleven airlines in the ranking but they performed poorly nearly everywhere else and only achieved a final score of 52.25. 

We bet you thought you’d see American high on the list but it turns out the airline is pretty bad no matter which way you look at them. They got a final score of 47.06 but that wasn't enough to make them the worst company to fly with on WalletHub’s ranking. 

It turns out that America’s second cheapest budget airline is also it's second worst… Frontier only got a final score of 45.13 and performed poorly when it came to delays and cancellations. Still, they were nowhere near as bad as America’s worst airline, Southwest. 

That’s right, Southwest came in dead last with an atrocious final score of 23.39 and performed badly in every single category. So next time you’re looking to book, maybe pony up a little extra cash to avoid this seemingly terrible airline!