Ratings Flight School The biggest complaint about flying economy? Uncomfortable seats. CR
members rate their overall satisfaction with economy-class service on major and low-cost
U.S. airlines, as well as on several individual measures.
Airline OveScorrall e Survey ResultsCabin cleanlinessCheck-in easeIn-flight entertainmentInformation on flight statusLegroomPricing transparencySeating comfortSelection of complimentary food and beveragesSelection of paid food and beveragesService from airline stafWiFi connectivity and consistencyCOACH/ECONOMY CLASSSouthwest Airlines^850404204010501020104030
Alaska Airlines^840404304010501020204030JetBlue Airways (^830404304020402020104030)
Hawaiian Airlines (^800403204010401020204020)
Delta Air Lines (^750303303010301010103010)
Allegiant Airlines^700203103010301010102010
American Airlines^680203103010301010103010
United Airlines^670203103010301010102010
Frontier Airlines (^630202102010101010102010)
Spirit Airlines (^620202102010201010102010)
clearly and lets you check two bags
free of charge.
Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and
Hawaiian Airlines are also among the
highest-rated airlines for economy
lights. Like Southwest, they received
favorable ratings for service, ease of
check-in, cabin cleanliness, pricing
transparency, and keeping passengers
informed of light status.
That said, if money is your primary
concern, don’t overlook ultra-low-
cost airlines such as Allegiant,
Frontier, and Spirit. Even though
Frontier and Spirit have among the
lowest reader scores in our ratings,
they and other budget airlines have
begun to ofer perks—including early
boarding and wider seats with extra
legroom—for a fee.
When we compared the prices of
enhanced economy on American and
Delta with similarly upgraded service
on low-cost carriers (see “Are
Low-Cost Carriers Really the
Cheapest?” on page 35), we found
that the low-cost airlines ofered a
better deal on all three routes
we compared.
For example, an Allegiant Airlines
round-trip fare between Chicago and
Fort Myers, Fla., which included extra
legroom, a carry-on bag, a checked
bag, and early boarding, was about
$200 cheaper than the price of a Main
Cabin Extra ticket on American
Airlines with comparable space
and amenities.
While they may save you money,
remember that low-cost carriers tend
to have smaller leets, so they might
not be able to put you on another light
quickly if your light is canceled or
delayed, McGee says.
- Find a Rock-Bottom Fare
Consumer Reports has concluded
in previous airfare shopping tests
that the best way to ind the lowest
fare is to search multiple times over
multiple days. You’ll also increase
your chances of snagging the lowest
price by shopping broadly, at both
airline websites and third-party
sites such as Google Flights, Kayak,
and Orbitz.
“No single travel site or airline
consistently ofers the best deals
in all cases,” McGee says. Not all
airlines appear on all third-party
sites (Southwest, the top-rated
carrier in our survey, doesn’t appear
on any of them), so always check
fares directly with the airline sites.
Casting a wide net is only the
beginning. To ind the best deals
you’ll also need to:
HOW WE SURVEY: Ratings are
based on our summer 2017 survey
of 52,089 Consumer Reports
members reporting on their
experiences on 96,897 economy-
class domestic flights between
July 2016 and June 2017. Economy
included basic-economy, economy,
and premium-economy flights.
The Overall Score represents
overall satisfaction with the flight
experience and is not exclusively
determined by factors under the
survey results. A score of 100would mean that all respondents
are completely satisfied; 80, that
respondents are very satisfied; and
60, that respondents are somewhat
satisfied, on average. Differences
of fewer than 2 points are not
meaningful. Each rating categoryunder Survey Results reflects
average scores on a scale from Very
Poor to Excellent. Ratings are based
on responses from CR members,
who may not be representative of
the general U.S. population.10 20 03 04 05
WORSE BETTERICONS:MARTÍN LAKSMAN34 CR.ORG DECEMBER 2018