Given how much I travel, I obviously have an opinion on airlines. I have my favorite, I have the ones I prefer, and I have the ones I avoid. My reasons are often very personal and don’t apply to every traveler so knowing what your highest priorities are and finding an airline that best matches is critical for affordable, comfortable, easy air travel.

This will be a two-part post, broken up into standard airlines and budget airlines, aiming to be one of my more useful posts by examining some of the major factors when choosing an airline and looking at the specifics for each major airline in the US.

I am going to focus on US airlines as I have very little personal experience with foreign airlines. I am also going to skip the smaller regional airlines such as Alaska Air, Boutique Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, etc. The airlines are often the only routes between smaller airports, and therefore, there is no choice to be made.

I will cover the following topics:

Overview of the airline and its business model.
Average Cost: This is more of a cost comparison. We’ll look at four different one-way routes, three domestic and one international, on the same date to see what range each airline is in. I’m writing this in February, so we’ll look approximately four months out. The selected date will be a Tuesday, as Tuesday has the statistically lowest fares. I will also select the lowest fare available that day for each airline, regardless of time. These are all high-demand routes and will have highly competitive prices. The routes will be:
1. JFK (or another New York City airport) to LAX
2. DEN to IAH (or another Houston airport)
3. DFW (or another Dallas airport) to MIA/FLL
4. ORD (or another Chicago airport) to CUN
Seat size: Only looking at economy seats, how much legroom can you expect? Seat pitch refers to legroom. Seat width is the distance between the armrests.
Cabin Classes: What classes the airline offers.
Baggage Fees: Assuming we have booked an Economy or Basic Economy fare. Fees may differ depending on fare type, size of bag, and weight of bag.
Rewards Program: A brief description of the airline’s frequent flyer program and the perks when you reach a certain milestone.
Timeliness: The percentage of the time the flights arrive at or before their scheduled arrival time.
Pros: Based on my own experience.
Cons: Based on my own experience.
My overall opinion

Standard Airlines

United

United is the third largest airline in the world and services destinations all over the globe. If you are looking to get to anywhere in Indonesia, Europe, China, Russia or Japan, chances are, there’s a United flight or a United partner that flies there.

United’s business model is that of a traditional airline. They have a wide range of plane types with different class seating. They cater to the business traveler and focus a lot of their effort on business upgrades, airport lounges, and other business travel comforts. In many cases, the Main Cabin and Economy Plus seating classes are only a small fare increase over Economy, allowing you to get additional perks for a little extra.

Sample Flights:

EWR to LAX: $127
DEN to IAH: $144
DFW to FLL: $170
ORD to CUN: $220

Seat size: United uses a wide variety of planes. The following is an average of their short-haul economy aircraft.

Pitch: 32.41 inches
Width: 16.33 inches

Cabin Classes: Available classes and inclusions vary by aircraft and route.

First Class, Business Class, Economy Plus, Economy

Baggage Fees:

Personal Item: Free
Carryon Item: Free
Checked Item: 1^st bag $30. 2^nd bag $40

Rewards Program: MileagePlus Premier

Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Premier1K tiers.
25,000, 50,000, 75,000, and 100,000 miles to qualify for each tier, respectively.
Complimentary upgrades when available.
Priority check-in.
Priority security when available.
Priority boarding.
Priority baggage handling.
Dedicated phone line.
Access to sold-out flights.
Complimentary checked bag.

Timeliness: 79.68%

Pros: Lots of great seat options. This can be especially helpful for long-haul flights. United and its regional partners service a large number of regional airports, making them a great option for places like Moab, UT and Asheville, NC.

Cons: If you’re just looking for a basic fare, United will often cost just as much as a budget airline and sometimes include less. Seat sizes are small, and it is very obvious that the airline caters to the higher-class cabins. Many Basic Economy fares have additional carry-on luggage fees.

My Opinion: I can’t stand United. It is my least favorite airline. The seats are uncomfortable and, feel like they’re actively trying to kick you out. They’re always packed, and with a Basic Economy fare carry-on bags cost extra. If I’m not upgrading, I want nothing to do with this airline. I’ve always been unimpressed with customer service, change fees are exuberant, and agents are generally not the friendliest in the industry.

American

American is the largest airline in the world. Many of their flights are domestic, [but they and their partners run hundreds of international flights all over the world. American services several small, regional airports and has many flights with just a handful of passengers to service remote oil fields, small towns, and other out-of-the-way locations.

American’s business model is a standard model, with planes scheduled to optimize preferred flight times and pricing designed to entice [travelers to purchase upgraded airfare. While they are not quite as business-traveler focused as United a good portion of their sales are in upgraded seating and add-ons.

Sample Flights:

JFK to LAX: $149
DEN to IAH: $142
DFW to FLL: $162
ORD to CUN: $192

Seat size: American uses a wide variety of planes. The following is an average of their short-haul economy aircraft.

Pitch: 32.15
Width: 17.26

Cabin Classes:

First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy, Main Cabin Extra, Main Cabin, Basic Economy.

Basic Economy is the same seat as the main cabin but with additional restrictions.

Baggage Fees:

Personal Item: Free
Carryon Item: Free
Checked Item: 1^st bag $30. 2^nd bag $40

Rewards Program: AAdvantage Elite Status

Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum tiers.
25,000, 50,000, 75,000, and 100,000 miles required, respectively.
All tiers include the following:
- Automatic upgrades on flights under 500 miles when available.
- Use points to purchase upgrades on flights over 500 miles.
- Upgrade one companion traveling with you on the same flight.
- 40% miles earning bonus. (Increases with tier.)
- Priority boarding.
- Waived checked bag fee.
- Complimentary same-day standby.
- Discounted Admirals Club membership.

The list goes on. For additional details, click HERE.

Timeliness: 78.97%

Pros: American is the largest airline in the world. If you’re going somewhere, chances are, they fly there. They have many regional routes with short connections, and they operate flights all night long, allowing lots of options for getting somewhere. Their Basic Economy fares are usually comparable to budget airlines, especially for popular routes. Many of their flights include seat-back TVs with movies and games.

Cons: Like United, American’s Basic Economy fares have very few inclusions; baggage and schedule changes cost extra, and prior seat selection seat selection is not included. Change fees are often extremely high.

My Opinion: I’d rather fly American than United. Overall, they are exactly what you’d expect from an airline. The seats are reasonably comfortable, even in Basic Economy, customer service is usually good, and they have a wide range of routes, often being the only airline with a nonstop option to smaller airports.

Delta

Like the other standard carriers, Delta focuses on upgraded fares. Their flight schedules offer short non-stop routes out of airports around the country, with most longer routes requiring connecting in one of their larger hubs.

Delta has some of the best legroom in the industry, and their seats are some of the more comfortable. They carry the most domestic passengers and operate over 5,400 flights daily.

Average Cost:

EWR to LAX: $140
DEN to IAH: $97
DFW to FLL: $170
ORD to CUN: $196

Seat size: Delta uses a wide variety of planes. The following is an average of their short-haul economy aircraft.

Pitch: 33.54
Width: 17.65

Cabin Classes:

First Class, Delta Comfort+ (Business Class), Main Cabin, Basic Economy.

Basic Economy is the same seat as the main cabin but with additional restrictions.

Baggage Fees:

Personal Item: Free
Carryon Item: Free
Checked Item: 1^st bag $30. 2^nd bag $40

Rewards Program: Sky Miles Medallion Status

Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers.
25,000 miles, 50,000 miles, 75,000 miles, and 125,000 miles, respectively.
Each tier has additional benefits. All tiers have the following benefits:
- Rollover Medallion Qualification Miles.
- Additional points earning benefits.
- Upgrade using points.
- Complimentary upgrades when available.
- Waived baggage fees.
- Priority check-in.
- Priority boarding.
- CLEAR Membership.
- Dedicated phone line.

This list goes on for a while. Delta has a significant number of perks and even more as you go up in tier. For a full list, click HERE.

Timeliness: 82.76%

Pros: Delta’s largest hub, Atlanta, is the busiest airport in the world, making it easy to find flights from the eastcoast to anywhere in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean. Like its major competitors, Delta services several small airports.

Cons: Almost every route connects through Atlanta or some smaller hub. Unless your home or your destination is Atlanta or another hub, nonstop flights are harder to find on Delta and their schedule is often not as convenient as other airlines. Change fees are high.

My Opinion: Delta is my second-choice airline due to their comfort and customer service. I’ve had better luck with their change fees than other airlines. I don’t like that most routes require connections and that they don’t offer group bookings. The latter of those doesn’t matter to most people, but it’s a huge frustration for me.

Conclusion

If you’re picking a non-budget airline, I’d put United, Delta, and American on pretty level ground overall. Many people feel strongly about one or another, and it’s worth looking at the airline as a whole to help understand if they may be the best airline for you. If price is a factor, it’s worth checking all of them or having a travel agent check for you.