Now that spring break is officially over, I’ve had my fair share of airplane rides flying back and forth from home (which for me is Los Angeles — I know, it’s a bit of a trip). Today, I am here to settle the debate on which airline is superior for domestic flights. You may ask, “What makes you qualified to give such a ranking?” Well, I have two main qualifications. One, I’ve traveled the treacherous 2,600 mile journey seven times in the last six months, both direct and connecting flights, in both sun and snow. Secondly, I am 5’9” — I have really long legs, so I’ve experienced varying legroom spaces which, to me, is crucial in an enjoyable flight. Our contenders are Delta, American Airlines, Jetblue, and United.
Delta
Delta, for the longest time, was my main airline to fly. They have really nice seatback televisions and entertainment, frequent and yummy snacks, and decent seat comfort. Their legroom is a bit disappointing — my knees usually touch the seat pocket, which I try to fill with chargers and a book. In terms of pricing, Delta is a bit on the pricier side than other airlines, and the timing of their flights is a bit inconvenient since a lot of them are earlier in the day and have connecting flights. Finding a direct flight is still fine, but usually the time of day is annoying. Overall, I would say Delta is reliable, gets the job done, and is pretty enjoyable. I did have one negative experience in which my flight was canceled, put on a connecting flight that got delayed, and where I was given someone else’s boarding pass. Their customer service was atrocious, and what was originally a six hour trip became 15 hours — it was exhausting.
American Airlines
American, in my personal experience, might become my preferred airline over Delta. Although their customer service at the airport was tedious and frustrating, the actual in-person attendants are really nice, approachable, and helpful. The seats have significantly more legroom (yay!), but the cushions get uncomfortable very quickly. They did provide more snack options than Delta, and their entertainment is vastly superior. American has an extensive collection of show networks and movies, and I definitely enjoy being able to watch movies I’ve been trying to gain access to for so long.
Jetblue
Jetblue is the perfect airline if you’re on a budget and need to compromise a bit to get to your destination. They have the most legroom of all the airlines I’ve flown, and the seat cushion was pretty comfortable. The cabin had really nice colorful lights on at night, which added to the atmosphere. Jetblue has affordable prices and flexible flight times, which was a huge plus for me. I did experience a few late takeoffs several times with Jetblue, but otherwise I’ve never had an issue with them. The biggest con was the in-flight experience, in which their seatback televisions had no audio plug-ins or sockets, so I was not able to watch the entertainment or charge any devices. Additionally, their snack selection was not great.
United
This might stir up some drama, but I actually had a great experience with United. Their terminal at LAX is gorgeous, and I passed security in exactly eight minutes. I was nervous to fly United after hearing horror stories on TikTok, but I found it to be very pleasant. I’ve only flown once with them, so I might not have as much experience, but the flight was extremely efficient. We boarded quickly, and arrived 40 minutes earlier. The seats were so (!!!) comfortable and I had the most legroom I’ve ever experienced; I was able to fully stretch out my legs. The only cons I experienced were bland snacks and no in-flight entertainment. This definitely makes a difference, but the comfort of the seat almost made up for it.
In conclusion, everyone will have their own experiences, and there are uncontrollable factors like heavy travel and poor weather that might have an impact on your flight. In terms of comfort and price, United and Jetblue take the cake. For entertainment and reliability, Delta and American win. In the future, I do plan to fly more on American and Delta, but I won’t shy away from United.