Delta leads airline consideration rankings as new YouGov report highlights consumer loyalty, satisfaction, and shifting travel preferences

A new report released today by YouGov, U.S. airline rankings 2026, finds that Delta Air Lines is the most considered airline among Americans planning to travel in the next 12 months, as travelers balance affordability with growing expectations around reliability, quality, and overall experience.

Drawing on data from YouGov BrandIndex and YouGov Profiles, the report examines airline consideration among future travelers, satisfaction among current and former customers, perceptions of quality and value, and the role loyalty programs play in shaping traveler behavior.

The findings also suggest that brand trust and loyalty continue to play an outsized role in airline decision-making, even as low-cost carriers face mounting pressure and travelers reassess budget airline options following Spirit’s announced shutdown.

Key findings:

• Delta Air Lines ranks as the most considered airline among future travelers, with 49.5% of Americans planning to fly in the next 12 months saying they would consider booking with the carrier, narrowly ahead of American Airlines (49.2%) and United Airlines (47.5%) 
• Delta also recorded the largest year-over-year gain in traveler consideration, increasing 4.6 percentage points from the previous year, which led to the airline surpassing American and United Airlines in consideration 
• Among the major U.S. airlines, Delta ranks highest on customer satisfaction, followed by Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines 
• Emirates ranks as the highest-rated airline overall for customer satisfaction among current and former customers, followed by Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways 
• Southwest Airlines ranks highest on perceived value, outperforming all other airlines on value-for-money perception among Americans 
• Delta ranks highest on perceived quality, ahead of American Airlines and United Airlines 
• JetBlue’s TrueBlue rewards program generates the strongest loyalty lift, with members 387% more likely than future travelers overall to say JetBlue would be their top booking choice 
• The report suggests Spirit’s announced shutdown could reshape competition among low-cost airlines, with Frontier, Southwest, and JetBlue well-positioned to absorb demand from former Spirit travelers 

Kenton Barello, Senior Vice President, YouGov America, said:

“Airlines remain one of the most visible and heavily scrutinized consumer categories, where operational performance, pricing, loyalty programs, and customer experience all shape brand perception in real time. What stands out in this year’s data is that while consumers continue to debate and criticize airlines publicly, the brands that consistently deliver reliability, value, and trust continue to strengthen consideration and loyalty in a highly competitive market.”

Methodology

U.S. airline rankings 2026 is based on data from YouGov BrandIndex, YouGov’s daily brand tracking platform, and YouGov Profiles, its consumer insights tool.

The report analyzes consideration among Americans planning to travel in the next 12 months, satisfaction among current and former customers, and perceptions of quality, value, and loyalty program effectiveness across major airline brands. Data is nationally representative of U.S. adults and future travelers.

You can download the U.S. airline rankings 2026 here.