Passenger satisfaction is soaring — for now.
Air travel hasn’t been easy as of late, with all kinds of hassles such as TSA troubles, long lines, flight delays and cancellations, and rising ticket prices and baggage fees due to rising jet fuel costs.
Even with all the trouble, overall satisfaction with airlines in North America was up this year, according to the JD Power 2026 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.
In total, overall passenger satisfaction rose eight points compared to 2025 on a 1,000-point scale. The study measured satisfaction based on airline staff, digital tools, ease of travel, level of trust, on-board experience, pre/post-flight experience and value for the price paid.
Improvement was shown across all segments, but the rise was mostly driven by a 17-point increase in satisfaction among first and business class cabins. There was a 14-point increase in satisfaction among those flying premium economy, and a 6-point increase among passengers in economy and basic economy classes.
JetBlue ranked as the top carrier in North America for overall satisfaction for first- and business-class cabins.
The airline has recently introduced new routes and a new airport lounge at New York’s JFK Airport, with one expected to land in Boston Logan International Airport mid-2026, and their suites onboard offer a spacious experience.
JetBlue’s Mint Suites onboard feature direct aisle access, adaptive cushions that turn into lie-flat seats, 17-inch television screens, complimentary Wi-Fi and wireless charging. Travelers also get access to food from popular New York restaurants such as Charlie Bird and Pasquale Jones.
Following JetBlue’s premium experience was Delta Airlines, which came in second in the first- and business-class category with Delta One. Alaska Airlines’ first-class cabins came in third.
When it comes to premium economy, Delta took the top spot, offering extra legroom, dedicated carry-on luggage bin space and food and beverage benefits to travelers in Delta Comfort. Alaska Airlines and JetBlue came in second and third, respectively.
Southwest Airlines came out on top for economy seating. Even after getting rid of its bags-fly-free policy and implementing assigned seating, the airline took the top spot for economy for the fifth consecutive year.
Delta, JetBlue, Alaska and Allegiant Air rounded out the top five in the economy category, in that order.
However, the study noted that as airfare has started to increase, airlines “may soon find it difficult to offset high costs with great service.”
“Despite many challenges, the airlines returned to basics of passenger communication, friendly service and providing slightly better value for money compared to past years,” Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service at JD Power, said in a statement.
“The big question now is how long that can continue. With airfare prices for some routes tripling over the past few weeks and baggage fees increasing to cover rising fuel costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult for airlines to continue to drive the high levels of customer satisfaction in this year’s study.”
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