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Usually, Americans have two options at their fingertips: legacy airlines or budget airlines. Throw in a third for private and semi-private airlines, if you’re bougie.
We’re concerned first with price, reliability, rewards programs, and things like seat size and pitch.
Usually, our preferences are guided by experience.
But that doesn’t mean the rankings for best, worst, safest, and other superlatives don’t shift. Every flight matters, and some airlines have gone above and beyond to start a clean slate. (Looking at you, Spirit Airlines!)
Looking for a shortcut on the best airlines in 2025? Let’s dig into WalletHub’s official rankings, which are based on price, safety ratings, delays, baggage handling, pet travel, and more.
At a glance: best airlines in 2025 according to WalletHub
- Best airline overall: Spirit Airlines (weighted from all other scores)
- Most affordable: Spirit Airlines
- Most reliable: Delta Air Lines
- Most comfortable: JetBlue Airways & Hawaiian Airlines
- Best for pets: United Airlines, Skywest Airlines, & Envoy Air
- Safest overall: Spirit Airlines
The official rankings for best airlines in 2025
Most affordable: Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines gives you plenty of bang for your buck. In fact, though Spirit tends to be the brunt of many airline jokes, they famously saved me from missing a wedding when American Airlines was in a flight-cancelling frenzy. For $200, Spirit Airlines got me from Miami to New Orleans at the very last minute.
For budget flyers, Spirit Airlines remains unbeaten. Its bare fares won’t make you feel like you’re in a spa by any stretch of the imagination, but when you need the get from Point A to Point B without clearing out your bank account, Spirit Airlines is there.
Frontier and SkyWest placed behind Spirit Airlines in terms of budget rankings. I’ve also had great experiences with Frontier Airlines booking last-minute save-me flights.
Most reliable: Delta Air Lines
Delta reported the fewest incidents of delays, cancelled flights, mishandled luggage, and denied boarding. I can personally vouch for Delta, which is my preferred legacy airline.
On a recent trip between Saint Louis, Missouri, and Barcelona, Spain, my luggage was misplaced during a layover at Atlanta. Without a single call, text, or message from me, Delta righted the mishap and had my luggage on the next flight into Saint Louis.
That’s a big deal for two reasons. One, Delta likely wasn’t responsible for the mishap; airport ground crews handle luggage, not airlines. Two, it took a huge weight off my shoulders to know the situation was being handled, as I could remotely track my luggage.
JetBlue, United, and Hawaiian Airlines placed next in terms of reliability, respectively.
Most comfortable: JetBlue Airways & Hawaiian Airlines
If you read my piece on seat pitch and width, you might already know the answer: thanks to those slightly-larger seats (including in economy), JetBlue is the comfiest airline serving Americans. But that’s not all.
Wallethub’s comfort ratings also take into consideration in-flight amenities like free snacks and beverages, extra legroom, and Wi-Fi. For almost ten years running, JetBlue has put on a master class of getting cozy at 35,000 feet.
In the WalletHub study, Hawaiian Airlines was a close second, followed by Alaska Airlines, respectively.
Best for pets: United Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, & Envoy Air
No matter how comfortable you are flying with your pet, it’s always worth it to book with airlines that have experience with handling pets.
If you’re digging into the WalletHub study, their pet-friendly metrics are a little confusing. Just know: the higher the animal incidents, the more successful the airline was in transporting pets.
United, SkyWest, and Envoy Air have closed out the last few years with sterling pet care—including animals transported in cargo.
Safest overall: Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines placed first in terms of safety, followed closely by Frontier Airlines—which are also the most affordable airlines, for those keeping track. To rank safety, WalletHub took into consideration things like fatal injuries, aviation accidents, and fleet age.
Despite shelling out some of the cheapest tickets in the air travel world, Spirit and Frontier come out ahead thanks to fewer incidents that led to less injuries. Importantly, they also have slightly younger fleets than some legacy airlines. Though you’re flying cheap, you’re also flying safe.
