Delta Air Lines has become the new go-to carrier that American travelers consider when purchasing a flight, leapfrogging rivals American Airlines and United Airlines, according to an annual study released this week by YouGov.
In addition to moving up the ranks for travelers considering future ticket purchases, the Atlanta-based airline also landed at the No. 1 spot for quality and beat out the three other largest U.S. carriers—American, United, and Southwest—for satisfaction among current and former travelers.
Those two particular rankings made for a “really banner year” for Delta, said John Newell, the field marketing manager for YouGov, while discussing the results of the annual survey on a conference call. Kenton Barello, a vice president with YouGov, added that Delta has “done a phenomenal job in terms of entering the consumer mindset, staying strong, building on that consideration.”
Even so, American travelers have taken a liking to foreign carriers, with Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways topping the ranking of airlines for customer satisfaction. Only two U.S. carriers—Alaska Air and Hawaiian Airlines—made the top 10.
Still, the YouGov results, which are based on a survey of more than 23,000 consumers, are yet another feather in the cap for Delta. For the fourth straight year, Delta was the top-ranked airline for customer satisfaction in the premium economy segment and came in second for satisfaction in the first/business class segment and the economy/basic economy segment of the annual JD Power North America airline satisfaction study released earlier this month.
FRONTIER’S POTENTIAL AS THE NEXT SPIRIT
The YouGov survey also highlighted some of the likely fallout from Spirit Airlines, which shut down earlier this month. Among all carriers, including regional and international airlines, Spirit was the only to see a decline in customer satisfaction from 2025.
That dip in customer satisfaction was “likely a contributing factor” in the company’s decision to cease operations, Newell noted.
But Spirit’s demise may offer some hope for other carriers, as the YouGov study found that Frontier, Southwest, and JetBlue are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries—though Frontier may have some work ahead to improve customer satisfaction, as it ranked only ahead of Spirit.
“It’s an area [Frontier’s] going to want to focus on,” Newell said. “Frontier is an airline that makes sense to be a potential really big player for those flyers who are looking for the budget airline experience.”
