Reliability is one of the most crucial factors when choosing an airline. We analyzed the following for 2023 and 2024 to get the all-important AirAdvisor Reliability Score:
8.8 million flights for 1.5 billion passengers
Over 818 million checked bags
And we found that:
461,784 passengers were denied boarding
4.5 million bags were mishandled
1.7 million flights were delayed
102,632 flights were canceled
After our team of 5 skilled researchers compiled and reviewed the data over many weeks, we are finally able to tell you the 3 most reliable airlines in the USA and how the other major US carriers stack up.
Top 3 Most Reliable Airlines in the US
#1 Hawaiian Airlines - The US’s Most Reliable Airline
If you’re looking for the most reliable airline in 2025, that title is awarded to Hawaiian Airlines. This carrier ousted Delta Air Lines, which was on top in both 2023 and 2024.
So, it’s good news if your next flight is with Hawaiian. The chances are high that both you and your bags will arrive as scheduled.
On-time flights 2024: 86.54%
Canceled flights 2024: 0.82%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.0088%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.45%
Have you been denied boarding due to overbooking by Hawaiian or any of the top 10 US airlines?If so, check out what compensation you may be owed now.Check Your Flight
#2 Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines made a huge rankings jump in 2025. In 2024, the airline was only the fifth-most reliable carrier in the country. Southwest’s 2024 cancellation rate was the best of the bunch, and the scores are also high for on-time flights and denied boarding.
On-time flights 2024: 80.92%
Canceled flights 2024: 0.68%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.02%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.44%
#3 Delta Air Lines
The previous reliability winner from 2023 and 2024 has fallen to third place in 2025. But that doesn’t mean Delta isn’t a reliable airline. In general, passengers can count on fewer delays than with most other US airlines, although Delta has higher instances of denied boarding and canceled flights.
On-time flights 2024: 81.86%
Canceled flights 2024: 1.5%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.055%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.48%
The Runners Up - Spots 4 Through 10
#4 Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is a good option for passengers worried about flight cancellations. The only airline to beat Alaska for the lowest percentage of canceled flights in 2024 was Southwest. Unfortunately, the airline doesn’t fare nearly as well when handling bags or denying boarding.
On-time flights 2024: 78.52%
Canceled flights 2024: 0.81%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.026%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.59%
#5 United Airlines
Choosing United Airlines is a real mixed bag. When you want to avoid flight delays, it’s a solid choice. In 2024, only 18.12% of flights were delayed, enough to earn the carrier third place in this single metric. Plus, in the same period, United had the lowest overall instances of denied boarding.
The flip side is that United has a relatively high occurrence of diverted flights, which can be super disruptive to your travel plans. Checking your bags with United can be risky; the airline is consistently the second-worst for baggage mishandling. Additionally, in 2023, United Airlines had a high cancellation rate of 1.71% – luckily, this is showing improvement for 2024 and beyond.
On-time flights 2024: 80.27%
Canceled flights 2024: 1.34%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.018%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.7%
#6 American Airlines
Moving down the list, we find American Airlines in sixth place, not exactly where you want to see the country’s most popular airline. Carrying the most passengers in 2023 and 2024, American remains in this position for the second year running.
American has shown a decrease in on-time flights year over year, but still has an average delay percentage. With the highest overall bag mishandling rate and a relatively high number of cancellations, it is no wonder that the title of the top 5 most reliable US airlines is just a little out of reach.
On-time flights 2024: 77.32%
Canceled flights 2024: 1.33%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.026%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.83%
#7 Allegiant Air
First, the good news: with Allegiant Air, your chances of being denied boarding or having issues with checked bags are the lowest. So, if you’re traveling with a bag containing something extra precious, this is your best option.
Alternatively, Allegiant had the highest flight cancellation rate in the US for 2 years running. So while the likelihood of a flight delay is a little over 1 in 5, your flight might not take off at all!
On-time flights 2024: 75.22%
Canceled flights 2024: 2.61%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.006%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.2%
#8 Spirit Airlines
Another carrier with no position change from 2024 to 2025, Spirit Airlines struggles with everything from canceled flights to denied boarding. In 2024, Spirit had the highest percentage of denied boarding instances, and a total of more than 3,000 flights were canceled.
For flight interruptions, Spirit Airlines is showing signs of improvement. The company’s on-time rate went up 4.85% in 2024.
On-time flights 2024: 75.17%
Canceled flights 2024: 2.36%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.043%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.49%
#9 Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines doesn’t have any top scores for any metric, but in 2024, the airline took third place due to its positive bag handling. Frontier had the worst on-time rate of any US carrier in 2024 and the highest percentage of denied boarding in 2023. It’s also quite common to have your flight canceled. So, if you need things to do at most airports while you wait for your flight, we have some ideas!
Luckily, Frontier is the cheapest airline in the USA, so some of the challenges can be overlooked.
On-time flights 2024: 70.92%
Canceled flights 2024: 2.39%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.057%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.45%
#10 JetBlue Airways - The Worst Overall
Unfortunately, with any list like this, someone has to be in the bottom spot. Based on our AirAdvisor Reliability Score, it’s JetBlue. In 2023, the airline was the worst performer for flight cancellations and delays, and that improved slightly (up one spot) in 2024.
On a positive note, JetBlue was the second-best airline for handling checked bags in 2024 and better than average in both years for denied boarding.
On-time flights 2024: 74.05%
Canceled flights 2024: 1.63%
Passengers denied boarding 2023+2024: 0.018%
Bag mishandling rate 2023+2024: 0.44%
When passengers have their flight canceled by the airline, they often have rights in the form of refunds or compensationCheck your eligibility with AirAdvisor today.Check Your Flight
Changes in Rankings 2024 vs 2025
Sometimes it’s fun to see whether your favorite airlines are improving (or getting worse) over time. Here’s our reliability list for 2025 compared to 2024 and the change in each airline’s position:
Airline
Ranking 2025
Ranking 2024
Change in Position
Ranking 2023
Hawaiian Airlines
1
2
+1
2
Southwest Airlines
2
5
+3
5
Delta Air Lines
3
1
-2
1
Alaska Airlines
4
3
+1
6
United Airlines
5
4
-1
3
American Airlines
6
6
None
4
Allegiant Air
7
7
None
7
Spirit Airlines
8
8
None
8
Frontier Airlines
9
9
None
10
JetBlue Airways
10
10
None
9
As you can see, the changes take place in the top 5 positions, and Southwest Airlines showed the biggest improvement, gaining 3 total spots. Delta Air Lines had the largest decrease.
AirAdvisor US Airline Reliability Rating - Top Carriers Ranked
Total Score 2023-2024 (delayed, canceled, diverted)
Total Score 2023-2024 (baggage + denied boarding)
Consolidated reliability score for 2023 & 2024
Overall Position
Hawaiian Airlines
68
32.5
100.5
1
Southwest Airlines
71
28
99
2
Delta Airlines
82
15.5
97.5
3
Alaska Airlines
72
15
87
4
United Airlines
60.5
19
79.5
5
American Airlines
65.5
11
76.5
6
Allegiant Air
34
40
74
7
Spirit Airlines
41
13
54
8
Frontier Airlines
34
18
52
9
JetBlue Airways
22
28
50
10
Criteria and Methodology
To get the most comprehensive result, we knew that it was not only important to look at flights but also the instances of mishandled baggage and denied boarding as well. Since each airline handles different amounts of baggage and passengers and offers varying numbers of flights, each of our categories was taken as a percentage.
Here’s what went into each calculation based on 8,804,128 flights and 818,516,848 bags:
On-time percentage: The total number of flights divided by the number of flights that arrived on time.
Delayed percentage: The number of delayed flights out of the total flights offered by the airline.
Canceled percentage: The number of canceled flights divided by the total flights.
Diverted percentage: Total instances of diverted flights as a percentage of the airline’s total flights.
Bags mishandled percentage: The total number of bags reported as mishandled divided by the total number of bags enplaned (put onto the aircraft).
Denied boarding percentage: The number of passengers who were denied boarding as a percentage of total flights.
Just because an airline is reliable doesn’t mean you’ll never experience a delayIf you get delayed for 3 hours or more, even flying with the most reliable airlines in the US, compensation may be possible.Check your eligibility today!
Highlights of the Most Reliable US Airlines Rankings 2025
Category
Best
Worst
On-time arrivals
Delta Air Lines
JetBlue + Frontier Airlines
Delayed flights
Delta Air Lines
JetBlue + Frontier Airlines
Canceled flights
Alaska Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Diverted flights
Hawaiian Airlines
JetBlue
Denied boarding
Allegiant Air
Frontier Airlines + Spirit Airlines
Bags mishandled
Allegiant Air
American Airlines
*Using combined numbers from 2023 and 2024.
As you can see, even if an airline ranks on the lower end overall, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have some good qualities related to reliability. And if you’re curious about how these same airlines are rated for other categories, like comfort, price, customer reviews, and family travel, check out our post on the Top 10 Airlines in the US - Overall Best Rating for 2025.
Allegiant is the best at handling your precious baggage, and Hawaiian Airlines has the overall lowest percentage of diverted flights. Delta excels at getting you to your destination on time, and if you’re worried about canceled flights, Alaska Airlines should be your top choice.
Now you’ll know exactly what to expect the next time you board a flight using one of these US airlines, and if you run into trouble, AirAdvisor can help you claim compensation for delayed flights or even get a refund if your flight is canceled. Just know that these types of disruptions are most likely to occur with JetBlue and Frontier!
FAQ
What are the most reliable airlines?
The most reliable airlines for 2025, based on data from the previous two years, are Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta. Our AirAdvisor Reliability Score is based on delayed, canceled, and diverted flights, as well as instances of denied boarding and mishandled baggage.
What is the most reliable airline in the US?
Hawaiian Airlines is the best airline to choose for overall reliability. Based on our AirAdvisor Reliability Score, this carrier tops the list in this category for the data from both 2023 and 2024.
How do you determine airline reliability rankings?
The data involved in the AirAdvisor Reliability Score is comprehensive and includes over 8 million flights for more than 1.5 billion passengers. We reviewed on-time, delayed, canceled, and diverted flights to get each US airline’s percentage of total flights in each category. We also used the occurrences of mishandled baggage and denied boarding as a percentage of total bags or flights. The result is an overall score that takes into account every factor related to reliability.
Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with more than seven years of experience producing research-driven articles for global audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.
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