The best economy experiences
Put the fun
back into flying
Traveling by plane can be an exciting adventure, but it can also be a hectic one, making the journey more painful than pleasant. Not any more.
At Upgraded Points, we've discovered which airlines are offering the best perks and creature comforts on the market, to bring the fun back to flying.
How do you measure pleasure?
When you're flying on a budget, you want to make your money stretch as far as possible - just because you're not spending the big bucks doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your comfort.
We've looked at the most popular US airlines and collected the data to find out how each of them score on our index of in-flight pleasure. The airlines have been scored on entertainment, amenities, comfort, COVID measures, quality of food and variety of drinks on offer.
Discover the best in-flight economy experiences on the market, and choose an airline that will treat you right on your next trip. Rest assured: the next time you hop on a plane, the journey will be just as good as the destination.
The best sights you'll
See from your plane window
It's not just physical comfort that makes a difference to your flight - the views can take any flight and turn it into a thing of wonder. But which routes from which airlines offer the most stunning scenery for travelers to feast their eyes on?
THE MOST COMFORTABLE IN-FLIGHT EXPERIENCES
On all flights, but long ones even moreso, comfort is key. Before you book your next flight, choose an airline that offers the most comfortable in-flight experience, taking into account everything from leg-room to head rests.
Spirit45/100
JetBlue90/100
Alaska Airlines65/100
Delta62.5/100
Hawaiian Airlines45/100
Spirit45/100JetBlue90/100THE AIRLINES WITH THE BEST ENTERTAINMENT
Whether it's an inbuilt screen with the latest releases, or an app complete with games and TV shows, many airlines offer great entertainment to keep you occupied on your flight. But which ones offer the best range of eye-catching, time-passing amusement?
United50/100
Delta62.8/100
Alaska Airlines60/100
Sun Country60/100
American Airlines52.8/100
United50/100Delta62.8/100THE SKY'S MOST RAVISHING REFRESHMENTS
From ice cold drinks to full meals, refreshments on your plane can be a great part of the in-flight experience. We've looked into which airlines will give you the most restaurant-worthy refreshments to give your next flight a taste of luxury.
JetBlue85.2/100
Southwest100/100
Hawaiian Airlines100/100
Alaska Airlines94.5/100
Sun Country92.6/100
JetBlue85.2/100Southwest100/100THE MOST COVID-SAFE FLIGHTS ON OFFER
The Covid-19 pandemic made flying a slightly more stressful experience than before, with plenty of forms to fill out and seats to sanitize. However, some airlines are wiping the floor with others when it comes to how much they're protecting their passengers from the virus.
Delta40/100
Southwest40/100
Hawaiian Airlines40/100
Alaska Airlines40/100
JetBlue40/100
Delta40/100Southwest40/100
Economy airlines index
Travelling on a budget doesn't always mean sacrificing luxury. We've looked into which airlines are offering the best in-flight experience for economy tickets. Next time you hop on a plane, the journey will be just as good as the destination.
# | Airline | Entertainment | Amenities | Comfort | COVID Safe | Food | Drink | Total Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Southwest | 38.3 | 0 | 35 | 40 | 30 | 100 | 40.6 |
| 6 | Hawaiian Airlines | 14.5 | 0 | 45 | 40 | 90 | 100 | 48.2 |
| 1 | Alaska Airlines | 60 | 100 | 65 | 40 | 41.3 | 94.5 | 66.8 |
| 2 | JetBlue | 45 | 90 | 90 | 40 | 50 | 85.2 | 66.7 |
| 3 | Delta | 62.8 | 80 | 62.5 | 40 | 51.3 | 77.8 | 62.4 |
| 4 | United | 50 | 60 | 32.5 | 40 | 55 | 66.7 | 50.7 |
| 11 | Allegiant | 0 | 0 | 25 | 40 | 12.5 | 18.1 | 15.9 |
| 5 | American Airlines | 52.8 | 70 | 40 | 10 | 43.8 | 74.1 | 48.4 |
| 9 | Frontier | 0 | 0 | 40 | 10 | 55 | 43.4 | 24.7 |
| 10 | Spirit | 0 | 0 | 45 | 10 | 57.5 | 8.5 | 20.2 |
| 7 | Sun Country | 60 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 78.8 | 92.6 | 44.4 |
Methodology
The index is made up of 6 categories - entertainment, amenities, comfort, COVID-19 safe, food and drinks. Each of the airlines were ranked out of 100 for their performance under each metric, with a high score representing a good measure on the metric. For example a high score is given to the airline with the most legroom.
The scores for each metric were averaged for each category to give a total score for each category. The category scores were then averaged to give a total score for each airline.