America’s Best Airline: Delta Soars to Top Spot

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Just a year ago, Delta Airlines finished a disappointing sixth place (out of 10) in Airfarewatchdog’s best U.S. airlines rankings. What a difference a year makes.

Now Atlanta-based Delta reigns as the top airline for 2014, Airfarewatchdog said.

Delta, along with seven other airlines, was ranked on its performance in these five areas:

  • Canceled flights.
  • On-time arrivals.
  • Mishandled bags.
  • Denied boardings.
  • Customer satisfaction.

Airfarewatchdog said:

As far as we’re concerned, Delta is this year’s unsung hero. For the past two years, Delta has been stuck on the wrong side of the rankings, but this year, the airline moved from sixth up to the top spot! Delta ranks higher this year in canceled flights, on-time arrivals, and mishandled bags, but its most-improved area is customer service.

Airfarewatchdog founder George Hobica said Virgin America, the second best airline, had few denied boardings, as well as the least amount of mishandled bags.

According to CNN Money:

Fliers who want to arrive at their destination with their luggage intact should go with Virgin America. Hobica said this is primarily because the “vast majority” of the airline’s flights are nonstop, without connections. “It’s during connections that most bags get mishandled,” he said.

The top U.S. airlines, according to Airfarewatchdog, are:

  1. Delta.
  2. Virgin America.
  3. Alaska.
  4. JetBlue.
  5. Frontier.
  6. Southwest.
  7. American.
  8. United.

United has ranked dead last for the past three years. American hasn’t fared much better. That legacy carrier has secured the spot second from the bottom since 2012.

My personal airline preferences align with the rankings. Delta is my first choice. United is a last resort. One of my friends is also a Delta lover. She once left her purse under the seat on a domestic flight, and one of the Delta workers ran her purse to the next gate to make sure she got it. How’s that for customer service?

Which airline is your favorite? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.

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