Airline passengers are more satisfied than they’ve been in two years, and Delta is the reason.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2026 Travel Study, based on nearly 15,000 completed surveys, found that overall airline satisfaction rose 3% to a score of 76 out of 100. That’s one point below the industry’s all-time high of 77, set in 2024.
The biggest driver of that improvement is technology — specifically, in-flight Wi-Fi (up 20% year over year) and the usefulness of flight information provided by carriers (up 15%).
Meanwhile, complaints are down.
The share of business travelers who lodged a complaint dropped from 38% in 2025 to 33% in 2026. Among leisure passengers, the rate held nearly flat, falling from 17% to 16%. And passengers who did complain reported higher satisfaction scores than last year, a sign that airlines are doing a better job resolving issues when they arise.
With satisfaction nearly back to its all-time peak, the industry appears to have found steadier footing. Whether it holds as travel costs increase due to the Iran war remains to be seen.
How the airlines stack up
Here’s how every reported airline scored on the 100-point scale, according to the ACSI:
- Delta: 79 (up 77 from in 2025)
- American: 78 (up from 73)
- JetBlue: 78 (up from 77)
- Southwest: 77 (down from 80)
- Alaska: 75 (down from 76)
- United: 75 (up from 73)
- All others: 75 (up from 70)
- Frontier: 69 (up from 65)
- Spirit: 66 (down from 69)
Delta claimed the top spot industrywide with a score of 79, up 3% from last year.
American Airlines followed at 78 after a 7% jump that nearly erased a steep drop from the prior year. Much of that recovery came from renewed customer appreciation for the AAdvantage loyalty program, which earned higher marks for simplicity and perceived value, particularly among business travelers who initially pushed back on changes made in early 2025.
Frontier was a bright spot in the budget segment, climbing 6% to 69. Customers gave the carrier higher marks for ease of trip planning, flight information and in-flight services, areas where steady operational focus appears to be paying off.
Southwest stumbles, Spirit struggles
Southwest, the industry leader last year, fell 4% to 77, dropping it to the middle of the pack. The ACSI points to small declines in ratings for flight crew courtesy, gate staff courtesy and call center satisfaction.
Southwest also took reputational hits from its announcements to move to assigned seating and to require larger passengers to buy more than one seat, changes that left some of its loyal customer base feeling alienated.
Spirit landed last in the customer satisfaction ranking at 66, down 4% despite efforts to improve the in-flight experience with new seating options. The culprits were a drop in mobile app quality ratings and call center satisfaction, two touchpoints that matter when things go wrong.
Ongoing press coverage of the airline’s financial troubles didn’t help either, according to the ACSI. Still, Spirit earned better marks for its staff this year, which the ACSI notes leaves some room for a rebound if the airline can stabilize its operations.
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