As the calendar ticks away to summer, travel plans for the busy vacation season may be on the minds of travelers. But before selecting an airline, consider the brand you choose; it may have risen to the top of the list for on-time arrivals or customer service, or dropped to the bottom of the options for baggage handling or tarmac delays.

The summer travel season, which runs from June 1 to August 31, typically sees the busiest months for airlines and airports. Last year was no different, with more than 250 million people in the U.S. traveling by plane through the Labor Day Weekend, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The robust summer 2024 season became the busiest on record, with nearly 3 million people traveling per day.

A recent ranking completed by The Wall Street Journal — their 17th consecutive year to publish the list — announced which U.S.-based major airlines their reviewers felt made the cut in 2024 as the best in the industry.

For the fourth year in a row, and the seventh in the last eight years, Delta Air Lines edged out second-place Southwest Airlines for the number one spot.

The study ranks the nine airlines in the study on: on-time arrivals, canceled flights, extreme delays, two-hour tarmac delays, mishandled bags, involuntary bumping and customer submissions (comments and complaints).

Delta ranked high for customer service, even when considering its expensive ticket prices. The company also received high scores for on-time arrivals, the only U.S. airline to exceed the 80 percent mark.

The company’s score also reflects its ranking as the carrier with the lowest rate of involuntary bumping. Delta also had the second-lowest number of canceled flights and extreme delays, after Southwest Airlines.

At the opposite end of the list was Colorado-based Frontier Airlines.

After several years as a popular carrier (many may remember their warm chocolate chip cookies) with photos of animals on the tails of the planes, Frontier filed for bankruptcy reorganization in April 2008. They emerged from bankruptcy in October 2009 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways.

The company was sold again in 2013, with Indigo Partners buying a majority share.

The airline is now managed as an ultra-low-cost carrier, competing directly against another low-performing airline, Spirit Airlines. They came in at number eight in the most recent rankings.

Frontier has remained at or near the bottom of the list since at least 2018

The Wall Street Journal’s complete rankings, as published on January 21, 2025, include:

1. Delta Air Lines2. Southwest Airlines3. Alaska Airlines4. Allegiant Air5. United Airlines6. JetBlue Airways7. American Airlines8. Spirit Airlines9. Frontier Airlines

When booking flights, it is worth the time to research the ratings of the airlines for things like on-time departures, customer service and baggage handling. A few extra dollars might go a long way in making that vacation a little less stressful.