It’s Your Turn to Share Your Own Best US Airlines in 2018
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Last week we released our annual rankings of the best and worst US airlines for 2018. As with all of our TPG reports, we based our criteria and results entirely on objective data, using numbers gleamed from sources ranging from the Department of Transportation to financial reports to airline websites. Here’s what our own results looked like for 2018:
For the second year in a row, Alaska Airlines took the top spot — and for the second year in a row, no one really complained. However, unlike last year when United came in at #2, this year Southwest and Delta jumped ahead to snag the second and third spots respectively, a result that generated a great deal less controversy than United did coming in second in our last study.
If there was any portion of the list that readers took issue with, it was the airlines down toward the bottom, as JetBlue at #9 and Hawaiian at #9 rubbed some people the wrong way. Both airlines were hampered by the smaller size of their respective route networks, but also suffered by scoring low in additional criteria as well — Hawaiian in airfare, JetBlue in on-time arrivals, as well as other areas.
As always, readers who don’t like the weightings of our criteria can adjust the numbers to their own liking using the interactive tool in our story. So if cost doesn’t matter as much to you, you could reduce that from the default of 25% of the score to 15% and see which airlines take top honors in that scenario.
But perhaps you’re not interested in the hard numbers and just have a favorite airline of your own. If that’s the case, we’d like to hear which one it is. Visit our Facebook page (or use the embedded poll below) to choose what you personally think is the best US airline.
You only get one vote, so choose wisely, and we’ll publish the full results in a forthcoming post.
Featured photo by Chris Sattlberger/Getty Images
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,650
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Plus earn up to $50 in statement credits towards grocery store purchases within your first year of account opening.
- Earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories.
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.