In-flight incidents. Flight delays have been reported. Breaking News: Cancellations Baggage goes missing. Additional charges are consistently being added throughout the cabin. Many flyers are left weary and often enraged by the general chaos.
Every year, The Wall Street Journal takes on the task of ranking the top U.S. airlines, as well as the ones that fall short.
Delta Air Lines has once again been named the top carrier in the publication’s 16th annual airline scorecard. And who is coming in last? According to a report by the Journal, JetBlue ranked last in four key categories: on-time arrivals, canceled flights, delays longer than 45 minutes, and tarmac delays. The carrier attributed its difficulties to the unique challenges posed by its home city, New York, and the complexities of its airspace.
In addition to those four metrics, the airlines were also evaluated on extreme delays, baggage handling, involuntary bumping, and customer complaints.
Delta Airlines fell short of winning the top spot, but it performed exceptionally well in several areas and never ranked lower than fifth in any category. The company achieved an impressive on-time arrival rate of 83%, surpassing all others in the industry. The Journal reported that the percentage increased from 81.7% in 2022, but it was slightly lower compared to 2019.
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The biggest gainer, despite its recent issues, was Alaska Air. “In a fierce competition with Delta for passengers on the West Coast, the airline emerged as the clear winner with the lowest cancellation rate, clocking in at less than 1%.” In 2023, the major carriers experienced a decrease in their average, which stood at 1.3%, compared to the previous year’s figure of 2.6%. According to The Journal, the ranking was completed prior to a recent alarming incident involving an Alaska flight, where a door panel unexpectedly detached, leading to concerns and the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets.
The state of airlines overall has been described as a return to order not seen since 2019, according to the Journal. “However, the aviation industry continues to grapple with air-traffic control issues, congested airports, adverse weather conditions, and avoidable mistakes.”
