These Are the Airlines Americans Hate the Most in the U.S.

For most Americans, air travel isn’t exactly synonymous with relaxation and luxury, and after taxpayers gave airlines a $54 million bailout during the pandemic, flying hit a new low.

Per Vice, consumer complaints about airline travel and airline performance quadrupled from 2019 to 2022, according to a report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Between unruly passengers and mass cancellations, a lot can — and does — go wrong on a regular basis.

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Although the high demand for air travel is increasing airlines’ revenue, customer satisfaction has continued to fall over the past year — and some carriers should be more worried about reputation damage than others, per a new study by data analytics firm J.D. Power reported by CBS News.

“While these drawbacks have not yet put a dent in leisure travel demand, if this trend continues, travelers will reach a breaking point and some airline brands may be damaged,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at data analytics firm J.D. Power, in a statement.

J.D. Power surveyed 7,774 passengers who flew commercially between March 2022 and March 2023, measuring their satisfaction based on how they rated certain criteria on a 1,000-point scale: making reservations, the check-in and boarding experiences, baggage handling, the quality of the aircraft and staff, in-flight services and costs and fees.

Related: Flight Attendant Hits ‘Unruly Passenger’ With Coffee Pot

Here’s what the findings revealed about Americans’ least favorite airlines in the U.S.

First/Business class

Best airlines

1. JetBlue Airways (893)
2. Delta Air Lines (865)
3. United Airlines (848)

Worst airlines

1. American Airlines (826)
2. Alaska Airlines (833)

Premium Economy

Best airlines

1. Delta Air Lines (848)
2. JetBlue Airways (840)
3. Alaska (823)

Worst airlines

1. United Airlines (784)
2. American Airlines (821)

Economy/Basic Economy

Best airlines

1. Southwest Airlines (827)
2. Delta Air Lines (801)
3. JetBlue Airways (800)

Worst airlines

1. Frontier Airlines (705)
2. Spirit Airlines (727)
3. American Airlines (764)