Sky High: America's 10 Best Airlines

Summer air travel is always stressful, but this year promises to be a little more difficult than usual. A fleet of 350 Boeing 737 Max jets has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) owing to a software flaw. According to Consumer Reports, that could mean up to 40,000 fewer available seats per day at major airlines like Southwest and American until the issue is resolved.

With more flights reaching capacity, comfort and convenience in air travel is more important than ever. Personal finance site WalletHub crunched numbers to evaluate the overall quality of the nine major airlines as well as three regional carriers, rating them according to 2018 airline data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. And it's not just about cheap tickets. 

WalletHub used a points system methodology to score each airline across four main categories: baggage handling and departures, animal safety, passenger comfort, and overall safety. Baggage handling and departures, including canceled flights and delays, was worth a total of 50 points. Safety was worth 30. Passenger comfort, 15. Pet handling, five. (The total maximum score was 100, but this being the airline industry, that would be a lofty goal for any company to meet.)  Here's how they ranked America's 10 best airlines:

1. Alaska Airlines

1. Delta Air Lines

1. SkyWest Airlines

1. Spirit Airlines

1. ExpressJet Airlines

1. Hawaiian Airlines

1. United Airlines

1. JetBlue Airways

1. Southwest Airlines

1. American Airlines

Alaska Airlines came in first for overall passenger satisfaction, though other airlines in the list ranked higher in individual categories. The site found Delta to be the most reliable overall, with the highest scores for baggage retention and on-time flights. JetBlue got the highest marks for in-flight comfort. Southwest and ExpressJet received the fewest number of consumer complaints.

Obviously, every individual’s experience will be different, but this should give you some idea of where airlines fall in terms of overall quality of service. And if your summer flight winds up getting delayed or canceled, remember that there are steps you can take, including inquiring about vouchers or approaching your credit card company for assistance.