Airline Travel Buying Guide
High fares. Hidden fees. Long security lines. Shrinking seats. Crowded cabins. More than 17,000 Consumer Reports members told us about their experiences on almost 33,000 flights between January 2022 and February 2023, including bookings for basic economy, premium economy, business class, and first class.
Our members shared their opinions about many factors, including their airline’s pricing transparency when booking, seat selection process, check-in ease, cabin cleanliness, and service from airline staff. We found that there’s room for improvement, especially if you’re sitting in economy class.
How Do Different Airlines Compare?
In our survey, members told us about their economy class flying experience on 29,000 domestic flights, which allowed us to rate 13 airlines.
Pricing transparency: Only one airline, Southwest Airlines, received top marks for pricing transparency among economy passengers, although five others rated favorably in this area. (For more, see our ratings—available to members.)
Check-in ease: One airline, Hawaiian Airlines, received a top-notch rating for check-in ease. Frontier and Spirit earned unfavorable scores. The same ratings pattern holds for on-time flights.
Cabin cleanliness: When it comes to cabin cleanliness (seats, aisles, bathrooms, etc.), most of the airlines were rated middling or above for keeping their cabins clean, with one exception: The coach/economy-class of Frontier Airlines received subpar marks. However, Breeze Airways and Hawaiian’s coach/economy-class flights received excellent scores for cabin cleanliness.
Service from airline staff: Hawaiian, Alaska, and Breeze earned top marks for their service, while Frontier was the only one with a subpar rating in this department.
See our travel and vacation guide for advice and tips on getting the best deals on airfare, hotels, and more.
Disparities in First Class
In our survey, members told us about their business- and first-class flying experience on around 3,800 domestic flights, which allowed us to rate seven airlines.
Two airlines stood out for first-class flying: Alaska and Hawaiian. Business- and first-class flyers gave both airlines excellent scores for price transparency, seat selection, and service. Alaska Airlines was rated slightly better for its check-in ease, while Hawaiian Airlines was more likely to be on time. Check the full ratings to see details on how these two airlines scored in every category.
First-class travelers on American Airlines, JetBlue, and Southwest were less satisfied overall than passengers on Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, but all seven airlines earned very good or excellent overall scores for first-class flying. See our ratings for details on why.
The Most Common In-Flight Issues
Overall, our members who took the survey had a better experience than one might expect. However, about a quarter of coach/economy-class travelers reported at least one problem. The most common issue for them? Having an uncomfortable seat. Meanwhile, just 4 percent of business-class/first-class passengers reported a problem with seat comfort.
Other in-flight issues affected travelers in coach/economy and business/first class largely similarly. Four percent of travelers from both groups said the entertainment system was not working. Four percent of coach/economy passengers, and 2 percent of those in business or first class, said there were loud children or crying babies. One percent of both groups said there were unruly or rude passengers on their flights.
How to Land the Best Fare
Regardless of which airline you choose to fly, there’s no reason to pay more than you have to. Though cheap seats may be hard to find, you can still save money by taking a few simple steps.
Work the Web
Start with websites that allow you to compare the deals from multiple airlines, such as Airfarewatchdog, FareCompare, and Kayak. Try travel agency sites as well, such as CheapTickets, Expedia, and Travelocity.
If you’re a bit more adventurous, websites such as Hotwire and Priceline are another option.
Finally, before you book a flight you’ve found on a third-party site, check the airline’s website. You might see more flight choices for a similar rate.
Be Flexible
Shifting your travel dates by a day or two will often allow you to nab a much lower price.
If you’re traveling with a group, consider splitting up your party when you’re searching for deals. For example, for a party of four, check the price for one, two, and three seats on the plane, as well as for all four, and then book accordingly.
Check Multiple Airports
When you use price-comparison sites, specify the city you want to depart from, not the airport. Most sites will then show you the flight options for any of that area’s airports. Leaving from one of those other airports will often be significantly cheaper.
Sign Up for Promo Codes
If you’re a member of an airline’s frequent-flyer program, you can often sign up for special promotion codes, which provide discounts from 10 to 50 percent. Promo alerts can be sent to you via email, RSS feeds, X, Facebook, and other channels. Bargains can appear at any time and deals expire quickly, so you’ll have to act fast. The trade-off? Your email inbox can get flooded with offers that don’t interest you.