Best and worst airlines ranked for customer satisfaction in 2025: See the list

Southwest Airlines to end free bags policy

Southwest Airlines will end its decades-old policy allowing "bags to fly free" as their marketing put it. Starting in May, passengers will be required to pay for checked bags.

Consumer confidence in airlines is at its lowest level since the pandemic and domestic air passenger volume is down, a recent survey found, but passengers are overall more satisfied with their flying experience. 

That’s according to the latest J.D. Power 2025 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which surveyed 10,224 passengers between March 2024 and March 2025 to rank airlines based on the most and least customer satisfaction. Although consumer confidence and passenger volume are down, overall passenger satisfaction is up thanks to gains in economy and basic economy class. 

What they’re saying: "Throughout our one-year study period, we’ve seen a slight decline in both ticket prices and passenger volume, which has helped keep overall passenger satisfaction levels high," Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service at J.D. Power, said in a statement. "But it’s clear that market dynamics are changing and will likely affect passenger experience in the coming weeks and months. Airlines will likely have a tougher year this year, economically, but the key to their longer-term success will be how well they manage economic headwinds without compromising on customer experience."

Delta airlines passengers planes, Airbus A220-100 (front) and Airbus A321-211 (second) sit at LaGuardia airport, in New York City, on April 18, 2025. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

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First and business class rankings

The following airlines were ranked highest in customer satisfaction for first and business class, according to J.D. Power: 

1. JetBlue Airways
2. Delta Air Lines
3. Alaska Airlines

United Airlines, Air Canada and American Airlines scored the lowest for first and business class flying.

Premium economy rankings

For premium economy flying, the following airlines ranked highest in customer satisfaction: 

1. Delta Air Lines
2. JetBlue Airways
3. Alaska Airlines

American Airlines, Air Canada and WestJet scored the lowest for premium economy flights. 

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Economy and basic economy rankings

The following airlines rank highest in customer satisfaction for economy and basic economy flights:

1. Southwest Airlines
2. JetBlue Airways
3. Delta Air lines

WestJet, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines scored the lowest for economy and basic economy flights. 

Other key findings

Big picture view:

Passengers pointed to positive experiences with airline staff as a big reason for the increase in satisfaction, "underscoring the importance of frontline personnel to the overall passenger experience."

Fewer than 10% of passengers experienced problems, though those who did said flight delays were the most prevalent issue.