The 5 Safest Airlines in America in 2024

Flying can be an exhausting experience — even worse if you’re stressed about your well-being. We found a report that can help set your mind at ease.

WalletHub compiled its latest annual rankings of the best airlines by analyzing U.S. Department of Transportation flight data for the nine biggest national airlines as well as one regional carrier. When determining safety rankings, WalletHub gave points to airlines based on the number of fatalities and injuries that were a result of aircraft-related issues.

Older fleets, WalletHub notes, are more vulnerable to operational mishaps and technical glitches, and airlines with younger fleets scored more points on this safety metric.

We’ve compiled a list of the website’s findings for the safest airlines. While we’ve excluded the regional carrier SkyWest, if included, it would have taken the No. 4 spot for safety.

With that in mind, let’s get into the top five safest national airlines, according to WalletHub.

5. Delta Air Lines

Overall safety score: 23.89 out of 35 points

Score for incidents and accidents: 3.89 out of 6 points

Delta’s foundation as a company began in 1925 as Huff Daland Dusters, the world’s first aerial crop-dusting company. It had its first flights as Delta Air Service in 1929.

The airline’s 1940s headquarters buildings are the oldest surviving structures at the Atlanta airport and are designated as a Historic Aerospace Site.

4. American Airlines

Overall safety score: 23.98

Score for incidents and accidents: 3.98

American Airlines was once Robertson Aircraft and set out on its first mail route in 1926. It was renamed American Airlines in 1934.

It’s developed over the years out of the union or merger of about 85 companies and now serves nearly 50 countries around the globe.

3. Frontier Airlines

Overall safety score: 29.94

Score for incidents and accidents: 0.94

Frontier Airlines, although a budget airline, has made it far on this list. Calling itself “America’s greenest airline,” it boasts that its cheaper flights and lower carbon emissions are thanks to having the “youngest fleet in the industry.” The average Frontier plane’s age is about four years.

2. Alaska Airlines

Overall safety score: 32.04

Score for incidents and accidents: 3.04

Alaska Airlines traces its roots back to 1932, first operating in Anchorage as McGee Airways and Star Air Service. It took on its current name in 1944. By the late 1940s, using surplus military aircraft, Alaska Airlines branched into worldwide charter work, including the Berlin Airlift in 1948.

The airline has publicly promised to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

1. Spirit Airlines

Overall safety score: 33.07

Score for incidents and accidents: 4.07

Spirit Airlines wasn’t always an airline at all; it began as the Clippert Trucking Co. in 1964. It didn’t shift its focus to the sky until 1980, when it ventured into air charter operations as Charter One.

Introducing jets to its fleet in 1992, the company was renamed Spirit Airlines and began a strategic shift to its low-cost, “no-frills” approach in 2007.