Southwest vs. Delta: Which Airline Is Better?

Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines are two of the biggest airlines in the U.S. Among the large U.S. airlines, the two airlines position themselves very differently. Delta is generally thought of as the most operationally stable and premium of the large carriers. Southwest’s legacy is low-cost airfares and its egalitarian boarding style.

If you’re trying to make a decision about which airline is the right one for you, here’s our comparison to help you decide.

Routes and destinations

Winner for most flight options: Delta

When it comes to the number of routes and destinations served, Delta wins hands down. Not only does Delta serve more cities and more countries on its flights, but its membership in the SkyTeam alliance and other airline partnerships offer connectivity well beyond what Southwest offers.

» Learn more: The best airline of 2024

Delta’s routes and destinations

Delta is a global airline, providing service on its aircraft to up to 275 cities in 50 countries. Delta is also a member of the SkyTeam alliance, which expands its reach to 1,050 destinations in 166 countries. SkyTeam is particularly strong in Europe, through its partners KLM and Air France.

Delta operates joint ventures with Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, China Eastern, Korean Air, LATAM, and Westjet, enabling it to coordinate schedules with those partner airlines. The upshot is that travelers experience more logical connections when traveling on a joint venture partner.

» Learn more: Your guide to earning Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Southwest’s routes and destinations

Southwest has a substantially smaller footprint compared with Delta. Southwest provides service to more than 120 airports across 11 countries, including those in Central America and the Caribbean. This is mostly because Southwest flies exclusively Boeing 737-series aircraft, which are largely unable to provide service across the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean beyond Hawaii.

The airline doesn't partner with other airlines and isn’t a member of any airline alliance.

» Learn more: Your guide to booking award flights on Southwest

Reliability

Winner for best reliability: Delta

Delta was the most reliable carrier in NerdWallet's analysis of U.S. airlines based on factors like on-time percentage, cancellations and involuntary boardings.

Delta reliability

Between July 2022 and July 2023, Delta had the best on-time percentage of any major U.S. airline — 82.97% of the airline’s flights met the U.S. Department of Transportation's definition of on-time. Delta also had a relatively low cancellation rate. At 1.38% of flights canceled, it ranks among the best of the major airlines.

Southwest reliability

Southwest’s reliability from July 2022 to July 2023 ranked markedly lower than most competitors. The airline’s on-time rate was 74.70% and it canceled 2.75% of its flights.

Southwest’s cancellation numbers were the highest of any of the major U.S. airlines during this period, but it’s important to note that that period includes its 2022 systemwide meltdown. Over a handful of days during the holiday travel season, Southwest canceled 16,700 flights and had to restart its operations.

Fees

Winner for lowest fees: Southwest

Unsurprisingly, Southwest wins on fees. Southwest offers all passengers two free checked bags, free standby for all and same-day confirmed travel for all but its cheapest tickets.

Further, all Southwest tickets can be canceled for a flight credit up to 10 minutes before departure.

» Learn more: Which airlines have the best (and worst) fees

Delta fees

• Checked bag fee: $35 for the first bag, $45 for the second bag.

• Same-day standby fee: $0.

• Same-day change fee: $75.

• Change fee for flights originating in the U.S. (excluding Basic Economy): $0.

Southwest fees

• Checked bag fee: $0 — all Southwest passengers get two free checked bags.

• Same-day standby fee: $0.

• Same-day change fee: $0 — fare difference applies for Wanna Get Away fares.

• Change fee: $0.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Basic economy

Winner for lowest fees: Southwest

Delta’s basic economy doesn’t earn frequent flyer miles, isn’t eligible for elite benefits, doesn't allow cancellations or changes without a hefty fee and won’t let you select your seat.

In contrast, even if you’re flying the lowest-cost Wanna Get Away fare on Southwest, you can select your seat based on boarding position and you can cancel or change your flight until 10 minutes before departure. Southwest easily wins because it doesn't impose draconian restrictions on its lowest fares.

» Learn more: Which airlines have the best basic economy experience?

Loyalty program

Winner for loyalty program: Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles wins for the better loyalty program, but only marginally. Southwest offers more predictable value through the miles you earn, but Delta promises more lavish benefits at its highest elite tiers.

» Learn more: The best airline rewards programs of 2024

Delta SkyMiles

Like other major airlines, Delta offers perks like free bags, upgrades, additional miles, and same-day travel changes as perks in its SkyMiles to incentivize more spending with the airline.

But over the years, the cost to earn Delta status has crept up and the benefits have been cut. Elite upgrades are now a rarity for all but the highest-tier Diamond Medallions and nearly all of the high-value uses of SkyMiles have been cut from the program.

» Learn more: Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program: The complete guide

Southwest Rapid Rewards

Southwest’s loyalty program rewards flying, but its elite benefits aren’t as lavish as Delta’s. If you fly with Southwest often, you can earn up to A-List Preferred status, which gives you priority boarding, priority for same-day change and standby, free inflight internet and up to 100% bonus points on your flights.

The Southwest Companion Pass is a highly sought-after perk for Southwest flyers who travel with a companion — with the companion pass, a selected friend or family member can travel with you on any flight that has an available seat for free.

» Learn more: The complete guide to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program

Credit card availability

Winner for credit card availability: Delta Air Lines

Delta credit cards

Delta has four consumer credit cards and three business cards with a range of annual fees. Here's a list of the personal credit cards along with their earn rates, annual fees and welcome bonuses:

Delta credit cards offer a variety of benefits, such as free checked bags, a head start of $2,500 Medallion Qualifying Dollars to earn elite status, a 15% discount when using miles to book Delta flights, a one-time companion certificate and more. Terms apply.

Southwest credit cards

Southwest has three consumer credit cards and two business cards, so the choices are slightly more limited.

Find out if a Southwest credit card is worth it (Spoiler: It can be a smart money move for people who love flying Southwest). If you’re struggling to choose, you can have some advice to help you decide which Southwest credit card is right for you.

Business class

Winner for business class: Delta Air Lines

If you want to fly in business class or first class, Delta Air Lines should be your choice. Although you’ll sometimes hear that “every seat is first class” on Southwest, the airline doesn’t have a true first class cabin. Rather, all fares are for an economy seat in the plane’s single cabin — that doesn’t help you sleep as well as a lie-flat Delta One seat.

Southwest vs. Delta recapped

If you fly within the U.S. and you fly in coach, pick the better airline based on price and schedule, which means you would choose Southwest.

You’re likely to spend more with Delta to get equivalent service, as you’ll have to pay an up-charge to avoid Basic Economy on most routes. And you’ll need to pay for checked bags unless you have a credit card or elite status.

But if you travel internationally or buy first class or business class travel, Delta is your option. Southwest offers service to a limited number of international destinations, isn’t a member of an airline alliance and doesn’t offer premium cabin travel.