Best Airlines Report 2026: Delta edges out rivals to win for 8th straight year

Ready or not, summer is here. And the year's busiest rush at airports comes on the heels of an especially topsy-turvy stretch for air travel.

In the last few months alone, we've seen mass security backups, skyrocketing airfare and the biggest collapse of a U.S. airline in decades.

For passengers preparing to book a flight, it has made some questions more important than ever: Which airline is most likely to get you to your destination? Which airline is the most affordable? And which airline is, quite simply, the best?

Once again in 2026, the TPG team set out to answer those questions (and many others) as we crunched the numbers on thousands of datapoints to crown the champion of our annual Best Airlines Report.

And it's a familiar name in the top spot.

Delta Air Lines continued its remarkable run atop our airline rankings thanks to its usual sterling on-time record in 2025, along with a standout end-to-end travel experience — from airport lounge to airplane cabin.

What we changed

This year, as passengers have faced surging ticket prices, higher add-on fees and worries about whether geopolitical strife could lead to their flights being canceled, we gave more credit than ever to the price travelers pay, and to the schedule and routes airlines offer.

Here's how the rankings shook out:

5 big things to know: TPG's Best Airlines of 2026

• Delta wins again: The airline has now topped our airline rankings for the better part of the decade. It's a testament to the consistent travel experience Delta has maintained, from the hallmark reliability it's had through the years — to its policies, lounge network and on-board amenities.

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• A tight leaderboard: It was a photo finish for the next three spots in our rankings. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Air Group (comprised of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines) each had a legitimate chance of winning. In fact, our metrics show United could have won if it weren't for one score that dragged down its report card.

• Hot and cold: American Airlines might've been our biggest "up and down" carrier in this year's report, turning in the industry's worst cancellation rate but winning our loyalty category thanks in large part to the strong value of its AAdvantage miles.

• No more Spirit: In past years, we've ranked 10 U.S. carriers. This year, there are only eight listed. We were knee-deep in compiling data for this report when Spirit Airlines collapsed. It left a clear void for travelers: Our analysis shows Spirit was the second-most affordable airline in America last year.

• Alaska + Hawaiian = Alaska Air Group: While Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines continue to fly as separate brands after merging in 2024, we evaluated them as one combined airline; this includes using data from their shared Atmos Rewards loyalty program, which is a favorite of points-savvy flyers.

Read more: How TPG determines the best airline

Reliability

We weigh reliability more heavily than any other category in our annual airline rankings. This section measures how well each of the largest U.S. airlines accomplishes the basics: getting you (and your belongings) to your destination, and getting you there on time.

Congress sure didn't make things easy for airlines in 2025. Remember that weekslong government shutdown last fall? Airlines were required to cancel flights at many of the nation's busiest airports.

It showed.

Across the airline industry, flight cancellations in 2025 were up about 15% from 2024, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.

In the end, three carriers clearly stood ahead of the proverbial "pack" when it came to reliability:

• Delta, which had standout numbers again in 2025 (despite some slippage more recently).
• Southwest, whose third-place finish in our rankings was due in large part to its strong operational performance.
• And Allegiant, the largely unsung budget carrier that won this all-important category.

Known for connecting underserved U.S. cities to popular leisure spots, Allegiant certainly doesn't have the bells, whistles, big-city service or loyalty program to match its much larger competitors. And, its network is far simpler — nonstop service, no connecting passengers (or bags) to manage.

Still, the airline's reliability speaks for itself.

How the airlines ranked for reliability (30% of overall score):

Baggage

Think about how a missed three-point shot can lose a game, or how a swing state loss can tip an election.

That might've been the story for United in our report this year.

Our data shows that the Chicago-based carrier could have been crowned the best airline in the U.S. this year if it hadn't turned in the industry's highest rate of mishandled bags, as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

American, which was second-worst in this category, technically mishandled more bags than United did. But American also handled way more total bags overall, DOT data showed — and United mishandled luggage at a higher rate in 2025, a clear opportunity for our overall runner-up going forward.

Read more: Tips for summer travel after flight cancellations hit 3-year high

Handling of wheelchairs, scooters and mobility devices

This year's champion, Delta, turned in the industry's lowest rate of mishandled wheelchairs, scooters and mobility devices.

The airline has also been on the front lines, in recent years, of developing new and innovative ways for passengers with disabilities to fly with comfort and dignity.

Involuntary bumps

One of the most striking findings in our report concerned passengers who were involuntarily bumped from a flight.

Keep in mind that this remains a very rare occurrence overall. That said, a couple of U.S. airlines are doing it a lot more than others.

Over the past year, DOT data shows American and Frontier combined to bump more than 22,000 passengers. Delta and Allegiant combined to (involuntarily) bump ... zero.

Some important context: Delta had more voluntary bumps last year than any other airline, which is essentially when an airline incentivizes a passenger to give up their seat.

Last-place again

Frontier has been a perpetual last-place finisher in our rankings, due in large part to its reliability challenges.

Could improvement be on the horizon? The budget airline's CEO recently declared its past struggles "not acceptable."

Experience

Our experience category was where Delta's strength — and consistency — stood front and center.

Interestingly, the Atlanta-based carrier didn't rank first in any of the "experience" metrics we examined. But it was close to the best in each and every one of them.

How the airlines ranked for travel experience (20% of overall score):

Lounges

This year, we overhauled how we evaluate airlines' lounges.

We wanted to know which lounge network truly offers travelers the best bang for their buck by looking at access rules, guest policies, and the annual credit card fees required to enter. We also tallied up how many clubs — and partner lounges — each airline has domestically and abroad.

According to our new formula, American's Admirals Clubs led the way for 2026, followed closely by Delta's Sky Clubs. The United Club network ranked third.

Read more: Which US airlines offer the best lounge access policies for travelers?

Cabin features

JetBlue continued its long run as the best U.S. airline when it comes to economy cabin features, with its trademark seatback screens and generous legroom in coach.

Inflight Wi-Fi

However, JetBlue's competitors have closed its long-running lead on inflight Wi-Fi. After years of being the only carrier to offer on-board internet for free, most major airlines have slashed Wi-Fi fees as part of what has become the industry's hottest new loyalty perk.

Cost and reach

What travelers will pay to fly in 2026 is top of mind, as soaring jet fuel costs have led to surging airfare and higher add-on fees.

Meanwhile, geopolitical uncertainty has made nonstop flight options more important than ever.

That's why our "cost and reach" category counts for more in 2026, and now stands at 25% of an airline's overall score.

Despite ending its popular "bags fly free" policy last year, Southwest again led the way in this category thanks to the strength of its domestic route network and its continued affordability (on fares and overall fees) relative to its peers.

How the airlines ranked for cost and reach (25% of overall score):

Reach

American and United received "silver" and "gold" in our cost and reach category, respectively, thanks primarily to the "reach" portion of this section.

In 2026, we gave credit not just to how many cities an airline touched but also the overall scale of their network (via a key industry statistic known as "Available Seat Miles," or "ASMs," for the AvGeeks among us).

American had the most robust domestic network of any carrier in 2026, according to data provided to TPG from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

United, meanwhile, continues to offer the U.S. airline industry's most expansive (and certainly most creative) international map.

Affordability

If there's one area where budget airlines shine, it's affordability.

And despite its challenges elsewhere, our review of federal data shows Frontier offered the most affordable ticket prices in the industry last year.

Here's the sad part: Spirit was a close second, a sobering reminder of the critical competition that left the airline industry when its planes stopped flying last month.

Delta and United, which have gone all-in on "premium" in recent years, ranked as the two least affordable airlines in 2025.

Ancillary fees

Of course, budget airlines will hit your wallet with their add-on fees. Unsurprisingly, Frontier passengers paid the most for "extras" such as baggage and ticket changes.

It's worth watching how Southwest ranks in fees next year. The carrier reported only half a year's worth of bag-fee data to the government, since its baggage fees technically launched in late May 2025.

Either way, expect airlines to collect more fees from you this year after nearly every major carrier hiked baggage fees in recent months amid surging jet fuel costs.

Loyalty

Closest to our hearts here at TPG is our annual "loyalty" portion of this report, which pits the major carriers' points, miles, credit cards and frequent flyer perks against one another.

This year, American narrowly edged out United to win this key category for avid travelers.

How the airlines ranked for loyalty (25% of overall score):

A big reason for American's win was the value of its AAdvantage miles, which continue to rank at the top of TPG's monthly valuations.

That said, we continue to see some of the best redemptions in the airline industry through Atmos Rewards, the new shared loyalty program of Alaska and Hawaiian. It's a valuable program to consider even for travelers who don't fly with either carrier.

The value of miles was one of the weaker categories for our overall winner, Delta; Delta SkyMiles are valued at about 1.2 cents apiece, according to our June valuations.

Frequent flyer

United's MileagePlus program, meanwhile, led the way when it came to overall frequent flyers perks, thanks in part to the bevy of partners it has through the Star Alliance, such as Air Canada, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

Bottom line

Delta has topped TPG's Best Airlines rankings an incredible eight straight years. It's a credit to the airline's long-running operational strength and the end-to-end experience it has created for passengers.

Will the airline extend its winning streak to nine years in 2027?

All signs point to United being a formidable foe once again. If Southwest bolsters its offerings with lounges (as rumored) don't be surprised if it makes a run at the top spot.

Plus, Delta will likely need to return to its historically strong on-time performance — and overcome a shakier start to 2026 — to hold the mantle as the best U.S. airline in 2027.

But if history is any indication, it will be a force to be reckoned with when we crunch the numbers again in one year.

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• Spirit is gone. Can the other budget airlines survive?