The best U.S. airlines of 2017

Calling them “the friendly skies” doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking to fly them. Even if you’re flying with one of the best airlines in the world, air travel can be quite stressful, and for good reason. No matter how many flight survival tips you stick to, with flight delays, cramped space, crowded bookings, and the mystery that is airplane food, flying has the potential to be a horrible experience. But it doesn’t have to be.

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Airlines work hard toward making the in-flight experience bearable, if not enjoyable, for their passengers. And with more and more Americans looking to take a great Caribbean vacation or go on a wonderful weekend getaway, the competition is revving up amongst the nation’s airlines. We’ve put together a ranking of the United States’ 10 largest airlines, plus two regional carriers, using data from WalletHub. The WalletHub rankings were determined after consideration of 13 categories, including flight cancellations and delays, customer complaints, issues with boarding and baggage, in-flight comfort, and animal-related incidents. The results paint a picture of just who was on top for the year of 2017 and who needs to step up their game for 2018. So if you’re looking to fly with the best in the coming year, here are the best U.S. airlines of 2017.