A new analysis of Department of Transportation data by Finance Buzz ranks several US Airlines comparing overall satisfaction, flights delayed and cancelled, average arrival delay length, and lost/mishandled baggage claims. The personal finance outlet then scored each airline with a score out of 50- reflecting the fewest amount of these categories.
TSA estimates that nearly thirty-nine million travelers will hit airports this 2025 holiday season- just like every year- consistently. Delta topped the airlines with a score of 35.9, followed by Hawaiian Airlines at 32.9, then Southwest in 3rd place at 27.
“What really stuck out to me is the percentage of flights cancelled. If you look at Delta, United, and American- they are all below 1 percent (number of flights cancelled). They all have 8-10 hubs, where their entire network of flights goes in and that’s where they go out. If you’re flying into one of those hubs, there’s likely another set of 4 or 5 that are going to get you to your final destination. It also allows them to streamline their mechanical and maintenance operations- so they can get a plane up and going.” Airline Expert, Brandon Blewett said.
Blewett says out of Houston, he recommends choosing United or Southwest Airlines, although Southwest scores landed in the middle as far as the overall rankings, he says they have a Houston Hub like United and that makes all the difference. United also had a high mishandled baggage ranking at 64 percent. Both Airlines ranked with top 3 of overall satisfaction with lower flight delays and cancellations.
He admits he is partial to Delta because he has personal experience flying Delta for work over a span of a decade and says consistently the airline offered high end customer service. He noted their prompt communication via text, and they have what they call the “red coats” at the gate, which I think do a really good job to navigate issues.