These Are the Airlines Americans Love (and Hate) the Most

Consumer spending is the backbone of the U.S. economy, and every year, a meaningful portion of a typical household budget goes towards non-essential items and experiences — such as jewelry, dining out, and entertainment. But a February 2025 survey conducted by the management consulting firm McKinsey found that Americans are more willing to splurge on travel than nearly every other sector.

24/7 Wall St. Key Points:

• Customer facing industries are often highly competitive, and air travel is no exception — particularly in an era of widespread economic uncertainty.
• Recent survey data measuring customer satisfaction suggests that some airlines are better positioned to maintain a solid customer base in the coming months than others.
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While these findings should have come as welcome news to the air travel industry, many of the biggest airlines in the U.S. are not especially optimistic. In times of economic uncertainty or hardship, non-essential consumer spending tends to contract. And according to the University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, consumer confidence has fallen for three consecutive months — from 71.1 points in January, to 64.7 points in February, to 57.9 points in March. Waning optimism is due in large part to economic uncertainty under President Donald Trump and widespread concerns over the impact his administration’s policies may have on inflation, the job market, and business conditions. (Here is a look at the Americans who are not happy with Trump’s handling of the economy.)

Shifts in public perception of the economy have broad implications for multiple industries, including air travel. Citing economic uncertainty, several major American airlines, including American, Delta, and United, cut earnings estimates in early March.

Air travel is a highly competitive industry in the best of times, but under current economic conditions, airlines may have to go above and beyond to continue to bring in business. According to the latest data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, some airlines appear better positioned to navigate current economic conditions than others.

Using data from the ACSI, 24/7 Wall St. identified the best and worst airlines in America. We ranked all nine major airline companies with available data on their average customer satisfaction score in 2023 and 2024. Supplementary data on on-time arrivals is from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

The airline industry as a whole had an overall customer satisfaction index score of 76.5 in 2023 in 2024. Among the nine airlines on this list, average scores range from 65.5 to 81.5.

The two lowest ranked airlines on this list are so-called budget airlines. Generally, these companies can offer lower ticket prices by cutting operating costs. However, this often results in fewer in-flight amenities and additional fees for services that would be complimentary on other airlines. Notably, however, there are other budget airlines on this list with customer satisfaction scores that are in line with, or higher than, the industry average.

Notably, the highest ranking airlines on this list are not necessarily those with the best track record of on-time arrivals. While getting customers to their destinations on time is the core of any airline’s business, customer perception is also based on a wide variety of additional factors. Indeed, each airline’s customer satisfaction index score comprises multiple benchmarks, such as the check-in process, interactions with the staff and flight crew, the range of offered flight schedules, as well as several measures of in-flight comfort — including availability of overhead storage, seating, and complimentary entertainment and refreshments. (Here is a look at the airlines with the best perks for business travelers.)

Why It Matters

In the current climate of growing economic pessimism and uncertainty, Americans are expected to cut back on discretionary spending. In this context, airlines will likely be forced to compete for business with a shrinking customer pool — and the companies that regularly meet or exceed traveler expectations may be better positioned to meet revenue targets than those that do not.

9. Spirit

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 65.5 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 67 in 2024, 64 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 72.0%
• Brand’s parent company: Spirit AeroSystems Holdings
• Corporate headquarters: Wichita, KS
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $6.3 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: -$1.8 billion
• Stock ticker: NYSE: SPR

8. Frontier

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 68.0 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 69 in 2024, 67 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 68.4%
• Brand’s parent company: Frontier Group Holdings
• Corporate headquarters: Denver, CO
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $3.8 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $58.0 million
• Stock ticker: Nasdaq: ULCC

7. United

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 76.0 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 75 in 2024, 77 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 78.3%
• Brand’s parent company: United Airlines Holdings
• Corporate headquarters: Chicago, IL
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $57.1 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $5.2 billion
• Stock ticker: Nasdaq: UAL

4. JetBlue

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 76.5 out of 100 (tied)
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 77 in 2024, 76 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 69.9%
• Brand’s parent company: JetBlue Airways Corporation
• Corporate headquarters: Long Island City, NY
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $9.3 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: -$93.0 million
• Stock ticker: Nasdaq: JBLU

4. Delta

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 76.5 out of 100 (tied)
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 77 in 2024, 76 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 82.2%
• Brand’s parent company: Delta Air Lines
• Corporate headquarters: Atlanta, GA
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $61.6 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $6.0 billion
• Stock ticker: NYSE: DAL

4. Allegiant

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 76.5 out of 100 (tied)
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 78 in 2024, 75 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 75.1%
• Brand’s parent company: Allegiant Travel Company
• Corporate headquarters: Las Vegas, NV
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $2.5 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $128.2 million
• Stock ticker: Nasdaq: ALGT

3. Southwest

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 78.0 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 78 in 2024, 78 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 77.9%
• Brand’s parent company: Southwest Airlines
• Corporate headquarters: Dallas, TX
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $27.5 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $321.0 million
• Stock ticker: NYSE: LUV

2. American

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 78.5 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 79 in 2024, 78 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 74.2%
• Brand’s parent company: American Airlines Group Inc.
• Corporate headquarters: Fort Worth, TX
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $54.2 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $3.2 billion
• Stock ticker: Nasdaq: AAL

1. Alaska

• 2-year average annual customer satisfaction index score: 81.5 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score by year: 82 in 2024, 81 in 2023
• Carrier flights that arrived on time in 2023 and 2024: 77.8%
• Brand’s parent company: Alaska Air Group, Inc.
• Corporate headquarters: Seattle, WA
• Corporate revenue in most recent available fiscal year: $11.7 billion
• Corporate operating profit in most recent available fiscal year: $915.0 million
• Stock ticker: NYSE: ALK

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