Sogolytics today released The Sogolytics CX Rankings: U.S. Airlines 2026, a new benchmarking study examining customer experience across the six largest U.S. carriers. Based on a survey of 1,014 travelers, the report measures 21 dimensions spanning booking, the airport, the cabin, disruption recovery, and future loyalty at Delta, United, American, Southwest, Frontier, and Allegiant.
The findings show an aviation landscape where ticket price gets travelers to click "Book," but reliability, communication, and recovery decide who they fly next. Across the six carriers, 84% of travelers were satisfied with their primary airline overall, yet the gap between the highest and lowest rated carrier is the widest of any measure in the report.
Southwest Leads Every Loyalty Measure
Southwest Airlines tops every retention and advocacy metric in the study. It earns the highest overall satisfaction at 89%, the highest Net Promoter Score at +39 (driven by half of customers rating it 9 or 10), and the highest likelihood to fly again at 91%. Southwest is also the only carrier strong on both halves of the journey, winning categories in the airport and inside the cabin.
Frontier Airlines ranks last on every loyalty measure, including the only negative NPS in the study at -6. It also sits in the bottom three on all seven in-flight dimensions.
The Journey Splits Between the Airport and the Cabin
Performance breaks cleanly into two distinct experiences. Frontier, Allegiant, and Southwest claim six of seven wins on the pre-flight side, including booking, app and website, check-in, boarding, real-time updates, and cost transparency. Delta, American, and Southwest sweep all seven cabin categories, including seat comfort, cleanliness, flight attendant service, food and beverage, entertainment, Wi-Fi, and baggage handling. Whichever leg an airline is weaker on is where it loses travelers.
Recovery Is the Highest-Leverage CX Moment
Nearly one in three travelers (32%) reported a delay of 30 minutes or more, a cancellation, or a missed connection. United had the highest disruption rate at 43%, Allegiant the lowest at 19%. Among affected travelers, 38% said they became more likely to fly the airline again after a well-handled disruption, compared with 20% who became less likely, a net loyalty gain of 18 points. Delta and American convert disruptions into loyalty most often, with 42% of their affected customers saying they would fly the carrier again. Delta also led on disruption handling overall at 68% satisfied, while Frontier ranked lowest at 42%.
Price Wins the Booking, Experience Wins the Next One
Half of travelers (50%) cite ticket price as a top factor when choosing an airline, twice the share of the next-highest driver. But fare alone does not predict who comes back. The two cheapest carriers in the study sit at opposite ends of loyalty, with Allegiant near the top at NPS +32 and Frontier last at -6.
One-Size CX Does Not Exist
Priorities shift sharply by segment. Frequent flyers weight ticket price 18 points lower than occasional travelers, replaced by in-flight service, loyalty programs, communication, and digital tools. Business travelers weight price 19 points lower than personal travelers. Families with children weight communication 7 points higher than solo travelers, and male travelers weight on-time performance 9 points higher than female travelers, the largest gender gap in the study.
About the Study
The Sogolytics CX Rankings: U.S. Airlines 2026 is based on a survey of 1,014 U.S. consumers who flew domestically on one of six major airlines (Delta, United, American, Southwest, Frontier, or Allegiant) within the past 12 months. The sample covers all major age groups from 18 to 65 and older, a balanced gender mix (51% female, 49% male), and a cross-section of trip types, cabin classes, and travel companions. Participants rated their most recent flight across 21 dimensions covering booking, the airport, the cabin, disruption handling, and overall loyalty.
This report is an independent study conducted solely by Sogolytics. No airlines or aviation organizations referenced in this report were involved in the design, execution, analysis, or review of this study. None of the organizations mentioned provided input, funding, or influence over the findings or outcomes.
All opinions, rankings, and insights expressed are those of Sogolytics and are intended for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, this report does not constitute travel advice or an endorsement of any specific carrier.
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, Sogolytics is an award-winning experience management and survey technology provider. Organizations like Uber, Walmart, UNICEF, 3M, and Citibank as well as hospital systems, financial services companies, and government institutions use Sogolytics to securely gather business intelligence and create exceptional experiences for their customers and employees.
