America’s most disliked airline? Reddit study reveals what passengers really think
February 1, 2026
A new analysis of online passenger commentary suggests Frontier Airlines is the most negatively perceived carrier in the United States, narrowly ahead of American Airlines, based on sentiment expressed across thousands of Reddit discussions.
The study, conducted by JetFinder, examined more than 9,000 posts and comments published during January 2025 across major travel-related Reddit forums.
Using sentiment analysis techniques typically applied to social media monitoring, the research aimed to capture how travellers discuss airlines when speaking candidly.
JetFinder’s analysis drew on posts from Reddit communities including r/travel, r/flights and airline-specific forums, using a sentiment analysis model adapted for aviation terminology.
An equal number of data points represented each airline to ensure comparability, with neutral posts excluded from headline sentiment calculations.
While the research focuses solely on Reddit posts, it perhaps offers a new perspective on customer perceptions across US carriers.
The authors caution that the findings reflect perception rather than objective performance metrics.
Nonetheless, the study provides insight into how US airlines are discussed in one of the internet’s most candid public forums and highlights the growing importance of expectation management in shaping brand reputation.
Frontier and American Airlines are the most disliked in the US
Frontier Airlines recorded the highest proportion of negative sentiment in the dataset, with more than one-third of opinionated posts expressing dissatisfaction.
Complaints directed at the Denver-based ultra-low-cost carrier were heavily concentrated around ancillary charges, baggage handling issues and service disruptions.
| Rank | Airline | Negative sentiment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frontier Airlines | 36.4% |
| 2 | American Airlines | 35.5% |
| 3 | JetBlue | 28.1% |
| 4 | Southwest Airlines | 27.9% |
| 5 | Delta Air Lines | 23.0% |
| 6 | United Airlines | 22.9% |
| 7 | Alaska Airlines | 21.8% |
| 8 | Spirit Airlines | 21.6% |
| 9 | Hawaiian Airlines | 20.0% |
American Airlines followed closely behind, ranking second overall. While its proportion of negative sentiment was marginally lower than Frontier’s, American generated the greatest absolute volume of critical commentary.
Researchers said this reflected the airline’s scale and visibility rather than uniquely poor performance.
Delays featured prominently in American-related posts, alongside customer service frustrations and reports of mishandled luggage.
The airline’s extensive domestic network means operational issues are widely shared and scrutinised online, amplifying negative perceptions.
Reliability emerges as the most common passenger complaint
Across the industry, operational reliability emerged as a consistent source of criticism.
United Airlines recorded the highest shares of posts referencing delays, cancellations and service recovery failures in the dataset.
Delta Air Lines attracted a notable volume of complaints related to pricing and fees. Posts referencing unexpected costs or perceived poor value appeared more frequently for Delta than for any other airline analysed.
| Airline | Delays | Cancellations | Customer service | Luggage | Fees | Seat / comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | 16.0% | 6.7% | 14.9% | 17.2% | 30.6% | 14.9% |
| American | 21.7% | 6.2% | 16.8% | 9.3% | 22.0% | 10.1% |
| JetBlue | 11.4% | 7.4% | 10.9% | 10.0% | 20.0% | 11.4% |
| Southwest | 15.9% | 6.0% | 15.8% | 15.3% | 28.8% | 18.8% |
| Delta | 17.3% | 5.6% | 17.7% | 9.9% | 32.2% | 14.7% |
| United | 22.2% | 10.9% | 18.3% | 10.0% | 26.5% | 11.7% |
| Alaska | 13.2% | 4.7% | 14.5% | 9.7% | 22.3% | 18.2% |
| Spirit | 15.1% | 8.8% | 13.7% | 16.9% | 27.7% | 17.6% |
| Hawaiian | 14.0% | 6.6% | 13.9% | 9.9% | 22.4% | 13.9% |
Spirit Airlines is less hated than you might think
One of the study’s more unexpected findings concerns Spirit Airlines.
Despite its long-standing reputation for minimal service and aggressive cost-cutting, Spirit ranked near the bottom of the negativity table, outperforming several network carriers.
Analysts attribute this to expectation management. Passengers choosing Spirit appear to accept the airline’s stripped-down product in exchange for low base fares, resulting in fewer expressions of disappointment when services meet – rather than exceed – expectations.
This pattern reinforces a broader theme emerging from the analysis: that passenger dissatisfaction is often driven less by absolute service levels than by the gap between expectation and reality.
Hawaiian Airlines remains a passenger favourite
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Hawaiian Airlines recorded the lowest proportion of negative sentiment among the nine carriers analysed.
While still subject to criticism, Hawaiian’s online commentary was notably less hostile than that directed at mainland operators.
Among the three largest US network airlines, sentiment varied considerably. American ranked worst of the group, while Delta and United clustered closely together with more moderate negativity levels.
The data challenges the assumption that low-cost carriers are inherently more disliked than full-service airlines.
While Frontier attracted significant criticism, Spirit’s relatively favourable ranking suggests it is possible to mitigate negative perceptions.
According to the study, airlines that clearly communicate what passengers should expect – and then deliver accordingly – tend to fare better in unfiltered online discussion, regardless of business model.
Featured image: Unsplash
