Commercial airlines faced a stormy year in 2025, marked by severe weather, flight cancellations, fires, FAA cuts and a government shutdown, as the Wall Street Journal’s annual airline scorecard revealed wide gaps in performance.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines claimed the top spot, a milestone that resonates in the Mile High City, where the carrier has steadily expanded its footprint at Denver International Airport. Hometown carrier Frontier Airlines tied for last with American Airlines.
The WSJ analyzed nine major U.S. airlines using seven metrics, including on-time arrivals, flight cancellations, delays of 45 minutes or more, baggage handling, tarmac delays, involuntary bumping and passenger complaints.
While Southwest didn’t dominate every category, it delivered strong results across the board, according to The Journal. The airline had the fewest customer complaints and tarmac delays, and was second best in on-time arrivals and the rate of canceled flights.
The ranking marks Southwest’s first win on WSJ’s scorecard since 2020, ending Delta’s four-year streak at the top. Its weakest showing was fourth place in baggage handling.
The airline’s performance carries particular weight at DIA, where Southwest has been a major presence for nearly two decades.
Southwest first launched flights at the airport on Jan. 3, 2006, with 13 daily departures to three destinations including Chicago-Midway, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
In June 2025, Southwest celebrated the grand opening of its expanded cargo facility at DIA. The nearly 30,000-square-foot warehouse features six loading docks, large storage areas throughout the facility and twice the amount of cooler space than previously available for refrigerated products.
“As one of DEN’s largest carriers, Southwest is a critical member of the DEN family— connecting the Mile High City to dozens of destinations,” said DIA CEO Phil Washington in a news release about the opening.
“Now, beyond passenger travel, the opening of an expanded cargo facility showcases an even greater commitment and bond between Southwest Airlines and DEN.”
Other Southwest infrastructure investments in the Denver area include an off-airport training center as part of the Colorado Aerotropolis, a 100,000 square foot general-use building that houses its provisioning team and ground support equipment team, and a maintenance hangar, which opened in 2022, to support technical operations in Denver and the western United States.
Outside the top spot, budget carrier Allegiant ranked second for overall best, followed by Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and Spirit Airlines, with United and JetBlue close behind. American and Frontier tied for last place, WSJ said, because of significant reliability problems, with American’s cancellation rate rising to 2.2%.
Denver-based Frontier ranked last in four of the seven categories, with its best showing coming in mishandled baggage, where it placed third.
The poor ranking followed a turbulent year that included a rejected second bid for Spirit Airlines, a sudden leadership change in December, and a few high-profile incidents involving Frontier flights connected to Denver and other cities.
Representatives from American and Frontier did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.
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