Delta Airlines has unseated Alaska Airlines as the nation’s best carrier, in an annual ranking by The Points Guy.
The travel news website’s third annual list runs down the nation’s major carriers from best to worst, based on a number of factors, including timeliness, customer satisfaction, pricing, comfort, cancellations, and lost baggage.
Frontier Airlines ranked last on the 2019 list, falling five spots from last year.
While Alaska held the top spot for the last two years in The Points Guy rankings, it fell to second place this year. Delta, which was third in 2018, stepped up its game, arriving on time nearly 93% of the time and rarely bumping passengers, to capture top honors. Southwest came in third.
“It’s been a milestone year for aviation in America, and this report directly reflects the changes in the industry and consumer preferences with shake-ups in our top rankings,” said Brian Kelly, CEO and founder of The Points Guy, in a statement. “Our team has worked tirelessly to create this preeminent resource for ranking domestic airlines based on what matters to travelers now.”
Hawaiian airlines shows the biggest comeback this year, climbing four places to fifth place. Timeliness of flights helped fuel that increase.
Frontier, meanwhile, saw one out of four planes delayed and a high number of customer complaints, perhaps due to the high number of passengers bumped from planes or because its flight attendants take tips.
Here’s a complete look at the list:
- Delta
- Alaska
- Southwest
- United
- Hawaiian
- American
- JetBlue
- Allegiant
- Spirit
- Frontier