Airline Satisfaction is Up, According to JD Power

With all the chatter around airline and general flying woes, you’d think the attitude toward air travel was mostly negative. However, according to a recent study from JD Power, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The JD Power 2026 North America Airline Satisfaction Study found, year over year, airline passenger satisfaction scores have risen by eight points in 2026. The greatest increases in satisfaction were found among passengers flying in first or business class. Improvements were noted in the onboard experience, day of travel pre-board and post-flight experience, and perception of value for price paid. When ranking individual airlines in terms of passenger satisfaction, Southwest Airlines came out on top, followed by Delta Air Lines.

“Despite many challenges, the airlines returned to basics of passenger communication, friendly service and providing slightly better value for money compared to past years,” explained Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service, JD Power. “The big question now is how long that can continue. With airfare prices for some routes tripling over the past few weeks and baggage fees increasing to cover rising fuel costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult for airlines to continue to drive the high levels of customer satisfaction in this year’s study.”