Delta Airlines is named as the best US domestic airline, while Ana All Nippon is named the best international airline in the world, in new research.
The 5 best domestic airlines in the USA
| Rank | Airline | Arrivals on Time (July 2021) | Complaints Jan-June 2021 | Staff Service (/5) | Meals (/5) | Seat Comfort (/5) | Inflight Entertainment (/5) | Maximum Baggage Allowance (kg) | Airline Index Score /10 |
| 1 | Delta AirLines | 86.7% | 494 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 23.0 | 8.9 |
| 2 | Hawaiian Airlines | 87.7% | 115 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 22.5 | 8.5 |
| 3 | Horizon Airlines | 83.5% | 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 22.5 | 8.4 |
| 4 | Alaska Airlines | 77.5% | 211 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 23.0 | 8.1 |
| 5 | JetBlue | 65.1% | 665 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 22.5 | 7.7 |
Taking the top spot is Delta, scoring highly as it has the second-highest percentage of arrivals on time (86.7%) and a relatively low number of complaints, 494 from January to June of 2021.
Coming in second is Hawaiian Airlines. Based in Honolulu, it is the tenth-largest commercial airline in the US. Despite coming second overall, it is the most punctual airline with 87.7% of flights leaving on time. However, it is let down by the lack of inflight entertainment, only scoring two out of five.
The 5 best international airlines around the world
| Rank | Airline | Complaints Jan-June 2021 | Staff Service (/5) | Meals (/5) | Seat Comfort (/5) | Inflight Entertainment (/5) | Maximum Baggage Allowance (kg) | Airline Index Score /10 |
| 1 | Ana All Nippon Airways | 34 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 9.6 |
| 2 | Singapore Airlines | 23 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 9.5 |
| 3 | Korean Air Lines | 21 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 9.2 |
| 4 | Japan Air Lines Company | 45 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 9.2 |
| 5 | Qatar Airways | 267 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 9.0 |
Based in Tokyo, Ana All Nippon Airways is the largest airline in Japan by both revenue and passenger numbers. It ranks the highest in customer-rated staff service, the only airline in our list to score full marks in our airline index for this factor. It also has a relatively low number of complaints at 34.
Singapore Airlines ranks number two due to its high baggage allowance of 30 kilos, a low number of complaints (23), and high seat comfort, having won awards for their aircraft seating. Singapore Airlines scores four out of five for every category in our index, so it’s no surprise this carrier comes second in our ranking as the best international carrier.
The 5 worst international airlines around the world
| Rank | Airline | Complaints Jan-June 2021 | Staff Service (/5) | Meals (/5) | Seat Comfort (/5) | Inflight Entertainment (/5) | Maximum Baggage Allowance (kg) | Airline Index Score /10 |
| 1 | Viva Air Colombia | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 3.4 |
| 2 | VivaAerobusS | 27 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3.6 |
| 3 | Volaris Airlines | 379 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 4.0 |
| 4 | Ryanair | 33 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4.2 |
| 5 | Interjet | 490 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 4.6 |
The low-cost airline Viva Air Colombia is named the worst airline in the world. This carrier scores one out of five in our index for meals, seat comfort, and inflight entertainment due to the fact that few amenities are offered to customers free of charge. Although it did receive the lowest number of complaints overall.
Based at Monterrey International Airport in Mexico, VivaAerobus Airline carries passengers internally as well as operates international flights to cities in the US. It scores one out of five in our index for both inflight entertainment and meals and two out of five for staff service.
The full report can be seen here.
