As the summer comes to a close travel is on our minds, and whether that be last minute summer travel or upcoming holiday travel we of course want to make sure we’re hopping on a flight that runs smoothly.
Lucky for us, luggage storage company Bounce looked at 10 of the largest airlines in the U.S. to determine the best domestic airline (thankfully take the guessing game out of it for us).
Their study was based on a number of factors including:
- On-time arrivals
- Cancellations
- Flights
- Meal score
- In-flight entertainment score
- Seat comfort score
- Staff service score
- Free carry-on allowance
- Free checked domestic allowance
- Free checked international allowance
- Complaints per 100 passengers
Based on their data, Delta Air Lines ranked as the highest-rated domestic airline in the U.S. with a score of 6.05, climbing up the ranking from fourth place compared to last year.
Delta recorded the highest % of on-time arrivals at 81.82% and one of the lowest cancellation rates at 1.96%. Delta Airlines also recorded the highest scores for its in-flight experience, earning a 3 out of 5 for its in-flight entertainment, meals, seat comfort, and staff service. It also recorded the lowest level of passenger complaints at just 2.66 per 100. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta operates over 1.5 million flights each year to destinations all over the United States, making it one of the largest airlines in the country.
Last year’s study named Hawaiian Airlines the highest-rated domestic airline in the U.S., though they dropped to third place this year following a 0.50-point decrease to 5.14 from 5.64.
The second-highest-ranked domestic airline last year, Alaska Airlines, also dropped in the ranking this year, falling two spots to fourth place with a score of 4.94 compared to 5.18 last year.
On the flip side, Southwest Airlines’ score increased by 0.56 points from 5.00 to 5.56 this year, climbing from third place to second in this year’s index.
Overall, the top 10 ranked U.S. domestic airlines can be seen in the table below:
So, for all your upcoming domestic holiday travel it looks like Delta is the way to go.
However, if you’re looking to travel a bit further, NYers are now able to fly directly to London, St. Kitts, and Rome!