TPG’s 5th Annual Best Airlines Report

May 27, 2023

BEST US AIRLINES OF 2023

by Brian Kelly

People always ask me what the best airline is, but it’s impossible to answer off the top of my head because there are so many factors to judge. But at The Points Guy, we’ve tried to solve this by using data.

This is the fifth year we’ve released our annual best airlines report, and we’ve ranked the top 10 U.S. airlines using the following four categories and weighted scores:

Reliability (30%)
Experience (25%)
Cost and reach (20%)
Loyalty (25%)

For many people in the country, the best airline is the one that gets them where they need to go the quickest. In the U.S., our aviation system is organized around hub cities, so you’re generally going to fly the airline that is most convenient or the cheapest.

Here are this year’s rankings and how they compare to (2022).

Delta (1)
United (3)
Alaska (5)
American (4)
Southwest (2)
Hawaiian (6)
JetBlue (7)
Spirit (10)
Allegiant (9)
Frontier (8)

One key takeaway from this year’s report is that reliability is a huge factor these days, especially when we compare 2022 data — customer complaints were up 87.6% year over year. The data showed increases in involuntary bumps (up 87.45%), cancellations (up 54%) and mishandled bags (up 25%) — all of which demonstrate the ongoing struggle to meet the high demand for air travel. Meanwhile, prices per 1,000 passenger miles rose 22.67%.

As my dad always says, “Cheap is expensive.” So, while many of the low-cost carriers are the cheapest for airfare, they ranked near the bottom when it comes to customer satisfaction and handling.

This list is not meant to convince everyone to switch airlines, but rather to fairly evaluate the airlines using the same set of criteria. Significant takeaways this year were that Southwest — which has always performed very well — dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the rankings, and United Airlines went from No. 3 to No. 2.

So, while United is making huge investments and trying to catch up to Delta Air Lines (which took the top spot for the fifth year in a row), it still has a ways to go — mostly in terms of reliability and the passenger experience. United needs to be doing more with free Wi-Fi and inflight entertainment, while Delta clearly shines there.

At the end of the day, I like to see airlines competing for our business. If you want to see more, you can check out the “CBS Mornings” clip from earlier this week when I revealed this year’s rankings.

Have a great weekend,

BK

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