Alaska and Spirit beat out all legacy carriers in key metrics.
The aviation industry in the U.S. is going through a tough time. Since January, airline incidents–many of them on Boeing aircraft–have shaken passenger nerves. Airline safety has become a major consideration. A new data analysis by personal finance company WalletHub may calm some anxious fliers. And confuse others.
What’s the safest airline in the United States? Surprisingly, it’s the much-maligned Spirit Airlines. And the best airline overall? Also surprisingly, it’s Alaska Airlines, whose plugged-door blow-out kickstarted the many Boeing investigations.
To determine this year’s best airline rankings, WalltHub analyzed the nine largest U.S. airlines along with a regional airline across 13 metrics: canceled flights, delays, mishandled baggage, denied boardings, legroom, entertainment, Wi-Fi, complimentary refreshments, price, fatal injuries in aviation accidents, injuries in incidents and accidents, aviation incidents, and fleet age. Based on these metrics, it scored the airlines to examine the safest, most reliable, most comfortable, most affordable, and the best overall.
Related: Boeing 737 Max 9 Isn’t the Only Aircraft With Problems. Here Are 4 Others That Have Had Issues
Alaska Airlines Is Number One
Delta Air Lines has been a frontrunner in the WalletHub rankings for the last two years, but Alaska has toppled that crown this year. It achieved a score of 68.07 (out of 100) and performed well on most metrics apart from price and mishandled luggage. Its recent aviation incidents cost it some points, but overall, WalletHub proclaims it as the best airline in the U.S., beating Delta (61.56) and United (51.96).
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Alaska also came on top in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for a second consecutive year. Why is it surprising? Well, Alaska hasn’t had the best track record this year.
In January, an Alaska Airline flight had a major incident when a plug door blew off mid-air. All Boeing 737 Max 9 planes were grounded after the scary incident and it led to Federal Aviation Administration investigations into Boeing. But that wasn’t all—it was later revealed that other Alaska aircraft had loose bolts. United Airlines also came under scrutiny when five incidents happened within a week. Experts insist that flying is safe and there is nothing unusual about these events.
According to WalletHub, the second-best is airline is regional carrier SkyWest, which serves American Airlines, Delta, Alaska, and United. It scored 65.96 on metrics.
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Spirit Is Third Best, Beating All Legacy Carriers
Low-cost Spirit Airlines scored third on the list, beating legacy carriers Delta, American, and United. In fact, the often mocked Spirit is also ranked as the safest airline in the U.S., and the most affordable, too.
Spirit doesn’t have the best reputation. Year after year, it has been named the worst airline in the country and passengers are often wary of traveling with the budget airline. News about fights on board and in one case mysterious liquid flowing down the aisle haven’t helped in reassuring customers.
But clearly, it has raised the bar this year because WalletHub gave it 65.69 points. It is the best when it comes to price and it also performs well on the safety metrics. However, it has poor legroom, gets no points for refreshments, and doesn’t have entertainment onboard.
Delta, on the other hand, is the most reliable airline with the lowest cancellation rate and delays. Delta ties with JetBlue for the most comfortable airline title, with both of them offering free Wi-Fi, complimentary snacks, and extra legroom.
The full WalletHub ranking is:
1. Alaska Airlines
2. SkyWest Airlines
3. Spirit Airlines
4. Delta Air Lines
5. United Airlines
6. JetBlue Airlines
7. Hawaiian Airlines
8. American Airlines
9. Frontier Airlines
10. Southwest Airlines
Spirit Is the Safest
Spirit scores well on all safety-related metrics. It has a perfect score on fleet age and it reported no fatalities or injuries due to aviation incidents and accidents. It also scored the highest when it came to aviation accidents (4.07 out of 6).
Alaska Airlines, despite the January door plug blow out, is the runner-up on safety, while Southwest falls short on the safety metric, bagging the 10th position overall on these airline rankings.
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