In November, AirHelp, a service that helps airline passengers claim compensation for flight disruptions, released its annual ranking of the best U.S. airlines.
To determine the ranking, the organization looked at on-time performance, claim processing and customer experience — analyzing data from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. Each airline was given a score out of 10.
According to the report, AirHelp considered an on-time flight to be “any flight that arrived within 15 minutes of its published arrival time.” For claim processing, the organization assessed each airline based on how they treat their customers when things go wrong. And for the customer experience category, passengers were asked to give their opinion on five factors: cabin crew, aircraft comfort, aircraft cleanliness, food and entertainment.
To ensure AirHelp’s database ranks among the most accurate available, the company says they cross-reference their statistics with a variety of sources, including airport databanks, flight-tracking vendors, and government agencies.
2025 was a challenging year for U.S. airlines, Eric Napoli, Chief Legal Officer at AirHelp, tells CNBC Make It. The government shutdown that lasted a little over a month, had a significant impact on air traffic and travel, he says.
For example, on-time performance really took a hit, he says: “We saw that operational challenge this year.”
According to Napoli, American, United, and Delta work fairly well with AirHelp to make sure that customers who file claims — flight cancellations, lost baggage — get paid.
But it’s still an area they can improve in, he adds.
“Different airlines have their own operational modes but with claims processing, they should make it less difficult for customers to actually claim what’s due to them under law,” he says.
American Airlines is the best U.S. airline for on-time performance, customer satisfaction and more
With a score of 7.64, American Airlines is the best U.S. airline, AirHelp says. On the company’s global ranking, American Airlines came in at No. 11.
The airline had a score of 7.1 for on-time performance, 8 for customer opinion and 7.8 for claim processing.
Napoli says that American Airlines beat out both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines because it was better in one key category.
“They weren’t as efficient and quick in claims processing as they were before, but they did outdo United Airlines,” he says. “They were able to get passengers their compensation quicker.”
American Airlines
Grant Baldwin | Getty Images
American is one of the world’s largest airlines. It serves more than 300 destinations and operates a fleet of over 900 aircraft.
The airline was a pioneer in loyalty programs, launching its frequent flyer program in 1979. American Airlines is also a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, which includes other partner airlines worldwide like British Airways, and Qatar Airways.
The best U.S. airlines for on-time performance and more
- American Airlines – 7.64
- United Airlines – 7.54
- Delta Airlines – 7.46
- Frontier Airlines – 7.07
- Hawaiian Airlines – 6.73
- Southwest – 6.68
- Alaska Airlines – 5.95
- JetBlue – 5.31
United Airlines is the No. 2 U.S. airline, according to AirHelp. It received a score of 7.54 and took 13th place in the global ranking.
It got a score of 7.4 for on-time performance, 8.1 for customer opinion and 7.2 for claim processing.
Napoli says United performed better than the rest in on-time performance and customer opinion, but ultimately fell short in the claim processing category.
United Airlines
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
United Airlines serves more than 350 destinations and is part of the Star Alliance. The global partnership includes other carriers like Lufthansa and Air Canada.
In 2025, United added routes from Newark, New Jersey, and Tokyo, Japan, to new destinations like Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, bringing its total international destinations served to 147, according to Britannica.
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