The three legacy airlines of the states, Delta,American,and United are all competing for the top spot. Who takes home the crown? Our opinion may surprise you!
The way this is going to go is we’ll go over our experiences with each airline and then come back at the end and rank each one from one to three. We’ll do the same for our comparison of low cost airlines.
Lets start with United as I just flew with them the other day. As stated in my review I had a very pleasant experience with United on my flight from Boston to Chicago.The boarding process was a really seamless experience despite being in the last row for this flight. I found that United didn’t have many extra boarding options like most airlines do. What I mean by that is they mainly only called the boarding groups in numbers, the one exception was when they called anybody with a disability or traveling with children. Other than that they stuck to just boarding in the normal numbered groups.
The cabin was somewhat outdated in my opinion but it was an older 737-800 aircraft so I won’t hold that against them. My seat was one of the new slimline seats that many airlines are opting for which increase the amount of space available throughout the cabin. Despite being a smaller seat it was a comfortable option for me. The cabin may have been outdated but it was a very clean cabin onboard. The tray tables were spotless and the seats and seat back pockets came with no crumbs or trash in or on them. The in flight entertainment that was offered came with a good variety of HD direct tv channels and Sirius xm radio.
Moving right along to the cabin crew and inflight experience, in short they were average I’d say. For snacks on board they only offered one, it was United’s maple wafers. They weren’t bad, in fact they were really good but I was hoping for a larger variety of snacks to choose from. The drinks were the same as any major US carrier, they offered most soda products like Coke, ginger ale, etc… they also offered juices and water on board. They also offered water a second time before descent into Chicago.
Last but not least the flight attendants. They were again average, they made themselves known which is great but on the other hand there was one that stood out and seemed to not want to be there. When you think of a flight attendant you think of someone who loves there job and always smiling. Well this one wasn’t, he did his job and that’s all. He could also be heard complaining about other flights he was on earlier that week which I don’t care about it’s more about the in cabin experience for me.
Overall United gets a thumbs up in my book. I enjoyed the experience and I had fun when got off the plane in Chicago. Everything was for the most part good. Keep reading to see where they’re ranked on the list!
Next up is Delta airlines, I recently flew Delta back in April of this year on their 757 and 737 aircraft. I’ve also experienced there A319 fleet. All were above par in my opinion. I loved the experience on board all of my Delta flights.
The cabin was immaculate, the seats lined with leather and an adjustable headrest. The In flight entertainment was some of the best I’ve had in my experience with all of the US airlines. It came with a bunch of options for free tv shows or movies along with an interactive map and much more. The overhead controls seemed brand new on 2/3 of my flights excluding the 757 as of course it’s an older aircraft but it was still a very clean aircraft.
Photo by: points with a crew
The cabin crew were fantastic, they interacted with everybody on board and were always in a great mood. They made sure everyone was taken care of and everyone was happy on board. They even cracked some jokes while on board which was a nice touch. On all of my Delta flights the cabin crew were all really friendly as well. As stated the in flight experience was great. From the cabin crew being above par to the great in flight entertainment I don’t have much to complain about other than my tv not extending out of the seat while on the 757.
Overall my experience with Delta was absolutely amazing other than the one mishap with the tv. I totally recommend anyone to check out Delta whenever possible. The vibe in the cabin is great and the overall experience is great. We’ll be flying to Amsterdam with Delta this December on their brand new A350 aircraft! Stay tuned for that!
Now on to American Airlines, and boy do I have a review for you. So I flew American three times back in 2018 and I’m due to fly with them again this year to Miami on their 737 max. My experience with American back in 2018 was very sub par. I love to give second chances so that’s why I’ve given them another shot later in this year.
The cabin wasn’t the problem with the flight. They were actually for the most part clean. The A321 wasn’t a bad flight, neither was the E190. The 767 was where my problem lies. I get that it’s an old aircraft but it was very outdated. No IFE at the seats, a yellow looking cabin, non leather seats, and a bad amount of legroom. I was very disappointed with American in that aspect, even when I paid for a seat I expect better.
Picture by: The points guy
The cabin crew was subpar on all of my flights. They were really distant from the customers most of the time. I’ll give a little leeway on the 767 as it’s a much larger aircraft but still that was the worst one. The flight attendants didn’t seem like they wanted to be on the flight and didn’t seem like they cared to much. We’re all avid aviation people here right? So how would you feel if a flight attendant told you to shut your window shade because she doesn’t want it to be to bright in the cabin after you paid for that seat so you could have the window? I was pretty upset at that especially because there was no IFE on the 767 so I was basically sitting looking at the seat in front of me the whole flight. I get that the sun was out but it wasn’t affecting anybody in the cabin and the fact that she said she doesn’t want it to get to bright in the cabin irked me.
Now on to the in flight experience. I had an average experience on the first flight with the A321 as it had great IFE on board and we got into Miami relatively early giving me some time before my connecting flight. The second flight as you can guess wasn’t to great. Putting everything together from that flight I wasn’t to impressed. My last flight was actually not to bad. It was a night fight which I love and the cabin crew did come around and hand out drinks and snacks despite it being a short flight and I did have a decent amount of legroom on the E190 aircraft.
Overall my experience with American was sub par. I’ll admit the first and third flight were average and not to bad but the second flight was where everything went wrong for me. On top of that I let a family member borrow a bag for their vacation and upon coming back the bag was ripped and torn in a few spots, missing my bag tag and a few zippers. Upon contacting American I was told I should have contacted them within 24 hours of arrival which I did and have proof of. I explained to them that I did but they took a week to respond so it shouldn’t be my fault and I should at least get some compensation to get a new bag. Well that didn’t happen and they said to just contact the Twitter team next time. So that didn’t sit right with me either.
Now for what you’ve all been waiting for, the rankings of all three US major airlines. This will be quick and to the point.
My number one airline is by a close margin Delta! As stated I love Delta and everything they had to offer and can’t wait to try out their long haul on both the A350 and A330 aircraft later this year!
Number two goes to United airlines for their great inflight experience and great use of the new slimline seating. I loved mostly everything on board my flight with United and would recommend them to anybody who is thinking of flying with them in the future!
Now for number three, this goes to American of course. I might of been too harsh with them but my second flight really put a stain on my opinion of the airline. I’m happy to give them another chance at the end of this year when I will be flying with them to Miami.
Theres our list of the top US major airlines from one to three. We hope you enjoyed the quite long read and thank you for sticking around! Let us know what you think in the comments below and where your place each airline on your list!
Feature image by CBS Miami
