These Are the Best U.S. Airlines of 2021

The Points Guy just released its annual ranking.

Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

This year, airlines had more to contend with than just difficult customers. They had to deal with difficult customers and new safety regulations to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, as well as a sudden surge in travelers taking back to the skies. Some airlines were up to the challenge, keeping passengers happy and safe, while others took a nosedive in terms of customer satisfaction.

The Points Guy put together its annual list of the best airlines in the United States, looking at data based on flights operated from April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021.

Rankings are based on several factors, including boarding, cost, what airline lounges are like (if they have them at all), fees, and overall customer satisfaction, to name a few. Delta took the top spot for the third year in a row, this time with a score of 67.93 out of 100 possible points. The airline outperformed its competitors when it came to involuntary bumps and the quality of its airline lounges. While it scored low in the affordability category, it was ranked the airline with the highest customer satisfaction.

This year's lowest-performing airline was Allegiant, with a score of 28.67. The airline fell two positions from The Points Guy's 2020 rankings. While it performed well when it came to involuntary bumping, that is, didn't boot passengers from flights due to overbooking or other reasons, as well as the checked baggage category and mobility devices, it was dragged down by its scores in the timeliness, cancellations, family, and frequent flyer categories. Allegiant took the last spot from Spirit, which was ranked the worst in 2020. 

Here's the full ranking of the best US Airlines of 2021:

  • Delta
  • Southwest
  • United
  • Alaska
  • American
  • JetBlue
  • Hawaiian
  • Spirit
  • Frontier
  • Allegiant

Of course, this doesn't mean you should jump ship from whatever airline you're currently loyal to and start flying exclusively with Delta, Southwest, or another top-ranking airline: There are a lot of factors to consider. For example, Hawaiian Airlines, which came in at number 7 on the list, was rated the most on-time airline, with Southwest and United not far behind. Perhaps surprisingly to some, Spirit was ranked number one when it came to having the fewest cancellations, with just 1.57% of its 116,000 flights in these past 12 months not leaving the ground.

Air travel has bounced back big time, and there's no shortage of airlines to choose from, but before you go with whatever is cheapest, you might want to consider this list.

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Caitlyn Hitt is Daria IRL. Don't take our word for it—find her on Twitter @nyltiaccc.