Though most travelers finalize their travel plans onlyafter a careful review of cheaptravel options, including cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, discounttravel deals, and cheap vacation packages, many might be surprised to learn that thecheapest flight is not always best.
Spirit Airline, an ultra-low-cost carrier, was found in arecent study by The Points Guy (TPG) to be the leader in late arrivals, lowcustomer satisfaction, not so comfortable cabins, and offered a lousy frequentflier program. This study ranked the tenleading domestic U.S. airlines from 1 to 10.
Frontier Airlines, another ultra-low-cost carrier, landedjust ahead of Spirit on the list, making it runner-up for worst.
A TPG analyst concluded that fliers get what you payfor. Spirit leads all airlines with lowairfares, but leaves them with less regarding other factors, including thehandling of baggage.
The following is a list of the Best and Worst Airlines(with #1 being best) according to TPG, which used data from a variety ofsources including the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department ofTransportation, Routehappy, and others:
1. AlaskaAirlines
2. UnitedAirlines
3. VirginAmerica
4. JetBlueAirways
5. AmericanAirlines
6. SouthwestAirlines
7. Delta AirLines
8. HawaiianAirlines
9. FrontierAirlines
10. SpiritAirlines
TPG based itsranking on hard data, making a list of 10 criteria, then quantified the valueof each criteria as follows:
1. Airfare: 25 percent
2. Route networks: 15percent
3. Bag/change fees: 10percent
4. Cabin comfort: 10percent
5. Customer satisfaction:10 percent
6. Frequent flierprograms: 10 percent
7. On-time arrivals: 10percent
8. Lost baggage: 5 percent
9. Domestic lounges: 3percent
10. Involuntarybumps (i.e., overselling seats): 2 percent
AlaskaAirlines which came in ranked first is known to be a smooth operator thatoffers great perks. Its frequent flierprogram is considered the best in the industry. While it has a smaller route network than its larger competitors whichhurt Alaska Airlines in the study, it is in the midst of a merger with Virgin Americawho scored well, coming in third place.
This mergerwill make Alaska a much larger airline. If it is able to maintain its high service quality, this airline couldend up being a tough competitor of the big three remaining legacy airlines:American, Delta, and United.
Some airlineexperts were surprised to find Delta Air Lines ranked 7th on thisstudy. This airline has a decentreputation for running on time and not losing luggage. However, according to the study, Delta is themost expensive airline when it comes to airfare.
AlaskaAirlines, United Airlines and Virgin America are likely higher on the listbecause they have a reputation for listening to customer feedback. For example, when United started receivingconsistent complaints regarding the quality of its in-flight coffee, theairline completed a system overhaul and transitioned to Italian coffee makerilly which markedly improved the quality of its coffee, thereby reducingcomplaints.
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