This Is The Best Domestic Airline For Customer Satisfaction Among Economy Travelers In 2026

Booking a flight is, in a way, an exercise in hope. The hope is that everything will run on time, the flight will be smooth, and that there won't be any undue hassles or irritations along the way. Admittedly, those hopes may be dashed with long airport security lines and so many flight delays that flying without travel insurance can be a gamble, but you may be able to hold onto some of that hope of a smooth journey if you book a flight with Southwest Airlines. In the JD Power 2026 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, which came out in May, Southwest was ranked No. 1 for customer satisfaction among economy-basic economy passengers. This is the fifth year in a row that Southwest has earned this top ranking.

For the JD Power survey, 10,914 passengers were questioned about their experience across seven specific aspects of air travel: "airline staff; digital tools; ease of travel; level of trust; on-board experience; pre/post-flight experience; and value for price paid." Southwest scored a 670 out of 1,000. At the other end of the scale, the lowest-ranked airline for economy-basic economy included in the JD Power survey was Frontier Airlines, with a score of 533.

Southwest Airlines also ranked No. 1 among low-cost airlines for Newsweek's America's Best Customer Service 2026, the same accolade it received in both 2025 and 2024. The airline, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has built its reputation on putting customers first and is known for having a little fun along the way. Well, that and its former open-seating model, a decades-old feature that came to an end in early 2026.

While not everyone is happy with any airline all the time, some passengers on social media certainly appreciate what Southwest is doing when it comes to customer service. One person on X (formerly known as Twitter) talked about their experience, saying that "SouthwestAir has the absolute most pleasant customer service reps. Always upbeat, super friendly, very helpful." Another happy flyer also posted on X, saying: "Shoutout to SouthwestAir for giving me a full credit back on [a] return flight that I cancelled. I like those kinds of wins. Keep up the good work!"

These No. 1 rankings come even as Southwest has made a number of changes on board, including checked-bag fees for many passengers and more standard assigned seating rather than open seating by group. Delta is right on the heels of Southwest in the JD Power rankings, only three points behind. That survey was taken by passengers who flew with a major airline within a month of taking part, with data collected between March 2025 and March 2026. It remains to be seen if Southwest will be able to hold onto its top spot as an economy-basic-economy airline as these changes are being experienced by more and more travelers.