Spirit Airlines Named Best in the U.S.—But Is It Really?

Despite its reputation for no-frills travel, uncomfortable seating, and poor customer service, ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Spirit Airlines has shockingly been named the best airline in the U.S. by WalletHub. But how were these rankings calculated? And does it match up with reality?

First, let’s examine how WalletHub determined that Spirit is the best airline in the country. The personal finance website compared the nine largest carriers in the U.S., along with two regional airlines, across 14 different metrics. These metrics included important factors such as ticket prices, flight cancellations, delays, and safety records, as well as some less obvious elements like fleet age and incidents involving pets.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbus / Tad Denson – MyShotz.com

As Spirit is best known for its ULCC model, with some of the lowest fares in the industry, getting passengers from point A to point B with little extra in terms of legroom, seat selection, baggage allowance, and in-flight refreshments, it’s somewhat unsurprising that the airline came out on top as the ‘Most Affordable Airline.’ However, it also came first in another category, with its young and efficient fleet helping it to be named the ‘Safest Airline’ too.

These are the ten best airlines in the U.S. in 2025, according to WalletHub:

1. Spirit Airlines
2. Skywest Airlines
3. Delta Air Lines
4. JetBlue
5. Southwest Airlines
6. Alaska Airlines
7. Hawaiian Airlines
8. United Airlines
9. Frontier Airlines
10. American Airlines

Is Spirit really the cheapest?

Of course, price is an important factor for the majority of travelers, and being cheaper than the rest certainly holds some weight. But is Spirit really the cheapest airline in the country? If you have to pay for any extras like baggage, boarding, and in-flight snacks, do these additional fees cancel out the low fares? Let’s take a look at some Spirit fares on popular routes compared to alternatives:

*All prices listed are for one-way itineraries available between May 2 and May 20, 2025.

As you can see from this limited selection of flight routes, Spirit’s basic economy fares are often, but not always, the cheapest option. However, when you factor in the cost of a carry-on bag (above a small personal item) and a checked bag, which most travelers would require, it can often be cheaper to fly with an alternative, especially when a low-cost carrier such as Frontier Airlines competes on the same route.

Photo: Courtesy of Spirit Airlines

It’s also important to note that airfares fluctuate greatly, so what may be the cheapest airline for a particular route on one date may not be the most affordable on another, while the day you make the booking can also make a difference. So, it’s hard to say which airline is the cheapest overall due to the wide range of variables, but Spirit would certainly be up there.

What about other factors?

Price isn’t the only factor that matters when choosing the best airline. Reliability, comfort, and overall customer satisfaction are arguably just as important as the cost for many travelers.

When it comes to reliability, Spirit doesn’t fare as badly as you might think. While WalletHub named Delta as the most reliable airline in the U.S., scoring well for flight cancellations, delays, mishandled baggage, and denied boardings, Spirit wasn’t too far behind, scoring above average for each category except denied boardings.

Photo: Courtesy of San Diego International Airport

According to Cirium, Spirit was the sixth most reliable North American airline in 2024, operating 76.05 percent of its flights last year on time. This rate was bettered only by Delta, United, Alaska, American, and Southwest. Meanwhile, Spirit jumped to third place in Cirium’s on-time performance report for March 2025, with only Delta and United achieving a better on-time performance last month.

However, when it comes to comfort, Spirit is unsurprisingly not among the best airlines in the U.S. In fact, Spirit and Frontier were the only airlines to score zero points for legroom in WalletHub’s report.

A more detailed analysis of legroom was carried out last year by Upgraded Points, also finding Spirit to have the joint-lowest average seat pitch of any U.S. airline at just 28 inches.

And What About Spirit’s Reputation?

Spirit’s claim to being the country’s best airline also doesn’t quite match up with its general reputation and customer satisfaction. While WalletHub didn’t include any metric for customer service or satisfaction in its calculations, other rating sites have painted a scathing picture of Spirit.

The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for 2024-25 gave Spirit an overall customer satisfaction score of 69 out of 100, with only Frontier faring worse than this, with a score of 65.

Skytrax, one of the most respected airline review companies globally, rates Spirit as a three-star carrier, which is the same rating given to many U.S. airlines, including the Big Three. However, in Skytrax’s World Airline Awards for 2024, Spirit did not make the top 100 list, while at least ten other North American airlines did.

Photo: Courtesy of Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Spirit’s TripAdvisor rating of 2.5 also leaves much to be desired. Out of the ten largest airlines in North America, only Frontier has a worse rating of 2.0. Spirit scores particularly badly on TripAdvisor for in-flight entertainment (it doesn’t have any apart from Wi-Fi for a fee), although it does score well for cleanliness.

Overall, it can’t be argued that Spirit Airlines is a good value for money. It will get you to where you’re going, most of the time punctually, but you’ll have to pay for any extra benefits like baggage, snacks, drinks, or Wi-Fi. But does low cost make it the best airline in the U.S.? We’re not so sure.

What does Spirit’s future hold?

Even if cost were the only factor to consider, Spirit’s recent announcement about moving away from its ultra-low-cost model might eliminate its primary advantage in the future. Spirit has faced financial difficulties since the pandemic and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. Although it emerged from bankruptcy in March, its leaders have indicated that the business model will change to better compete with premium carriers.

This includes the introduction of bundled fares, premium seating, free Wi-Fi, enhanced loyalty benefits, and focusing on high-demand flight routes. While it’s yet to be seen how much this transformation will raise fares, it’s unlikely that we’ll soon consider Spirit a ‘premium’ airline, and it has many areas for improvement that are needed before it’s in the conversation for being the country’s best carrier.

Photo: Courtesy of Airbus / Tad Denson – MyShotz.com

This sentiment has been backed up by industry experts. Julio Ramirez Negrete, Senior Aviation Analyst at RDC Aviation, wrote an article in February explaining Spirit’s challenges in returning to profitability following its bankruptcy and suggested that it must invest in multiple parts of its business to achieve sustained success.

“Spirit’s strategy to enhance passenger experience and optimize its network and operations will be crucial in its efforts to regain profitability and stability in a highly competitive market, with strong competitors that already offer low fares and, in many cases, a much better product,” he said.

“Spirit will need to closely monitor market trends and traveler preferences to adapt quickly and effectively. Investing in technology and innovation to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction could also play a significant role in Spirit’s recovery and long-term success.”

Despite Spirit’s recent struggles, the airline showed pride in its latest award from WalletHub. And why not? It’s not often that this no-frills carrier gets recognized in such a way, no matter who by.

“Our recent transformation achieved significant wins for travelers seeking an elevated experience and reliable operation at an unmatched value, and this new award underscores that success,” said John Bendoraitis, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Spirit. “We are incredibly proud of our Team Members, whose dedication and hard work across our operation made this achievement possible.”