(NewsNation) — The rankings are in, and for a fourth consecutive year, Delta has been named the No. 1 airline in America by The Points Guy.
TPG ranked airlines in the United States from best to worst according to criteria, including customer satisfaction, cabin comfort and on-time records, according to a news release.
“As travel restrictions were lifted around the world and more people returned to traveling, airlines faced a mountain of challenges this year from labor shortages to unfortunate delays making it a difficult year for air travel,” said Brian Kelly, Founder of The Points Guy. “In the face of these challenges, our team has worked tirelessly to create this invaluable resource that will help travelers make educated decisions when booking their next domestic getaway.”
Southwest Airlines, which has grown into one of the largest low-cost carriers worldwide, came in at No. 2 on TPG’s rankings. United, American and Alaska rounded out the top 5.
At the other end, Spirit Airlines ranked No. 10, dropping from eighth place in last year’s report. The airline is set to be acquired by JetBlue in a deal announced last month.
Here’s the full rankings:
- Delta Air Lines
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- American Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Frontier Airlines
- Allegiant Air
- Spirit Airlines
According to TPG’s analysis, Delta saw the fewest customer complaints this year with just 1.25 complaints for every 100,000 passengers. They also only bumped two passengers out of more than 127 million Delta flyers in 2021.
Hawaiian Airlines ranked the highest in reliability, Southwest won for affordable fares, and United earned top marks for frequent flyers.
The rankings come as flyers are facing severe summer travel woes. Inflation and high gas prices sent ticket prices skyrocketing, and travelers have been plagued by delays and cancellations.
Travel bounced back faster than expected from pandemic lows — to about 88% of pre-pandemic levels in July — and airlines weren’t able to increase staffing fast enough. They have been cutting back on schedules in an attempt to make remaining flights more reliable.
