What is your least favorite airline?

For years I lived in Dallas/Ft.. Worth and, of course, flew American. It was always my least favorite airline even in those years. I found the attendants usually rude, the communication on flight delays to be very poor, their phone centers to be either rude or clueless, etc., etc. While Delta may not be my favorite, it is the most convenient for where I live now and I much prefer it to American.
Just one persons opinion, but based on decades of experience.

Geography--that is, where you live--is going to drive many of the responses. I mainly fly on two airlines--Delta principally and Southwest occasionally. On international flights, I use Delta SkyMiles so I always fly Delta. I have not flown American and United in years (I found the service on United poor after it acquired Continental in 2010, but again it has been years since I have flown United). For domestic flights, I want to try Alaska.

I like Delta and have been flying it for decades. I also like KLM, but I am not so enamored of Air France after they had to turn our plane around mid-flight, head back to Paris, but then just dropped us off outside with no explanation or instructions. We had to wander the airport for almost 30 minutes before we finally got some help.

I haven't flown American or United in decades, so I can't speak for how they are now. I don't particularly like Southwest, but have not flown with them since the big changeover, so maybe it's gotten better.

RJ, I am interested in flying Alaska Airlines as well, but it would have to be an appropriate destination, as I don't want to fly from MSP to Seattle and then head back east again.

I have only ever flown United and I have never had a bad flight. With that in mind I cannot say that I have a least favorite airline, nor do I put much stock into these sorts of surveys as my general opinion is that most people have unreasonable expectations.

I'd rather walk but it takes too long.

I've found happiness on Hawaiian but that may have been due to fact that I was flying to Hawaii so, yeah, never mind... sorry.

I'm a big fan of good customer service and predictability so I have a rather tenuous and temperamental relationship with the whole lot of them!

Happy travels.

My least favorite one is the carrier which most recently operated a flight that was delayed, canceled, etc.

The last two times that I have flown BA, my flight has been delayed so at the moment they aren’t my favorite. It won’t stop me from booking a flight with them if they offer the best route/departure time/price combination.

If you are flying economy, I think all of the major carriers in the U.S. and Europe are much of a muchness. Choice is often limited based on your departure airport. I live near a United hub so I mostly fly United; fortunately, I’ve never had a bad experience with them. I don’t think I’ve had a really great experience with any airline. I have pretty low expectations. I mostly just want the airline to get me and my luggage to my destination safely and on time.

My least favorite to travel internationally is American. There’s been too many times that I’ve spent alot time figuring out what I consider the right flight with departure, connection and arrival times at the best price only to have American turn it into the flight from hell at the last moment. We fly United quite frequently because we choose to go out of San Francisco and it is a United hub. I don’t have any major complaints about them. And we fly frequently between Bend and San Francisco which is usually done on either Alaska or United, Delta is just way too expensive for this one hour flight.

My least favorite is Delta. Too many screw ups on their end on several trips. We are somewhat stuck with them as we still have over 300k miles sitting in our accounts there. Once we are on the plane though, no complaints. Just the cancelled flights, dropping a person off a reservations numerous times, changing our itinerary so much it does not even remotely look like what we had booked, being downgraded for seats, etc.

Alaska and Icelandair are our two preferred carriers.

I have flown American and predecessors for 20+ years going back to USAIR and TWA. Delta is sort of bland, United I use to accumulate LH MILES & MORE. Loath Ryanair, Frontier and such. Best customer service experiences I’ve had were LH and Qatar. Oddest experience TAROM on a Russian IL-62. Fourty years ago AIR FRANCE and Concorde….a trip for the ages after 6 months in a classified location. USAFR for my first and last ride in a piston engine airliner, the C-118 (aka DC-6) Loyalty programs get me better seats, free flights and such but they don’t solve the sometimes unpleasantry of flying.

Geography--that is, where you live--is going to drive many of the responses.

I agree. No airline is perfect and the one that you fly the most is going to colour your decision because you've had the most experiences with it. My natural choice would be British Airways because that is by far the airline that I've flown the most and consequently had the most negative experiences with.

One of my worst flights was with Ryanair from Riga to Gdansk due to the most unbelievably tortuous seat and the duty free sales presentation in three languages that almost lasted as long as the flight.

Then there was the flight from Charlotte to Hilton Head Island in a twin prop with a leaking roof and what felt like a fuselage that was going to disintegrate at any given moment (I don't recall the airline).

My current favourite is Turkish Airlines.

My least favorite is Delta. Too many screw ups on their end on several trips. ... Once we are on the plane though, no complaints. Just the cancelled flights, dropping a person off a reservations numerous times, changing our itinerary so much it does not even remotely look like what we had booked, being downgraded for seats, etc.

mikliz, I'm wondering if it's your location. I've been flying Delta for over 50 years and have had very few cancellations and only a couple of minor changes to flights. But I've almost always flown out of a hub (first Cincinnati and then Minneapolis) so that could have something to do with it.

I've flown many different airlines in my years of travel. The past 25 years I've flown only American. I do have a "low ranking" American Airline credit card and am a member of their frequent traveler program. I don't fly enough to have status. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by how helpful customer service agents are on the telephone. I don't book online.

The gate agents have always been helpful and kind, with one exception several years ago. When I checked in at Zurich last May I was using a cane and wore a back brace. The agent wanted to get me a chair to sit on while I waited in line. Can't complain about that. I did not accept her offer as I had no need to sit at that point. But it was a kind gesture.

There have been times when I felt the connecting time was too short. For example, a trip we had to cancel the autumn had a one hour connecting time in Charlotte. Although I think that connecting time is "legal", if the incoming flight is late it's not. An I had been following the history of the incoming flight and it was often late. (This is part of the need to fly from a smaller regional airport. I can and have taken an earlier flight which meant spending several hours in the Charlotte airport. This is not really American's fault, just the way it is sometimes when flying from a regional airport.)

The flight attendants have always been friendly. Before flying exclusively American, I've experienced some pretty snarly attendants. Not snarly at me but snarly at others. Especially when TWA was in turmoil decades ago.

Hope I don't jinx myself with the next sentence. American has never lost my luggage. Thus far I always travel with one checked piece, a 24" x 15" backpack.

Growing up as a daughter of a United customer service agent at a small airport, I learned to be polite and courteous when interacting with any airline employee. It's the right thing to do and it can be helpful when the day goes south. I am not accusing anyone of being rude. Just sayin'.

So I'll be sticking with American for the time being. Unless I decide to go some place they don't fly. Ha ha.

Happy travels and travel planning everyone!

Traveler Girl

I suppose my favorite is Delta/KLM/AF simply because it's what I fly the most. My second favorite would be Alaska Airlines. As for least favorite...I guess I prefer not to fly Spirit. They don't have a great track record.
The rudest flight crew I've ever had was on Lufthansa but as a general airline they are fine.

My least favorite is the most expensive one.

My favorite airline: American Airlines. I love it, no complaints whatsoever. I fly first class domestically, and business class internationally.

From my home regional airport served by the Big 3, Delta is the highest price option 90+ percent of the time, and often it is significantly higher than AA or United. I did fly Delta One last year to Paris when the price was lower than AA, and I much preferred AA Business Flagship, the "pod" seating was more comfortable on AA. Food and service was excellent on both. But if I can save money, I will fly Delta again, but I still prefer AA. I haven't flown United internationally in a long time, but recently flew them domestically, and it was fine, too.

Mardee--I don't think that's it. It is the reservations/customer service that has been rotten for us. We have done several trips with them this year using miles and I just hold my breath until we get there. We may gift those miles to our son for a honeymoon;)

I'm a big fan of good customer service and predictability so I have a rather tenuous and temperamental relationship with the whole lot of them!

This pretty much captures it.

Spirit

They sell a ticket that’s supposed to be a 7 AM flight and move it 10 times till 7 PM and then try to pretend like you actually wanted this

I’ve had to fight with them twice for refunds on extreme schedule changes and I won’t be giving them a third strike

I'd be surprised if these rankings move the needle on anyone's opinions as we all seem to have strong feelings one way or another. I think I've had a love/hate relationship with most airlines I've traveled with. Lots of love for American on here but they're my least favourite of the big three in the US. At home I'd easily rank both major Canadian airlines ahead over anything I've experienced in the US, with WestJet my top choice. Interestingly enough in another post about airlines this weekend, another poster from the same city as me expressed their unhappiness with WestJet. Neither one of us are right or wrong, but I suspect both of us are comfortable with our reasons for our love/hate. Of the European airlines I've flown with, KLM and EasyJet are my favorites, but I bet there are some of you that could give reasons of why you disagree.

Other airlines we have traveled on:
1) Egyptair- we did this because our tour company included a very low airfare with a tour and Nile River cruise. It was the worst flight we have had. Flight Attendants were frequently rude, ignored us, my wife's TV screen was broken (they didn't even try to fix). Also, the flight was 14 hrs late departing to Cairo because (we were told) Egyptair once a month arranged for maintenance at JFK, but we didn't know that prior to traveling to JFK, so we had a long wait. Lodgings were offered at some hotels that ranked very low, so we stayed at the TWA hotel and ate most of the cost of that insurance didn't cover.
2) Qatar Airlines- It wasn't as bad as Egyptair, but in our four flights, on one flight my wife's TV screen did not work and on one mine didn't work.

I would have to say that China Eastern is not very good. I have seen the pilots fighting to take the leftover food at the end of a flight. When delays happen at the airport, they don't seem to have much control over the way that they board and especially if they are combining other delayed flights. They literally let everyone rush the gates and since they also fail to assign seating for the delayed passengers, the seating in the plane can get really wild with actual fights taking place over seats. The trick (you learn) is to make sure you are on quickly and in your seat before someone else tries to claim it.
Maintenance wise, I was always terrified by some of United's stunts. I recall flying to Beijing (or was it Shanghai?) on a flight where none of the lighting or screens worked in the section I was seated in. That was a long and boring flight. It became terrifying when I flew back a month later, on the same plane, and the same section still had the same problem. That lack of service, if only cabin lighting, really makes you wonder.
We used to have a local, Mohawk airlines. They would take off in the worst weather. We had a freezing rainstorm one morning. I made it to the airport expecting cancellations. Nope, they put us in the flying road culvert and off we went. The pilots had scraped a tiny hole in the ice so that they could see out. These ex military pilots don't mess around. We crabbed down the runway and lifted off. After about half an hour or so, the co-pilot stood up and looked out of the window and pointed down. He could see the Hudson River. The plane banked and turned. We were on our way to NY. They had spotted a landmark.
The worst airlines are always the regionals. They may be associated with the big boys, but they have their own way. Sitting in Dulles trying to get home you listen to the announcements. Flight to Roanoke, delayed, flight to Cleveland, delayed, flight to name a place, delayed. Bump, bump, bump. If this is at the end of a 20 hour day of travel, it gets pretty tense. Will you make it home tonight or will it be sometime the next day?
I am always amused by "I always fly" this or that. I always flew whatever was available and still made million plus mile status on two. Sadly (not really) Northwest bit the dust so that amounts to a goose egg, but United has been really great about honoring the mileage award.
Some airlines are really great. Cathay, Singapore, Emirates..... lovely. KLM, LH, BA, not so nice. LH and BA were once really top notch.......not so much now. But, the ultimate purpose is to get you there and most do that in a reasonable way. I'm always happy if my checked bag is dry. I hate it when the entire contents are soaked through (Gatewick, Ohare, Dulles).

with Frontier posting the lowest passenger experience rating at 2.0 out of 10 despite serving 33.3 million travelers annually across 105 destination

For some price is all that matters, but that does not mean they must forfeit their right to complain.

However "you get what you pay for" has truth.

Surprised at the AA ranking, but it has been awhile since I used them.

“You get what you pay for has truth”. I agree with you on that most of the time. Just can’t figure out why Delta out of Bend to San Francisco has to be double to triple the price as Alaska or United. It’s a 60 minute flight and if there’s any turbulence (which is quite often) you’re not even going to get a beverage…..

I'm guessing there is a spike in votes for Alaska Airlines today

.Hopefully that mess has a faster, not slower, resolution.

Honestly feel Delta has the best customer service over the phone and the only airline with screens at all seats (domestic USA). Other than that the big 4 are all the same.

Fly all of the big 4 since I churn credit cards for points on all. Doing a heck of a lot of Southwest till the end of the year due to companion pass and points, gotten maybe 8 RT flights w/companion basically free with just 2 credit card churns, including RT to Jamaica. Can’t beat the low price (free).

I really hate Southwest. Because of living in northern Cal for many years and now in Portland, I have used them many times. That’s due to their abundance of flights and destinations up and down the Pacific coast. However, their no seat reservation policy is awful. They claim it speeds boarding. I believe that’s a lie. In reality what happens is that early boarders nab the seats closest to the front, blocking the aisles for later comers while they try to stuff their oversized bags into the overhead compartments. Size limits are never enforced.
I have heard praise for Lufthansa, but my experiences with them have been bad. On one flight, the seat of the person in front of me was broken. When he reclined it, he was almost horizontal and in my lap. I could hardly eat my meal. The attendant just shrugged when I asked for assistance. The food is appalling, unless you happen to get part of your journey on Turkish, one of LH’s affiliates.
Good experiences? JAL (back in 1987, nothing more recent), Korean, Alaska.

I really hate Southwest. Because of living in northern Cal for many years and now in Portland, I have used them many times. That’s due to their abundance of flights and destinations up and down the Pacific coast. However, their no seat reservation policy is awful.

Are you aware they have changed the seating policy to be just like all other airlines, reserved seating? I don't know if it has happened yet, but it has been widely discussed in the news media...and Southwest is running TV ads about it...

Edit: just checked, reserved seating begins Jan 27, 2026...

https://www.southwest.com/customer-enhancements/assigned-seating/

Least fav - TWA, out of Idlewild

Most fav - Eastern (and their shuttle)

TWA was indeed bad, but like NW, no longer around. Neither is Kingfisher (if you ever travelled in India).
The worst now? Not many airlines are as good today as they were 20 years ago.

I do not like such threads. Concentration on negativity does not help anybody.

Concentration on negativity does not help anybody.

I agree, Mark. I looked at this yesterday, and thought about commenting, but then decided against it. My least favorite (based on one round-trip) was someone else's favorite! My favorite (based on many round-trips) was the same person's least favorite. None of our flights have been so bad that I wouldn't give the carrier another chance.

Mack,
I remember flying on TWA, Pan AM and Eastern.
I thought TWA was the best then.
Back in the 70s and earlier, the US airlines were regulated and fares set by the government. So the airlines drew people by making flights more pleasurable.

After de-regulation, flights because substantially cheaper and the seats got smaller with less legroom. Meals weren't served unless the flight was overseas and you have to pay to check luggage.

In the early 70s, I had a professor that had a villa in Spain and he put together a course of international law that we would get credit for. The cost of staying at the villa with meals for some weeks was very low, but we had to pay to get there. I remember that the airfare from Atlanta to Spain was going to run $450 pp. (Checking what that would be equal to today, it comes out to almost $4000).
I did a trip to Spain last year and the RT airfare for tourist on Delta was about $1,300.

Yes, the seats are smaller with less leg room, the amenities are less, but thank goodness for the cheaper fares.

British Airlines

1. For condescension … years ago.
2. For having to change planes in London LHR … several times. I really don’t like having to do that, not that Frankfurt FRA is much better.
3. For inefficiency, dishonesty, arrogance and not complying with applicable EU regulations. See https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/departure-from-cdg-a-cautionary-tale-for-british-airways-travelers. Our last (2023) - and last ever - experience. Never, ever will we fly BA again. Even to London.

In the spirit of ending on a positive note, one nice thing I can say is that after months of requests, follow-up complaints and then intervention by France’s La Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC), le bureau des passagers aériens, plus another 11 weeks, BA finally complied with applicable law and regulations and gave us what they owed us. And since I had originally only sought $325 for extra expenses for an extra night in Paris, learning about - and getting - that added 600 Euros (each!) for the flight delay was a nice way to end our relationship with BA.

LATE NOTE - OP Geovagriffith, I see you were a participant in my thread from 2023.

Spirit... where the schedule they publish will NOT resemble in any way the schedule they actually plan to fly!

For me it’s definitely United. Always delays, and their customer service is a mess when things go wrong. I’ve had better luck with Delta lately — at least they handle rebooking faster and the planes feel cleaner.

American because 3 of my flights with them got canceled

Actually, I think this thread is very useful because the truth is what you see.

any and all of them can and will have a bad day.

So if you’re only going to fly work that never have a bad day and are always perfect - you’re going to have to stay home.