This Semi-private Carrier Was Voted Best U.S. Airline by T+L Readers — and One-way Fares Start at $249

From semi-private jets to low-cost carriers, readers voted these domestic airlines the 10 best in our annual "World’s Best Awards" survey for 2024.

By

Stefanie Waldek

Published on July 9, 2024

Air travel has been a fraught industry for the past four years, as airlines have had to deal with pandemic-related disruptions and system meltdowns. So, it's not too surprising that our readers emphasize key values like safety, on-time performance, and customer service when picking their favorite domestic airline. While three carriers might dominate the U.S. market, our readers aren't afraid to branch out to other options in seeking those key values. In the 2024 World's Best Awards, newer airlines, regional airlines, and low-cost airlines are in the spotlight.

How Voting Works

Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

Airlines were specifically rated on the criteria below:

Cabin comfort
In-flight service
Customer service
Value

For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.

What Readers Loved

In both 2022 and 2023, the top five domestic airlines remained the same, though their specific rankings shuffled around from one year to the next. This year, those five airlines have all been shifted down on the ladder, unseated by a newcomer to the World's Best Awards. But more on our winner in a moment — let's take a look at No. 2 through No. 5.

The No. 2 pick, Hawaiian Airlines, a WBA Hall of Fame honoree, fell one spot from its top position last year. Breeze Airways, a low-cost carrier that launched in 2021, shifted up a spot to No. 3. "Breeze has rethought low-fare airline travel," wrote one reader. "Easy. Breezy comfort at an unbeatable price. And brand new planes!" Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines both dropped down two spots, to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Per our readers' comments, convenience and value were two of the most important factors in choosing a favorite airline. "Best routes and connections. Not always best price," wrote one about Delta Air Lines (No. 5). "Exceptional pricing for first-class, a great bargain in an economy airline," wrote another about Breeze Airways.

Now, read on to find out all about our readers' top-rated domestic airline, according to the 2024 World's Best Awards.

This Is Part Of

The World's Best Awards

See All Winners

The Winner

JSX

A group of six people board a plane from the tarmac — Courtesy of JSX

JSX has changed the way many people fly, and that's because it offers one thing most airlines don't: convenience. The semi-private carrier flies out of private terminals, or FBOs (fixed-base operators), just as you would on a private jet, which means you get to breeze through a totally streamlined TSA-approved security program. "Easy check-in, like flying private, almost," wrote one reader. That means you only need to show up 20 minutes before a domestic flight. Then, there's the fact that JSX flies smaller jets with all business-class-style seating — and the bar, snacks, and Starlink Wi-Fi are included. If there's anything to dislike about JSX, it's the fact that it doesn't fly everywhere quite yet. "Wish it flew to more cities," wrote one reader. "They need more routes," added another.