New Study Names America’s Most Reliable Airlines

Image: Spirit Airlines aircraft. (Photo Credit: Spirit Airlines)

by Jessica Puckett
Last updated: 6:30 AM ET, Tue April 14, 2026

With all of the uncertainty in travel today, reliability has never been a more important metric for an airline.

So, the experts at WalletHub decided to analyze the nine largest airlines and two regional airlines in the United States to find the nation’s most reliable carrier. To form its ranking, the team compared data across a variety of categories, such as flight cancellations and delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings.

According to the numbers, Spirit Airlines is the most reliable carrier in the U.S. The low-cost carrier had the lowest rate of disruptions across the four categories analyzed by WalletHub.

Rounding out the top five most reliable airlines are United Airlines (#2), JetBlue (#3), Southwest Airlines (#4), and Delta Air Lines (#5).

As part of its report, WalletHub also ranked the overall best airlines in the U.S. for 2026,

comparing data points for each airline across 16 metrics, such as cost, legroom, entertainment options, average fleet age, and more.

In addition to being the country’s most reliable carrier, Spirit was also named the best overall airline in the U.S. and the most affordable airline, with average airfare rates for 2025 and 2026 clocking in at just over 4 cents per mile. Fellow ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines was ranked the second most affordable carrier.

In the most comfortable category, JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, American, and Southwest all tied for first place, thanks to “free amenities such as Wi-Fi, extra legroom, and complimentary snacks and beverages” that enhance the in-flight experience, according to the report.

In terms of safety, Frontier Airlines was named the safest carrier in 2026, thanks to the young age of its fleet and the lack of injuries in aviation incidents or accidents. Spirit Airlines was the runner-up in the safety category.