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Airlines are more than just their loyalty programs. That's why we’ve determined the best overall airline brand.
NerdWallet’s travel team compared six airlines across several categories to come up with this year's winner. We spent months collecting and analyzing data, not only to determine the best airline, but also the best airline rewards program, the best hotel and the best hotel rewards program of 2026. Check out all of our winners.
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How we picked the best airline
Some travelers might prioritize an airline that always gets their checked bag to their final destination, while other travelers may prefer an airline with the lowest fees or most destinations.
With this in mind, we prioritized elements of the flight experience that offer clear, objective and measurable benefits. We then combined these factors into a single overall rating across airlines.
Here’s what we compared:
- Network breadth.
- Fees.
NerdWallet’s travel team flies hundreds of thousands of miles a year, so we also considered the travel team’s personal experiences with each airline. This allows us to incorporate the subjective experience of flying with an airline that hard numbers can’t convey.
The airline rewards analysis is a subset of the overall ratings for these programs. We rated each airline brand across all of these categories on a five-point scale, then used a weighted average of these ratings to determine an overall winner.
The best airline of 2026
Winner: Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines dominated the competition for another year running. The airline performed particularly well in how it rewards customers through its Atmos Rewards loyalty program.
Here’s how the best airline scoring played out across categories:
Alaska Airlines saw good results for its points-earning potential and its relative lack of fees. Delta Air Lines also performed well, with particularly high marks for its fees, operations and network breadth. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines scored very well in some categories but very poorly in others, and this inconsistency dropped their overall scores.
JetBlue Airways rounded out the bottom of the list, which is unsurprising given the carrier’s limited route network and hybrid model. Unlike traditional full-service carriers, JetBlue doesn’t offer a domestic premium cabin product, although that’s expected to change in 2026.
» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now
The bottom line
Alaska Airlines won best overall airline for 2026 with its high rewards rate and reasonable fees.
Methodology to determine the best airline
How we picked the airlines to evaluate
Eligible airlines were required to be based in the U.S. and have a publicly available rewards search calendar with availability between 15 days and 180 days from the time of search. The airline must also be a full-service carrier ranked in the top six for airline domestic market share between May 2024 and April 2025. Full-service carriers offer multiple cabin types, and generally don’t charge extra for items like carry-ons.
Six airlines fit these criteria: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
How we chose the winner
We looked at the rewards rate, operations, network breadth, add-on fees and rankings by each member of the travel content team. Each factor was scored separately, and an overall rating was determined based on an equal weighting across categories.
How we rated and weighted each factor:
- Rewards rate (20%). We determined the dollar value of each program’s rewards miles and the earnings rate of miles in August 2025. To determine the rewards rate, we multiplied the value of each mile by the earnings rate and then multiplied by 100. For example, if an airline’s rewards miles were worth $0.01 apiece (the value of rewards miles) and 10 miles were earned per dollar spent (the earnings rate of miles), its program would have a 10% rewards rate. (In this example, the two equations would be: first $0.01 x 10 = 0.1, then 0.1 x 100 = 10, or 10%.)
- Operations (20%). We rated each airline according to on-time performance, cancellations and baggage mishandling, with each category accounting for 33.3% of the final ranking.
- Route network (20%). The number of domestic and international destinations served by each airline was provided by FlightConnections as of July 2025.
- Add-on fees (20%). We compared and ranked each airline by the cost of (1) bag fees and (2) economy seat assignment fees.
- Travel team (20%). In addition to quantitative metrics, we also considered qualitative factors. The qualitative portion is based on a composite of editorial team members’ review using the same criteria listed above.
How we verified our data
We independently spot-checked data collected to ensure accuracy. Information about loyalty programs was verified on the airlines’ websites.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2026:
- Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
- Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Luxury perks: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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