Kat Brown 27.02.2024
How on earth is this even determined? Hawaiian nearly crashed into the Pacific on takeoff & Alaska lost a door midair in 2023. You can’t base this rating solely on incidents in a single year.
Top 10 Safest Airlines in the US - AirAdvisor Ranking 2024
Anyone who is planning to book a flight likely has the question of “What is the safest airline?” cross their mind. If you can choose an airline with a recently flawless safety record, why wouldn’t you? We reviewed all the International Air Transport Association (IATA) statistics available on accidents that occurred in 2022 and 2023. We found that:
- The worldwide airline industry experienced 72 passenger airline accidents in 2022 and 2023.
- Six of these accidents had fatalities - 230 people in total.
- Five of the US-based major passenger airlines were involved in an accident in these 2 years.
None of the US airline accidents had any fatalities.
Read on for more details about the individual accidents and which airlines had a perfect accident-free record in the last 2 years.
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Top 5 Safest Airlines in the US
According to IATA, these next 5 airlines did not have any accidents in 2022 or 2023. So, it’s nearly impossible to determine which is the safest airline among them. Here they are in alphabetical order:
Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air also had zero accidents in 2022 and 2023, and their most recent accident dates back to March 29, 2007. It involved the plane’s landing gear and resulted in significant damage, but there were no fatalities. It’s good to know that even ultra-low-cost carriers take safety extremely seriously, and you don’t have to spend a fortune for a safe flight.
American Airlines
Another of the accident-free airlines in 2022 and 2023, you don’t have to go nearly as far back to find American Airlines’ most recent accident. It was on March 21, 2020, and was the result of a tailstrike when the plane was landing. No fatalities occurred, but the plane was substantially damaged.
If you’re unaware of the term, a tailstrike, although somewhat self-explanatory, happens when the empennage (the stabilizing structures at the aircraft’s tail) or the tail itself hits the ground or a stationary object. Remember this term because it’s going to come up again!
It’s nice to know that American Airlines has a stellar safety record. The airline is the largest in the US in terms of passenger volume, so the chances are good that you’ll board one of their planes during your travels - if you haven’t already.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines was also accident-free in 2022 and 2023. Their most recent accident occurred on September 23, 2021, and involved a tail strike on landing. The accident was non-fatal but did result in plane damage.
Don’t let this isolated incident throw you off traveling with Hawaiian Airlines. According to Business Insider and data from AirlineRankings.com, Hawaiian Airlines ranked 12th in the world for safety in 2021 and 2022. Besides, if you’re heading to Hawaii, it’s hard to avoid this Aloha state airline.
Southwest Airlines
In the case of Southwest Airlines, they are also among the airlines with zero recent accidents. This low-cost carrier’s most recent accident was on June 17, 2019, and wasn’t a danger to the passengers on board. The accident occurred when a catering truck struck the plane. Passengers would have encountered a significant delay while a new plane was located. And if you’ve ever experienced a flight delay of 3 hours or more, it’s worth determining if you’re eligible for flight delay compensation from the airline.
If we go just a little further back, Southwest Airlines is the only carrier on our list that had a fatal accident. On April 17, 2018, on a flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Dallas, an engine exploded in mid-air. Tragically, there was one fatality, and 7 others sustained injuries. Before this accident, the last time a passenger died on a US airline was in 2009.
Spirit Airlines
With no accidents in 2022 or 2023, we actually have to go all the way back to September 18, 2005, to find an accident on a Spirit Airlines passenger flight. It was a hard landing that resulted in significant plane damage, but there were no fatalities. This incident is the only accident from this super-low-cost airline since 2000. That’s a solid safety record and rounds out the top 5 safest US airlines for 2024!
The Other 5 Airlines - Accidents in 2022 or 2023
The top 5 airlines all received the same score for being accident-free in 2022 and 2023. For the next 5 airlines, the points and therefore order differ based on the number of accidents. Here they are in order:
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines was completely accident-free in 2022, but the same can’t be said for 2023. They had a single accident on August 20, 2023. The accident occurred on flight 1288 from Seattle to Santa Ana when landing gear punched through the plane’s wing. No doubt that this was a scary experience with sparks flying due to the damage and the passengers experienced a definite hard landing. Luckily, there were no fatalities - it was just the plane that experienced substantial damage and was likely related to tropical storm Hilary.
Before the 2023 incident, we have to go way back to December 26, 2005, to find an Alaska Airlines accident. The incident involved ground damage and was also non-fatal.
Frontier Airlines
Like Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines had one accident. It was in 2022 and involved a tailstrike. It occurred on May 18, 2022, during the landing of flight F9-810 at Trenton-Mercer Airport. The plane struck the runway when it landed but was able to taxi to the gate without further issues.
Frontier Airlines had a similar accident on December 21, 2021, which was also a tailstrike on landing. Despite these two most recent accidents, where neither resulted in any fatalities, Frontier remains a safe choice for air travel. And when price is a factor, you can’t beat this budget carrier, which was the top choice in our ranking for the cheapest airlines in the US.
JetBlue Airways
In 2022, JetBlue also suffered a tailstrike, but in this case, it was during takeoff from Colorado’s Hayden-Yampa Valley Airport. After the tailstrike, the plane did take off but made a hard right-hand turn, which would have been very unpleasant for anyone on board. The plane was able to continue its ascent, but for safety reasons, it was diverted to Denver International Airport, where it was able to land without incident.
JetBlue is a well-regarded discount airline that’s one of the most comfortable airlines to fly in the US, so it definitely has some positives.
United Airlines
United Airlines received the lowest number of points and is in fact in a tie for last place on the AirAdvisor safest US airlines list. 2023 was not a good year for the airline. They racked up 3 separate accidents in 2023 alone. The first was on March 22 and involved a tailstrike upon landing on a flight from Mexico City to Houston. Similarly, on July 29, 2023, flight UA702 from Newark Airport to Houston had a hard landing.
Lastly, United also had an accident on August 3, 2023. This one involved another problem with landing gear on a flight from Washington-Dulles International Airport to London Heathrow. After takeoff, the crew noticed an issue and the plane stayed in a holding pattern. It then made a low pass over Washington-Dulles runway 19L so that the damage could be evaluated. It was noted that the plane experienced severe damage and was able to land safely back at Washington-Dulles Airport instead of continuing on to London Heathrow.
None of these accidents resulted in passenger or crew fatalities.
Delta Airlines
Delta Airlines is the overall top carrier on our list of the 10 Best Airlines in the US, but for safety, it shares last place with United.
On August 6, 2022, Delta Airlines flight 1696 had a tailstrike during a go-around at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. The go-around (attempt at landing) was aborted, but after circling, the plane landed safely 10 minutes later.
In 2023, Delta experienced 2 accidents. The first was on June 28 on flight 1092 from Atlanta to Charlotte. The plane had an issue with the nose landing gear and had to land using only the main gear and the actual nose of the plane. Remarkably, there were no injuries. The second accident was on July 24 for a flight intended to go from Milan Malpensa Airport to New York’s JFK Airport. The plane was significantly damaged during a hailstorm and had to make an emergency landing in Rome. Again, there were no fatalities.
Important 2024 Update!
Recently, on May 6, 2024, Delta flight 604 from Cancun to Seattle was involved in a scary safety issue when a fire broke out under the cockpit once the aircraft landed at Sea-Tac Airport. The 189 passengers had to leave their belongings and slide urgently down the evacuation chute. Although no injuries were reported, this was not the welcome home the vacationing passengers expected.
Upon initial review, it is thought that the fire started due to a spark when the plane plugged into the airport’s ground power after landing. The incident is still under review and the plane was benched for maintenance and inspection. Even though it may not have been an issue with the plane, the incident was certainly harrowing for the crew and passengers on board.
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AirAdvisor US Airline Safety Rating - Top 10 Carriers Ranked
Airline | Date | Reported Incidents in 2022-23 | Service type | Type of accident | Fatal / Non-fatal | Severity | Summary | Score |
Alaska Airlines | 20/08/23 | Passenger | Landing Gear | Non-fatal | Substantial damage | gear punched through wing | 3 | |
Allegiant Air | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
American Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
Delta Airline | 8/6/2022 24/07/23 and 28/06/23 | Passenger | In-flighht damage/Landing gear/Tailstrike | Non-fatal | Substantial damage | turbulence/landed with nose gear not extended/Tail strike during a go-around | 1 | |
Frontier Airlines | 5/18/2022 | 1 | Passenger | Tailstrike | Non-fatal | Substantial damage | Tail strike on landing | 3 |
Hawaiian Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
JetBlue Airways | 1/22/2022 | 1 | Passenger | Tailstrike | Non-fatal | Substantial damage | Tailstrike on Takeoff | 3 |
Southwest Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
Spirit Airlines | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
United Airlines | 03/08/23 and 29/07/23 and 22/03/23 | Passenger | Landing Gear/Hard landing/Tail strike | Non-fatal | Substantial damage | abormal runway contact accident during landing/hard landing/tail strike on landing | 1 |
Our Data
To determine what is the safest airline in the US, we examined all the data published by IATA on the documented carrier accidents in 2022 and 2023. Any airline with an accident-free record received full points, whereas if there was an accident in either year, those airlines received a lower number of points, depending on the number of accidents.
The 5 accident-free airlines all needed to have the same score; in this case, that was 5 points. We decided to rate any airlines with one accident as a 3 and airlines with more than one accident as a 1.
Conclusion
Flying is the safest way to travel long distances, so don’t let this discussion of accidents deter you from hopping on a plane. To give you an idea, in 2018, there were over 46 million flights and an annual fatal accident rate of 0.28 per million flights. That means that for every 4.2 million flights, there was one fatal accident.
When we look at each airline’s most recent accident history, the news is also very positive. Zero fatalities are the main thing, and the most common event, a tailstrike, doesn’t usually cause severe injuries, either.
Keep the AirAdvisor Safety Score in mind the next time you’re booking a flight, but if you stick to any of the 10 airlines on our list, you can trust that safety is a number 1 priority.
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FAQs
What is the safest airline in the US?
According to the AirAdvisor Airline Safety Score, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines are all the safest. Each had a perfect accident record in 2022 and had no reported incidents based on data from IATA.
What US airlines had accidents in 2022?
In 2022, Delta Airlines, jetBlue, and Frontier Airlines all had accidents. Each was non-fatal and involved a tailstrike, either on takeoff, go-around, or landing.
What US airlines had accidents in 2023?
Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines all had non-fatal accidents in 2023. Both United and Delta had 2 separate accidents and Alaska Airlines had one.
What airline is the safest in the world?
The safest airline in the world in 2024, according to AirlineRankings.com, is Air New Zealand, followed by Qantas. The highest-ranking US airline on the same list is Alaska Airlines, which appears in the 10th spot. According to our research, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines are all safe options since they were completely accident-free in 2022 and 2023.
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