If you’re new to WalletHub, it’s a financial resources platform that helps you do things like check your credit score, budget your money, and more. It’s also a consistent resource for travelers thanks to its data-driven studies.
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The company takes a fine-toothed comb to important travel data to rank the travel companies, programs, and groups that influence how we explore the world. Last year, I covered WalletHub’s rankings for the best airlines of 2025.
It’s time to do the same for this year’s top airlines.
Ready to see which airlines stack up in WalletHub’s data-driven study of the top US airlines? The first-place finisher might surprise you.
Best airlines in 2026, according to WalletHub
Before I list out the winners, let’s cover the rankings. WalletHub analyzed the largest US carriers across 16 metrics. These metrics include things like lost baggage reports, seat pitch and width, and cancellation and delay rates.
In short, WalletHub analyzes the most important factors that influence our experience with air travel—starting with operational logistics and ending with extras like comfort. However, importantly, costs and fees aren’t taken into consideration, as in-flight fees are often influenced by whether or not an airline offers cheaper tickets.
Here are the results for the best airlines in 2026:
- Spirit Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- SkyWest Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Delta Air Lines
- American Airlines
- Frontier Airlines
- United Airlines
- Envoy Air
I was a little surprised to see Spirit Airlines take the top spot for a second year in a row, given its reputation in the US as a Ryanair-style budget airline. Personally, I’ve had wonderful experiences with Spirit—they even saved the day, helping me book a last-minute flight to a wedding after American Airlines marooned me in Miami for the night.
Aside from the overall rankings, which are determined by a points-based system based on WalletHub’s 16 metrics, there are separate rankings for different categories. Once again, Spirit Airlines has come out ahead as a viable option.
Here are WalletHub’s category rankings for top airlines in the US in 2026:
- Best airline overall: Spirit Airlines
- Most affordable airline: Spirit Airlines
- Most reliable airline: Spirit Airlines
- Most comfortable airline: JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, & Southwest Airlines
- Best airline for pets: SkyWest Airlines & Envoy Air
- Safest airline: Frontier Airlines
If you want to dig deeper into how the category rankings were determined, dive into the full WalletHub study.
