Southwest vs. Delta: Which Airline Is Better?

Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines are two of the largest U.S.-based air carriers.

Both pride themselves on their safety, reliability and customer service.

If you need some help deciding which one to fly on your next trip, here’s a comparison of the two.

Winner for most flight options: Delta

This isn’t really a contest in this category. Delta is the clear winner as far as available routes and destinations, both on its own and as part of the global airline alliance SkyTeam.

Southwest routes and destinations

Southwest serves 117 airports in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. During peak periods, Southwest has about 4,000 scheduled flights a day.

Southwest comes out ahead in routes that are nonstop between cities. Instead of operating with geographically located hubs where many flights connect through, Southwest has a mostly point-to-point business model.

For example, it’s possible to go nonstop from Tampa, Florida, to Kansas City, Missouri, on Southwest, but passengers need to connect in Atlanta, Minneapolis or Detroit to fly between Tampa and Kansas City on Delta.

In 2025, Southwest announced two new interline partnerships with international airlines, Icelandair and China Air. Once it is in place, passengers will be able to book itineraries with legs on both Southwest and its partner airlines.

Delta routes and destinations

Delta operates flights to more than 290 destinations on six continents with up to 5,500 daily scheduled departures. With Delta’s membership in the SkyTeam alliance, passengers can fly between more than 1,000 destinations in more than 160 countries with more than 13,600 daily departures.

With SkyTeam, passengers can book tickets on partner airlines such as KLM, Air France, Korean Air and Virgin Atlantic and enjoy a seamless travel experience, including checking in for flights and checking bags between destinations.

Winner for reliability: Delta

According to NerdWallet’s analysis of U.S.-based airlines to find the most reliable carrier, Delta came out on top.

Delta reliability

From February 2024 to February 2025, Delta was one of the most reliable airline as far as on-time percentage. Delta had an on-time percentage of 81.52%, outperforming the other major airlines. The only major airline with a better on-time percentage was Hawaiian Airlines.

Southwest reliability

Between February 2024 and February 2025, Southwest was the third-most reliable airline.

Southwest had an on-time percentage of 79.47%, edging out United Airlines for the third spot.

Winner for lowest fees: Southwest

Southwest fees

For years, Southwest had prided itself on low fees, but now, Southwest charges some of the same fees as other airlines.

Southwest fees

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

• Overweight checked bag fee: $150 per bag weighing 51-70 pounds and $200 for bags weighing 71-100 pounds. 

• Same-day standby fee: $0. (Basic fares are not eligible.)

• Same-day change fee: $0. (Basic fares are not eligible.)

• Change fee: $0.

• Internet: $8 per flight from takeoff to landing. Messaging is free. 

• Unaccompanied minors: $100 one-way per child.

Currently, Southwest has no fee for seats, and it is first come, first served once on board, though that is changing later in 2025.

Passengers board in the order they check in and can pick any seat they want. For a fee of $15-$99, passengers can buy EarlyBird Check-In, which is an automatic procedure and can have the benefit of an early boarding number.

Southwest also has an Upgraded Boarding option where $30-$149 per segment can guarantee the first 15 boarding positions. It’s available only within 24 hours of departure, so basically if you forget to check yourself in and find yourself with a C boarding number, you can upgrade.

Delta fees

Delta charges fees for checked bags and flight changes, but Wi-Fi is free for Delta SkyMiles members.

• Checked bag fee: $35 for the first bag, $45 for the second bag. A third bag is $150, with bags four to 10 costing $200 each. 

• Overweight bag fees: $100 for bags weighing 51-70 pounds and $200 for bags weighing 71-100 pounds. 

• Same-day standby fee: $0.

• Same-day change fee: $75.

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

• Cancellation fee: $0 except for Basic Economy tickets, where it is $99 for travel originating in the United States and Canada. 

• Internet: Delta has rolled out free Wi-Fi on most of its flights for members of the SkyMiles program. On flights where free Wi-Fi isn’t available, messaging is free. 

• Unaccompanied minors: $150 each-way for up to four children. 

As far as changing tickets, as long as it’s not a Basic Economy ticket, passengers can change a Delta ticket before departure. A fare change will apply if there is one.

It’s possible to stand by for an earlier flight for no fee or pay $75 for a confirmed seat on an earlier flight as long as a seat is available in the same cabin. Basic Economy tickets are not eligible for this option, and Delta Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallion members do not have to pay a fee.

Winner for most flexible basic fares: Southwest

The Basic fare on Southwest is a new fare in 2025 with a lot more restrictions:

• No changes to tickets.

• If you cancel the flight, you'll receive a flight credit that expires in six months.

• No standby or same-day changes.

• Earn 2 Southwest Rapid Rewards points per $1 spent on the fare.

Delta’s Basic Economy fares can be much cheaper than its Main Cabin fares but have restrictions.

• No changes to tickets. 

• Can be canceled for a partial credit on Delta, but there is a $99 - $199 fee for canceling.

• No seat assigned until after check-in.

• Last to board, so overhead bin space might be limited. 

• No earning of SkyMiles. 

• No entry into Delta’s Sky Club. 

Southwest's Basic fare is slightly better than Delta's because it still earns some Rapid Rewards points and there are no cancellation fees.

Winner for premium flying experience: Delta

No contest here. Delta’s premium flying experience is far better than anything Southwest offers.

According to J.D. Power, Delta ranked highest in customer satisfaction among all U.S.-based airlines both for first and business class as well as premium economy.

Southwest doesn’t have a first or business class, and it doesn’t have extra large seats.

Delta also has more than 50 Sky Club locations where members can work, eat, drink and relax before and between flights.

Southwest has no lounge offerings.

Winner for best loyalty program: Tie

If you're looking for the loyalty program that will give you the better return on your spending, that would be Southwest Airlines. Their Wanna Get Away Plus fares, which are essentially main cabin fares, and their Basic fares earn more points per dollar than the Delta equivalent fares and Southwest Rapid Rewards points are worth slightly more than Delta SkyMiles.

But if you want to redeem points for international flights and premium cabins, then the Delta SkyMiles program has many more options.

Simply being a SkyMiles member can get you free Wi-Fi on many flights and more. Passengers can earn Medallion elite status, which offers additional benefits like free bags, upgrades, early boarding, dedicated customer service lines and more. Delta has more options for earning and redeeming SkyMiles with airline partners as well.

Winner for credit card options: Delta

Delta and Southwest offer co-branded credit cards that allow cardholders to earn miles or points for spending. Each card also has other benefits when booking or traveling with the airline.

Southwest has two personal and two business cards. Delta has four personal cards and three business cards.

Delta credit card options

Delta’s credit cards are issued with American Express, and each offers a variety of benefits for different annual fees ranging from $0 (see rates and fees) to $650 (see rates and fees).

All of them earn miles for spending on Delta and on other purchases.

The personal cards are the:

• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card.

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card.

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card.

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card.

The business cards are the:

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card.

• Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card​.

• Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card.

The personal and business cards offer similar benefits. Starting with the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, cardholders get a free checked bag, early boarding and a 15% mileage discount when using miles to book award travel on Delta. The highest-level card includes access to Delta Sky Clubs. Terms apply.

Southwest credit card options

As for Southwest, all co-branded credit cards are with Visa and issued by Chase. The annual fees for the personal cards are $69 and $149.

Each card earns points per dollar on all spending and more in bonus categories. One card includes two free EarlyBird Check-Ins, and the other has four Upgraded Boardings. The card with the higher fee also has a few more benefits.

The two business cards have higher annual fees and a few more benefits than the personal cards.

The personal Southwest cards are the:

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card.

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card.

The business Southwest cards are the:

• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card.

• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card. 

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

If getting from one place to another at a reasonable fare is your overall goal, either Southwest Airlines or Delta Air Lines should do the trick.

Both score highly on reliability.

Southwest is your best bet if you’re looking to travel between a high number of cities mostly in the United States and want to choose your seat when you board (at least until Southwest begins assigning seats in early 2026).

If you’re looking for many far-flung international destinations, a fare that includes an assigned seat and premium classes of service available, choose Delta.