This Semi-private Airline Was Named Best U.S. Airline by T+L Readers — with One-way Fares Starting at $249

The air travel industry has faced significant challenges over the last four years, grappling with pandemic disruptions and operational failures. Thus, it's no surprise that our readers prioritize crucial factors like safety, punctuality, and customer service when selecting their favorite domestic airline. While three major carriers dominate the U.S. market, our readers are open to exploring various options in their pursuit of these essential values. In the 2024 World's Best Awards, attention turns to newer, regional, and budget airlines.

Understanding the Voting Process

Each year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L invites readers to share their travel experiences worldwide, providing insights on the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise lines, spas, airlines, and more. In the 2024 survey, over 186,000 T+L readers participated, casting a total of more than 700,000 votes across over 8,700 properties (including hotels, cities, and cruise lines).

Airlines were evaluated based on the following criteria:

Comfort in the cabin
Service during the flight
Quality of customer support
Overall value

For each attribute, participants could rate it as excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores represent the averages of these ratings.

Highlights from Readers

In both 2022 and 2023, the top five domestic airlines remained unchanged, though their specific positions varied year to year. This year, all five have been pushed down the rankings by a newcomer to the World's Best Awards. More on our winner shortly — let's first examine positions two through five.

The No. 2 airline, Hawaiian Airlines, a WBA Hall of Fame inductee, slipped one position from its top ranking last year. Breeze Airways, a low-cost airline launched in 2021, moved up to No. 3. 'Breeze has redefined low-cost airline travel,' one reader commented. 'Easy, breezy comfort at an unbeatable price. Plus, brand new planes!' Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines each dropped two spots, landing at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

According to our readers, convenience and affordability were among the top factors influencing their choice of favorite airline. One reader commented on Delta Air Lines (No. 5), saying, 'Best routes and connections. Not always the lowest price.' Another praised Breeze Airways for its 'exceptional pricing for first-class, making it a fantastic deal among economy airlines.'

Continue reading to discover our readers' favorite domestic airline, as revealed in the 2024 World's Best Awards.

And the Winner Is

JSX

JSX has transformed the flying experience for many travelers by offering something that most airlines lack: true convenience. This semi-private carrier operates from private terminals, or FBOs (fixed-base operators), similar to flying on a private jet, allowing passengers to navigate a streamlined TSA-approved security process. One reader noted, 'Easy check-in, like flying private, almost,' emphasizing that you only need to arrive 20 minutes before your domestic flight. JSX also features smaller jets with all business-class seating, plus complimentary bar service, snacks, and Starlink Wi-Fi. The only drawback? JSX doesn't yet serve every destination. One reader expressed a desire for more routes, saying, 'I wish it flew to more cities,' while another added, 'They need to expand their offerings.'