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The Best Airlines In The U.S. In 2024

You know I LOVE to travel and we love to score a great deal on a flight, but ticket prices aren’t the only thing that matters when choosing who to…

Passengers Inside the plane. Passengers sitting during the flight in economy class

triocean/ Getty Images

triocean/ Getty Images

You know I LOVE to travel and we love to score a great deal on a flight, but ticket prices aren’t the only thing that matters when choosing who to fly with. So what is the best airlines to fly? Our comfort and safety are important too, especially with all the recent incidents with malfunctions on planes. Some airlines do a better job than others at making the overall flying experience pleasant and a new report highlights the ones that do it best.

WalletHub has just come out with their list of 2024’s Best Airlines.

They compared the nine largest U.S. airlines, plus a regional carrier, on 13 factors, including cancellation and delay rates, baggage mishaps, in-flight comfort, and cost in relation to amenities.

The 2024 Best Airline winners

  • Best Airline Overall - Alaska Airlines
  • Most Affordable Airline - Spirit Airlines. Although I have a funny story about Spirit from the mid-2000s. I once was flying from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas and when I got to my seat on Spirit (which happened to be right next to the bathroom) my seat was completely duck-taped together! I rang the call bell and asked for a new seat but the flight was completely booked. The flight attendant and I laughed and she told me to sit down if I wanted a Pina Colada in paradise.
  • Most Reliable Airline - Delta Air Lines, which has the lowest rate of cancellations, delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings.
  • Most Comfortable Airlines - Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways. These two offer the best in-flight experience, with free amenities like Wi-Fi, extra legroom, and snacks and beverages.
  • Safest Airline - Spirit Airline, which is extra funny after my 2000's story!

The Best Airline Rankings for 2024

  1. Alaska Airlines
  2. SkyWest Airlines
  3. Spirit Airlines
  4. Delta Air Lines
  5. United Airlines
  6. JetBlue Airways
  7. Hawaiian Airlines
  8. American Airlines
  9. Frontier Airlines
  10. Southwest Airlines

Notably, our hometown hub airline for Charlotte, (American Airlines) was just outside the Top 5.

best airlines

16 Airlines You Can Fly From Charlotte And Concord Airports Worldwide

Are you ready for summer vacation? Between the two area airports, there are 16 airlines you can fly from Charlotte and Concord. Yes, spring break just ended but that doesn't mean the travel or the trip planning needs to end. In fact it's the perfect time to plan a getaway. Luckily for us in Charlotte, we have plenty of easy options for you to travel to a wide variety of destinations both internationally and domestically.

Airlines You Can Fly From Charlotte and Concord

Whether you are looking for international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia, or Europe. Perhaps cheap flights to major US destinations like New York, Orlando, or Chicago. Or the option to fly directly to almost any major US airport. You'll find it all out of one of the two area airports.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

One of the largest and busiest airports in the world is Charlotte Douglas International Airport. CLT averages 1,400 arrivals and departures per day. That equates to around 118,000 people traveling through the airport daily. That's a lot of people. Because of that you'll find a wide variety of flights leaving from here. In fact, 14 of the 16 airlines on this list operate out of CLT. And the airport continues to grow and expand to accommodate even more flights and passengers. I know I travel every few months and the airport looks different every time I visit!

Concord Regional Airport

Concord mainly serves private flights but does operate two commercial airlines out of the airport. While destinations are limited, this can be a great affordable option for those traveling.

So give this list a once over and learn a little more about the 16 airlines you can fly from Charlotte and Concord to destinations worldwide. It's the perfect time to plan that next vacation. Because what's better than traveling?

Listed below in alphabetical order.

Air Canada

Traveling to Canada from Charlotte? You can get two different direct flights from the Queen City to the eastern part of Canada. One direct route goes to Toronto and the other to Quebec. Learn more here.

Allegiant

Flying out of Concord Regional Airport Allegiant offers some great deals on flights. They offer 4 flights from Concord to different Florida Airports. These include Orlando's Sanford International, St. Pete-Clearwater International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, and Punta Gorda Airport (Fort Myers/Naples area). Learn more here.

American Airlines

Charlotte is an American Airlines hub which means the flight possibilities are endless on this airline. You can find direct flights to almost every major US Airport and numerous regional ones. American also offers a variety of flights to destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and other international destinations. If you're looking for the most direct flight options out of Charlotte American is by far the best choice. Learn more here.

Avelo

Avelo is fairly new to the North Carolina market. They have several flights out of Raleigh's RDU. And have just added one flight out of Concord Regional to New Haven, CT with access to the greater New York and New England area. Expect more to be added soon as well on this low-cost airline. Learn more here.

Contour Airlines

Contour is a regional airline offering direct flights, interline check-in connectivity to American Airlines flights, as well as charter opportunities. The offer flights from Charlotte to four West Virginia destinations- Beckley, Lewisburg, Parkersburg, and Clarksburg. Additional flights go to Muscle Shoals, AL, Paducah, KY, and Shenandoah, VA. Learn more here.

Delta

If you're willing to connect in Atlanta, Delta offers a wide variety of flights from Charlotte. There are 7 direct options. These include Boston, Atlanta, Detroit, New York's JFK and Laguardia, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City. Learn more here.

Frontier Airlines

Affordable airline Frontier offers 14 direct flights from Charlotte. Choose from east coast destinations like Philadelphia, Orlando, or New York's Laguardia. Perhaps you want to head out west to Dallas, Las Vegas, on Denver. Or take a tropical vacation to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Learn more here.

jetBlue

I've flown JetBlue once out of Raleigh and I was impressed by the airline. They offer around 40 flights from Charlotte. Choose from domestic destinations like San Francisco, San Diego, Austin, or Kansas City. Or travel internationally to places like Aruba, Nassau Bahamas, or Liberia Costa Rica. Learn more here.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa services a variety of European and African destinations. Direct flight options from Charlotte include places like Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich Germany, Japan, and Korea. You can also fly to Chicago, Denver, or Washington DC to catch a flight to one of the other numerous international destinations. Learn more here.

Southwest

Southwest certainly has some die-hard fans thanks in part to the airline charging no bag fees. They fly to a variety of destinations. Non-stop options from Charlotte include places like Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, Houston, St. Louis, and Denver. Learn more here.

Spirit Airlines

Spirit is another option for a great deal on a flight. They fly to 12 destinations direct from Charlotte. This includes Orlando, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. But also destinations like Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York's Laguardia. Learn more here.

Sun Country Airlines

Sun Country operates one flight out of Charlotte. So if you need or want to visit Minneapolis Minnesota give them a look! Learn more here. 

United

United is another great option to get you to 18 different destinations from Charlotte. Some of these include Phoenix, San Jose, Toronto, Tampa, and San Francisco. Learn more here.

Vacation Express by Sunwing

Vacation Express offers flights and all inclusive vacation packages to Mexico and the Caribbean. Destinations include Cancun, Riviera Maya, Punta Cana, Jamaica, Cozumel, and Los Cabos. Learn more here.

Viva Aerobus

Mexican airline Viva Aerobus operates one flight out of Charlotte. It goes directly to Cancun Mexico perfect for a summer getaway. And the prices can't be beaten for this flight! Learn more here.

Volaris

Volaris is another airline offering flights from Charlotte to Mexico. They fly to three different destinations- Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Cancun. They describe themselves as an "ultra-low-cost airline". Learn more here.

LauRen Merola Strager is a former NFL & NBA cheerleader turned radio host. LauRen is a former Miss Pennsylvania USA and is a proud wife and mother of two. She is the owner and chief editor for her fashion and lifestyle Blog “All Of The F-Words” and is a champion for the Autism community. You can read all about LauRen’s thoughts on motherhood, pageant life, and everyday life through her online content.