JD Power Names Best Airlines of the Year

Flying is stressful enough as is. If you can make the experience even slightly more enjoyable, why wouldn’t you? You can possibly do so by flying with one of North America’s best airlines. As it does every year, J.D. Power ranked North America’s airlines by customer satisfaction to gauge which are the best in the biz.

According to the J.D. Power 2024 North American Airline Satisfaction Study, for economy and basic-economy trips, Southwest Airlines ranks highest in customer satisfaction, followed by Delta Air Lines and Allegiant Air. For premium-economy travel, Delta Air Lines ranks first, followed by Alaska Airlines and American Airlines. For business- or first-class travel, Delta Air Lines ranks first as well, followed by JetBlue Airways.

The study ranks airlines based on passenger satisfaction in an array of areas, including airline staff, ease of travel, value for price paid, pre- and post-flight experience, and more. Among these factors, though, J.D. Power reported consumers cared most about the in-flight experience and airline staff.

“There are many aspects to the overall air travel experience that airlines cannot control, but one area in which they can profoundly influence is the positive effect that airline staff has on passengers,” said Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service, J.D. Power. “The big takeaway from this year’s study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience. Airlines that are investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers.”