The Best Airlines In The USA By Each Cabin Class

Summary

• Delta Air Lines excelled in premium service with top passenger satisfaction in the first/business class segment.
• Southwest Airlines dominated the economy class segment, according to the J.D. Power survey.
• However, compared to last year, all airlines scored much lower, which could indicate a worsening overall travel experience throughout all segments/travel classes.

J.D. Power has released its latest consumer insight study, allowing passengers to rank the best airlines and cabin products in the United States while also providing some key insights into the priorities of travelers in the country.

The study, which had 9,582 respondents, was conducted between March 2023 and March 2024. J.D. Power detailed that passengers were invited to rate carriers in seven dimensions with a 6-point rating scale ranging from poor to perfect, with the travelers being separated into three different segments: first/business, premium economy, and economy class.

“Individual dimensions measured are (in alphabetical order): airline staff; digital tools; ease of travel; level of trust; on-board experience; pre/post-flight experience; and value for price paid.”

Investing in training

The survey concluded that while travel within the country has grown Year-on-Year (YoY), this has resulted in “crowded gates, stuffed overhead bins and expensive fares.” In turn, carriers have had a lot of work to maintain customer satisfaction, yet investments in staff training and effort to improve the flight experience with attentive service helped some airlines deliver a great customer experience.

Meanwhile, Michael Taylor, the senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail, and customer service at J.D. Power, remarked that even if there are some factors that airlines cannot control, they can influence how their staff interacts with passengers while they are traveling.

“The big takeaway from this year’s study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience. Airlines that are investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers.”

Safety and trust in airlines

The survey provided three key findings, namely that passengers value safety, travelers are influenced by media coverage, and investments in staff have paid off for some airlines. According to J.D. Power, while fares have always had a role in passengers’ airline choices, the two most significant factors driving traveler satisfaction are ease of travel and trust, with customers valuing a seamless travel experience.

Nevertheless, the survey also pointed out that the level of trust passengers have in an airline directly correlates with the media coverage of the airline. Scores for trust were lower by as much as 400 points on a 1,000-point scale after passengers had seen negative coverage about a company.

J.D. Power highlighted that Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, two top-performing carriers in this year’s survey, have made substantial investments in their staff, with these efforts paying off in areas where interpersonal interactions could make a difference.

Delta Air Lines winning the premium segment

According to the survey’s results, Delta Air Lines passengers were the most satisfied with the airline’s first/business class product, rating it 743 out of 1,000. JetBlue ranked second with 736, with the segment’s average being 701. The third carrier was United Airlines.

Delta Air Lines’ Q1 2024 report pointed out that the carrier operated the most reliable network amongst its competitors, ranking first in completion factor and on-time arrivals during the quarter. The airline cited FlightStats data, which included its mainline system and its main competitors, such as American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and others.

Its premium product revenue during the quarter increased by 10% YoY, growing to $4.4 billion in Q1. In comparison, main cabin ticket revenue was $5.4 billion, which represents a 4% YoY growth. Meanwhile, loyalty travel awards grew by 14% to $844 million.

Southwest Airlines dominating the economy segment

Delta Air Lines was once again the winner in the premium economy segment, with respondents rating its premium economy product 716 out of 1,000, with Alaska Airlines and American Airlines trailing the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)-based airline. The two carriers earned 687 and 684 points, respectively, while the industry average was 675. No other airline crossed the average.

Nevertheless, Southwest Airlines was the dominant force in the economy segment, with travelers rating the travel experience on the cheapest tickets 685 out of 1,000. Delta Air Lines, Allegiant Air, Alaska Airlines, and JetBlue beat the segment average, yet Delta Air Lines’ score was 651.

Worsening travel experience

However, in comparison to a year prior, the passenger experience had worsened across the board. In its survey between March 2022 and March 2023, where 7,774 passengers responded to rank the country’s airlines in eight factors, J.D. Power showcased much higher scores across every segment.

For example, the winning first/business class product was JetBlue’s, which accumulated 893 points, or more than 100 than Delta Air Lines in 2024. Delta Air Lines finished 2023 with 865 points, while United Airlines came in third with 848.

While Delta Air Lines retained its title as the airline with the best premium economy cabin in 2024, the airline’s score was more than 100 points lower than in 2023, and the carrier’s travelers gave it an 848 score. In the economy segment, Southwest Airlines was also the winner a year prior, with 827 points, despite suffering its operational breakdown in late 2022 and early 2023, which significantly impacted its financial results in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023.

At the same time, some of the worsening results could be the result of J.D. Power redesigning the study for 2024, with the rated factors number decreasing from eight to six. However, the company did not detail whether that had a factor in the lower satisfaction scores across the board, which could also allude to the fact that the overall travel experience has worsened in 2024.