American Airlines, United, and Delta Air Lines have been placed among the top U.S. carriers in a new global ranking.
The annual ranking AirHelp, which evaluated 117 airlines, assessed airline performance based on three equally weighted criteria, which include on-time performance, customer opinion, and claim-processing efficiency. The analysis covered flights and customer experiences between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
AirHelp, a travel-tech company specializing in helping passengers secure compensation for flight delays and cancellations, has assisted more than 2.7 million passengers since 2013.
The company’s latest report compares airlines using the company’s flight-tracking data, customer surveys it conducted among travelers from more than 60 countries, and its own historical data on how efficiently carriers process valid compensation claims. Each airline was scored on each of the aforementioned three criteria and then given an overall score out of 10 to determine its position in the global ranking.
American Airlines emerged as the highest-ranked U.S. airline globally, placing 11th. It was followed by United at 13th place and Delta Air Lines at 15th. Frontier Airlines (ranked 36th) and Hawaiian Airlines (ranked 50th) rounded out the top five U.S. carriers included in the global list. Southwest Airlines (sixth among U.S. carriers) also ranked in the upper half of the global listing, coming in at 52nd place.
AirHelp CEO Tomasz Pawliszyn told Newsweek that American Airlines edged out United due to its stronger performance in one key area. “This year, American Airlines beat out the second-ranking U.S.-based airline, United Airlines, due to its higher score in the claim-processing category.”
Pawliszyn said: “In terms of customer opinion, the two airlines were scored similarly, and United actually had a higher score than American, based on on-time performance. However, United’s on-time performance score was not enough to outrank American overall this year.”
Despite American Airlines’ lead among domestic carriers, U.S. airlines overall saw a significant slide in the rankings. “U.S.-based airlines have been pushed out of the top 10 in the [global] rankings this year. While American Airlines had the strongest performance of U.S.-based airlines, ranking 11th globally, it did fall seven spots from its 2024 global ranking,” Pawliszyn added.
United and American both saw notable drops compared with last year’s report. “Both United Airlines and American Airlines dropped from positions three and four last year, to positions 13 and 11, respectively, this year [in the global ranking]. This was mainly due to their drop in claim processing,” Pawliszyn told Newsweek.
Top US Airlines in 2025 Global Listing
- American Airlines — (globally ranked no. 11; AirHelp Score: 7.64 out of 10)
- United Airlines — (globally ranked no. 13; AirHelp Score: 7.54 out of 10)
- Delta Air Lines — (globally ranked no. 15; AirHelp Score: 7.46 out of 10)
- Frontier Airlines — (globally ranked no. 36; AirHelp Score: 7.07 out of 10)
- Hawaiian Airlines — (globally ranked no. 50; AirHelp Score: 6.73 out of 10)
- Southwest Airlines — (globally ranked no. 52; AirHelp Score: 6.68 out of 10)
Source: A study by AirHelp, which ranked 117 airlines based on three equally weighted criteria, including on-time performance, customer opinion, and claim-processing efficiency, in the period between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
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