Which is the best, American Airlines, Delta, or United?

When booking a flight within the U.S., travelers usually pick three major airlines: American, Delta, and United Airlines. If you are also planning to book a flight to any domestic destination in the U.S. but are wondering which one you should pick that fits your budget, offers enough onboard or ground-level amenities, and serves the desired destination. Sticking to one Airline becomes challenging; we have prepared a comprehensive travel guide that helps you analyze the best one among the available choices. To determine the best between American Airlines vs Delta vs United we considered a few significant factors: airline routes/ destinations, operational reliability, the additional charges for extra services, Economy and Business class services, and the Airline Loyalty Programs.

Airlines Routes/ Destination:

United:
 
United Airlines flies to approximately 300+ destinations worldwide, among which the main hub destinations in the U.S. are Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. They offer additional discounts on domestic destinations, such as flying from New York to San Francisco, Chicago to New York, San Francisco to Boston, Denver, Las Vegas, or San Diego. You can visit the official website of United Airlines to learn more about the deals.
 
American Airlines:
 
American Airlines and its partners can take you to six continents and almost 350 domestic and international destinations. However, the hubs are in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington D.C, and some non-stop flights operate from Europe new routes like Chicago to Madrid, Philadelphia to Edinburg/ Milan, Charlotte/ Miami to Rome. 
 
Delta:
 
Delta is an Atlanta-based airline serving over 50 countries, six continents, and almost 250 destinations worldwide. Therefore, its main hub destinations are Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Amsterdam, Bogota, Boston, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, etc.
 
Therefore, choosing a suitable airline depends on your departure/arrival airport choice. Before booking the flight tickets, you can check the above information to determine which Airline serves flights on specific routes.

Airlines Extra service fees:

Usually, all three Airlines have quite similar fee structures for checked bag charges, Seat selection fees, and Change fees. To avoid last-minute inconvenience, passengers must purchase these additional services in advance. However, seat selection is complimentary on all Premium Class fares. Here, we have listed the significant charges for additional American Airlines, Delta, or United services to help you understand the best among all three.
 
American Airlines:
  • Checked luggage fee: Passengers flying with American Airlines may be required to pay a $35 checked luggage fee if they pay online, but at the Airport, they need to pay $40 for the first checked luggage on domestic routes unless they hold an elite status or are eligible for a credit card.
  • Seat Selection Charges: All American Airlines fares generally offer complimentary seat selection except the Standard Economy Class. Passengers flying in basic Economy can purchase a seat by paying an average fee of $23 after booking. Otherwise, the charges may vary based on the travel distance, time of booking, and so on.
  • Change Fees: American Airlines has removed the change fee for all fare types, so travelers can update their booked flight tickets for free. However, like several other Airlines, American Airlines Basic Economy fares are non-changeable except for flights operating within Europe, which you can change for free.
Delta Airlines:
  • Checked Luggage Fee: Travelers flying on domestic flights with Delta Airlines may be required to pay the first checked luggage fee of $35, which may vary based on the travel destination, fare types, and more. However, passengers with elite status, eligible credit cards, or active military status can avoid these additional charges.

  • Seat Selection Charges: To avoid random seat assignment, passengers must pay seat selection charges of an average of $28 for the desired seat, especially on Standard Economy Fare; however, all other fare types allow complimentary seat selection. 

  • Change Fees: Delta Airlines eliminates change fees for flights serving destinations like the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. While, like other Airlines, Basic Economy Fares are non-changeable, if you need to update any changes in Basic Economy, you might be required to cancel the booking and rebook it.

United Airlines:
  • Checked Luggage Fee: Passengers flying in Economy class may be required to pay the checked luggage charges, which start from $35 to $40 if they pay before 24 hours of departure. Otherwise, travelers who have purchased the other fare types might not be required to pay an additional baggage fee. 

  • Seat Selection charges: United Airlines essential Economy fare holders are required to purchase a seat, and if they need to change their seat, they should pay the charges, subject to various factors. Therefore, the Airline charges an average fee of $30 to select the desired seat, although other fare types offer free seat selection. 

Airlines Economy Class services:

American Economy Class: 
 
You can purchase the American Economy fare at low prices, but these fares are limited to a few restrictions. However, passengers still enjoy a comfortable seat in the main cabin, which includes complimentary snacks, soft drinks, and InFlight entertainment. Although the tickets are non-changeable, there are exceptions, such as that you can update the changes within 24 hours of purchase if the ticket was purchased at least two days before departure.
 
Delta Economy Class:
 
You can save money on flight tickets if you choose to fly in Economy class with Delta, but remember that refunds and upgrades are not available at any time. In the Economy Main Cabin, passengers can enjoy complimentary snacks, non-alcoholic beverages like Starbucks, coffee, tea, and juice, access to In-Flight messaging, and hours of movies and shows on Delta Studio.
 
United Economy Class:
 
United Economy offers a wide variety of In-Flight services and amenities so that you can enjoy the trip. Therefore, the Airline does offer packaged snacks, fresh food, and wine, but the traveler should be required to pay for them. Otherwise, you can get access to Entertainment options, including movies, shows, and more, on the United Private screen. 

Which is the best Airline among all three?

American Airlines is the most preferred choice of travelers due to its premium services and flexible policy, especially for Basic Economy Fare, so it comes first in the list of best Airlines, followed by Delta/ United. 

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