Spirit and Frontier.Carlos Yudica/Marcus Mainka/Shutterstock
- Frontier was named the worst US airline in 2023 by claims management company AirAdvisor.
- Spirit, another low-cost airline, was ranked the second-worst on the list.
AirAdvisor, a Boston, Massachusetts-based claims-management company, published its first-ever top 10 US airlines rankings on July 20. The company analyzed data from January 2022 until May this year.
AirAdvisor evaluated airlines on a ten-point scale based on nine criteria: reliability, comfort, safety, price, customer reputation, airline lounges, professional reviews, family travel, and traveling with pets. The overall score is taken from the average of the individual criteria scores.
"The result: analyzing nearly 1 million reviews, over 5 million flights, and 25 different individual factors," AirAdvisor said in its press release.
At the top of the list: Delta Airlines, which had an average score of 7.67, was crowned the best US airline.
But two popular airlines — Frontier and Spirit — were ranked at the bottom of the list, with overall scores of 3.22 and 4.11, respectively.
Insider has included the scores of each airline in three criteria — safety, comfort, and reliability — as these are some of the most important factors for passengers when flying with airlines.
Take a look at how US airlines rank in 2023, according to AirAdvisor. Entrants are arranged in ascending order of their overall scores.
10. Frontier Airlines
A Frontier Airlines plane parked at an airport. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
9. Spirit Airlines
Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock
Safety: 7
Comfort: 3
Reliability: 3
Overall score: 4.11
Spirit is a Florida-based low-cost airline. The airline offers flights to domestic and international destinations. It's certified as a three-star airline by Skytrax.
Spirit's recent reviews have also skewed negatively. It has an average rating of two out of 10 from 4,968 reviews on Skytrax's customer reviews site.
One passenger who flew with Spirit in July commented his flight from Detroit to Las Vegas was delayed by over nine hours.
Another passenger who flew with the airline in July said the boarding staff is "so incredibly rude" and provided "abysmal" service.
8. Allegiant Air
REUTERS/Michael Fiala
7. Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 takes off from Hollywood Burbank Airport/ AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images
6. JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways "hops" livery. JetBlue Airways
5. American Airlines
Getty Images
Safety: 7
Comfort: 8
Reliability: 7
Overall score: 6.78
American is a Texas-based airline. The airline offers flights to domestic and international destinations. It's certified as a three-star airline by Skytrax.
American's recent reviews are negative. It has an average score of two out of 10 from 5,677 reviews on Skytrax's customer reviews site.
One passenger who flew with American this month said it has "poor customer service" and that his flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, was delayed. Another passenger who flew with American in July said it was "the experience" he's ever had and that the airline only served him two meals instead of three during an international flight.
4. Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 in flight. AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor/ GC Images
3. United Airlines
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
2. Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
1. Delta Airlines
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
Safety: 2
Comfort: 10
Reliability: 10
Overall score: 7.67
Delta is an Atlanta-based airline certified as a three-star airline by Skytrax. The airline offers flights to domestic and international destinations.
Despite its top ranking, Delta's recent reviews have been negative. The airline has an average rating of four out of 10 from 2,855 reviews on Skytrax's customer reviews site.
One passenger who flew with the airline in July said on Skytrax his mother's luggage was mishandled, and they were offered a flight credit valid only for a year. Another passenger who flew first class with Delta in July said the food was terrible, and the flight attendant gave her an "attitude."