Every airline rated: the Axel airline tier list (2026)

Every airline rated: the Axel airline tier list (2026)

77 airlines scored out of 10 on how they treat travelers: can you get money back when the fare drops, refunds, reliability, fees, complaints and loyalty. Sourced and dated.

Source: https://helloaxel.com/en/airlines · Updated October 26, 2026 · How Axel rates airlines

The tier list

S tier (7.5 and up)

• Delta Air Lines: 7.6/10, repriceability 7.9/10. Choose Delta Main Classic for flexibility, but budget for checked bags
• Alaska Airlines: 7.6/10, repriceability 6.4/10. Worth booking in Main, but fare drops now require canceling and rebooking
• Hawaiian Airlines: 7.5/10, repriceability 5.9/10. Good value for Hawaii, with strong protections and a restrictive Saver fare

A tier (7.0 to 7.4)

• Aer Lingus: 7.2/10, repriceability 5.6/10. Reliable flights and included cabin bags, but weak protection against falling fares
• Air New Zealand: 7.2/10, repriceability 6.0/10. Good baggage value, limited protection when fares fall
• Virgin Atlantic: 7.1/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Reliable flights and strong refund protections, but little certainty on price drops
• STARLUX Airlines: 7.1/10, repriceability 5.3/10. Included bags and strong punctuality outweigh limited price-drop refunds and expiring miles

B tier (6.0 to 6.9)

• Southwest Airlines: 6.9/10, repriceability 6.7/10. Choice keeps Southwest flexible, but Basic is a restrictive bargain
• Copa Airlines: 6.8/10, repriceability 4.5/10. Excellent punctuality, but cheap fares make later savings difficult
• Japan Airlines: 6.8/10, repriceability 5.0/10. Included bags make JAL good value, but price protection remains uncertain
• Korean Air: 6.8/10, repriceability 5.0/10. Included bags and few cancellations, but price drops are hard to recover
• EVA Air: 6.7/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Included bags make Discount worthwhile, but recovering fare drops is difficult
• China Southern Airlines: 6.7/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Excellent recent punctuality and included bags, but weak protection when fares fall
• Air Europa: 6.6/10, repriceability 4.0/10. A sound value choice for fixed plans, not falling fares
• Thai Airways: 6.6/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Good baggage value, but no dependable way to recover a price drop
• IndiGo: 6.6/10, repriceability 5.7/10. Low cancellations help, but IndiGo makes recovering fare drops difficult
• Austrian Airlines: 6.5/10, repriceability 4.4/10. Strong punctuality, but Austrian’s cheapest fares demand careful cost comparisons
• United Airlines: 6.4/10, repriceability 6.7/10. Economy (Standard) offers useful flexibility, but Basic Economy can be false economy
• Breeze Airways: 6.4/10, repriceability 6.2/10. A sensible budget choice with Nice, less forgiving with No Flex Fare
• Emirates: 6.4/10, repriceability 7.0/10. Included bags and useful flexibility, held back by complaints
• Singapore Airlines: 6.4/10, repriceability 4.2/10. Generous US baggage allowances, but little flexibility when fares fall
• Asiana Airlines: 6.4/10, repriceability 5.0/10. Included bags add value, but recovering later fare drops remains unproven
• VietJet Air: 6.4/10, repriceability 5.0/10. Deluxe eases changes, but fare drops leave no refundable balance
• AirAsia: 6.4/10, repriceability 4.5/10. Good for traveling light, but AirAsia offers no refunds when fares fall
• JetBlue: 6.3/10, repriceability 6.8/10. Included cabin bags help, but poor punctuality limits JetBlue's value
• Aeromexico: 6.3/10, repriceability 3.3/10. Excellent punctuality, but Basic and Classic are poor bets for recovering price drops
• SAS: 6.3/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Strong punctuality, but costly changes weaken Economy Light's value
• Vietnam Airlines: 6.3/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Generous US baggage allowances, expensive changes and little protection against falling fares
• Philippine Airlines: 6.3/10, repriceability 4.0/10. Included bags and strong punctuality reward firm plans, not fare chasing
• American Airlines: 6.2/10, repriceability 6.7/10. Worth considering in Main Cabin, less convincing in Basic Economy
• Iberia: 6.2/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Reliable flights and an included cabin bag, but weak protection against price drops
• Finnair: 6.1/10, repriceability 5.2/10. A fair deal with cabin baggage, less convincing once extras add up
• Royal Jordanian: 6.1/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Strong punctuality and included bags, but complaints undermine the value
• ANA (All Nippon Airways): 6.1/10, repriceability 2.9/10. Good baggage value and few cancellations, but little protection when fares fall
• Lion Air: 6.1/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Included bags help, but Lion Air makes recovering a lower fare difficult
• Qantas: 6.1/10, repriceability 4.3/10. Included bags add value, but Qantas offers weak price-drop flexibility
• WestJet: 6.0/10, repriceability 4.5/10. Low complaint rates, but UltraBasic is too restrictive for uncertain plans
• Volaris: 6.0/10, repriceability 5.0/10. Strong punctuality, but bag fees and rigid cheap fares erode the bargain

C tier (5.0 to 5.9)

• Allegiant Air: 5.9/10, repriceability 5.5/10. Low cancellations help, but bag fees and no price protection weaken value
• British Airways: 5.9/10, repriceability 4.6/10. Cabin bags help, but unclear flexibility and pricier Avios limit value
• Icelandair: 5.9/10, repriceability 3.0/10. Strong punctuality, but rigid fares make price drops hard to recover
• Cathay Pacific: 5.9/10, repriceability 3.7/10. Good baggage value, but weak protection against falling fares
• Cebu Pacific: 5.9/10, repriceability 3.0/10. Strong April punctuality, but poor protection when your fare drops
• Sun Country Airlines: 5.8/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Worth considering with a personal item, less appealing when plans change
• Viva Aerobus: 5.8/10, repriceability 4.0/10. Strong punctuality, but Zero locks in plans and charges for overhead baggage
• Swiss: 5.8/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Included cabin baggage helps, but Swiss's unclear fare flexibility limits its value
• Qatar Airways: 5.8/10, repriceability 4.2/10. Strong punctuality and included bags, but Qatar's lowest fare blocks changes
• China Airlines: 5.8/10, repriceability 3.7/10. Included bags make China Airlines practical, but price drops are hard to recover
• LATAM Airlines: 5.7/10, repriceability 3.3/10. Strong punctuality, but Standard locks you out of savings when fares fall
• Vueling: 5.7/10, repriceability 4.7/10. Strong punctuality, but Fly Light extras and limited flexibility weaken the bargain
• Wizz Air: 5.7/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Low cancellations help, but baggage extras and weak flexibility erode value
• Scoot: 5.7/10, repriceability 3.0/10. Included cabin baggage helps, but Scoot gives nothing back when fares fall
• Porter Airlines: 5.6/10, repriceability 4.6/10. Basic's baggage costs and rigid rules undermine Porter's value
• Air France: 5.6/10, repriceability 4.4/10. Good recent punctuality, but weak price-drop protection and costly Light extras
• Lufthansa: 5.6/10, repriceability 4.4/10. Good recent reliability, poor protection against falling fares
• Avelo Airlines: 5.5/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Light packing can make Base fare worthwhile, but changes are expensive
• JetSMART: 5.5/10, repriceability 3.6/10. Few cancellations, but bag fees and forfeited fare differences limit the value
• Air Canada: 5.4/10, repriceability 4.3/10. Cheap Economy Basic fares lose appeal once bags and flexibility matter
• TAP Air Portugal: 5.4/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Included cabin baggage helps, but TAP's restrictive fares limit later savings
• French Bee: 5.4/10, repriceability 3.7/10. BEE LIGHT suits fixed plans, not travelers expecting flexibility or price-drop refunds
• Norse Atlantic Airways: 5.4/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Low fares must justify severe complaint and refund problems
• Ethiopian Airlines: 5.4/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Good baggage value, weakened by late arrivals and high complaints
• KLM: 5.3/10, repriceability 4.4/10. Included cabin bags help, but costly changes undermine KLM's value
• Turkish Airlines: 5.3/10, repriceability 4.6/10. Solid punctuality and cabin baggage, undermined by complaints and uncertain price-drop recovery
• Pegasus Airlines: 5.3/10, repriceability 3.1/10. Strong June reliability cannot offset rigid fare rules and Light's baggage extras
• Avianca: 5.2/10, repriceability 3.5/10. Reliable flights, but Avianca's costly changes limit the savings
• ZIPAIR: 5.2/10, repriceability 1.0/10. Strict no-change fares make ZIPAIR a poor choice for uncertain plans
• ITA Airways: 5.1/10, repriceability 4.8/10. Included hand baggage cannot offset poor punctuality and unclear fare flexibility
• Etihad Airways: 5.1/10, repriceability 3.7/10. Strong punctuality, but Basic restrictions and high complaints weaken the fare

D tier (4.5 to 4.9)

• Air India: 4.8/10, repriceability 3.7/10. Included bags help, but price-drop refusals and high complaints weaken the deal
• easyJet: 4.7/10, repriceability 2.7/10. Book easyJet for fixed dates, not flexibility or ordinary price protection
• Flair Airlines: 4.6/10, repriceability 3.8/10. Baggage fees and no price-drop refunds weaken Flair's value
• Ryanair: 4.6/10, repriceability 3.2/10. Low cancellation rates cannot offset rigid fares and costly Basic extras
• Air Transat: 4.5/10, repriceability 2.3/10. Rigid Eco Standard rules leave little room to recover price drops
• Arajet: 4.5/10, repriceability 2.7/10. Rigid tickets and high complaints make Arajet hard to justify
• Condor: 4.5/10, repriceability 2.5/10. Cheap Condor fares offer little room for changes or price-drop savings

F tier (below 4.5)

• Frontier Airlines: 4.4/10, repriceability 5.3/10. Basic Fare savings require light packing and tolerance for weak disruption support

Most repriceable airlines

The airlines where getting money back after a fare drop is easiest, by repriceability score.

1. Delta Air Lines: 7.9/10
2. Emirates: 7.0/10
3. JetBlue: 6.8/10
4. United Airlines: 6.7/10
5. American Airlines: 6.7/10
6. Southwest Airlines: 6.7/10
7. Alaska Airlines: 6.4/10
8. Breeze Airways: 6.2/10
9. Air New Zealand: 6.0/10
10. Hawaiian Airlines: 5.9/10

Not rated

• Spirit Airlines: As of October 26, 2026, Spirit Airlines (NK), whose parent is Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., is not operating. It ceased all passenger operations and cancelled all flights on May 2, 2026; an October 8, 2026 FAA notice confirms its wind-down and liquidation.

How Axel rates airlines

• Every airline gets one Axel score out of 10 and a tier from S to F. The score is a weighted sum of six pillars, each scored 0 to 10 by fixed checks.
• Repriceability, the question Axel cares about most, carries the most weight and is shown as its own score: when the fare drops after you book, can you get the difference back, and on what terms?
• Missing data neither lifts nor sinks an airline. A check with no data takes the median score of that check across the rated airlines, and a pillar with no data takes the pillar median; each airline's page says what was filled in. Axel's own repricing attempts (R8) and the DOT-only bag, wheelchair and bumping checks are left out where they do not apply, and their weight is shared within the pillar.
• Tiers: S is 7.5 and up, A 7.0 to 7.4, B 6.0 to 6.9, C 5.0 to 5.9, D 4.5 to 4.9, F below 4.5. The bands were set after every airline was scored so that they separate this field: scores run from about 4 to under 8, and no airline comes close to 10.
• Full rubric: https://helloaxel.com/en/airlines/how-axel-rates-airlines