Airline baggage rules & cabin classes.

Delta Air Lines

United States · SkyTeam

Delta Air Lines is a founding SkyTeam member and consistently the highest-ranked US legacy carrier for on-time performance and completion factor. Its Atlanta hub is the busiest airport in the world by passenger volume, and Delta operates a genuine hub-and-spoke network that makes one-stop itineraries available from most mid-size US cities to Europe, Latin America and Asia.

United Airlines

United States · Star Alliance

United Airlines operates the most extensive international route network of any US carrier, with a hub structure that puts a United gateway within one connection of nearly every major US market. Its Newark, San Francisco and Houston hubs make it the default choice for transatlantic, transpacific and Latin American travel respectively.

American Airlines

United States · oneworld

American Airlines is the world's largest airline by fleet size, passengers carried and scheduled departures. Its Dallas/Fort Worth and Charlotte hubs give it the deepest domestic connectivity of any US carrier, and Miami functions as the strongest US gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Southwest Airlines

United States · None

Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic US carrier by passengers boarded and operates a point-to-point network rather than a traditional hub-and-spoke system. It is best known for a fare structure with no change fees and for flying into secondary city airports such as Chicago Midway, Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby that are often closer to downtown than the primary hub.

Alaska Airlines

United States · oneworld

Alaska Airlines is the dominant carrier on the US West Coast and the primary air link to the state of Alaska. Its merger with Hawaiian Airlines has extended the network across the Pacific. Alaska joined oneworld in 2021, making its Mileage Plan currency redeemable across British Airways, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

JetBlue Airways

United States · None

JetBlue positions itself between the legacy carriers and the ultra-low-cost operators, competing on product rather than purely on price. It offers the most legroom in standard economy of any US airline, free high-speed Wi-Fi on every aircraft, and its Mint business class is widely regarded as the best domestic premium product in the US market.

Hawaiian Airlines

United States · oneworld (via Alaska Air Group)

Hawaiian Airlines is the largest carrier serving the Hawaiian Islands and holds the longest-running on-time performance record among US carriers. Now part of Alaska Air Group, it operates inter-island service, mainland routes from the US West Coast and East Coast, and long-haul service across the Pacific.

Spirit Airlines

United States · None

Spirit Airlines is the archetypal US ultra-low-cost carrier. The advertised fare buys a seat and a personal item and nothing else — every other element is priced separately. Understood correctly it can be the cheapest way to fly a US domestic route; understood incorrectly it becomes more expensive than a legacy carrier once bags and seats are added at the airport.

Frontier Airlines

United States · None

Frontier Airlines is an ultra-low-cost carrier built around low base fares with unbundled extras. It differentiates through the GoWild! all-you-can-fly pass and an unusually young fleet. As with Spirit, the economics only work in your favour if you buy bags and seats at booking rather than at the airport.

Allegiant Air

United States · None

Allegiant Air connects small and mid-size US cities directly to leisure destinations — Florida, Las Vegas, Phoenix and coastal markets — on routes no other carrier serves nonstop. Most routes operate only two to four times a week, which is the defining constraint: if your flight is cancelled, the next one may be three days away.

Sun Country Airlines

United States · None

Sun Country is a hybrid low-cost carrier built around Minneapolis–St. Paul, flying seasonal leisure routes to Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean and the US West. Its schedule is highly seasonal — many routes operate only in winter or summer — and its business mixes scheduled service with charter and cargo work.

Breeze Airways

United States · None

Breeze Airways, founded by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, flies nonstop between mid-size US cities that otherwise require a connection. Its Nice, Nicer and Nicest fare tiers include a real first-class-style product on A220 aircraft, which is unusual for a low-fare start-up.

Avelo Airlines

United States · None

Avelo Airlines flies point-to-point from small, convenient airports — New Haven, Burbank, Wilmington, Concord — to leisure destinations, targeting routes with no nonstop competition. Fares are unbundled and route frequency is low, typically two to four times a week.

SkyWest Airlines

United States · Operates for Delta, United, American and Alaska

SkyWest Airlines is the largest regional carrier in the United States, but it does not sell tickets under its own name. It flies aircraft on behalf of Delta Connection, United Express, American Eagle and Alaska SkyWest. If your boarding pass says "operated by SkyWest", your contract is with the mainline carrier whose code is on the ticket — and their policies, not SkyWest's, govern your trip.

Republic Airways

United States · Operates for American, Delta and United

Republic Airways operates regional flights under the American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express brands. Like SkyWest, it sells no tickets of its own: the mainline carrier on your ticket owns the contract, the fare rules and the refund obligation.

Envoy Air

United States · Wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group

Envoy Air is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group and flies every one of its flights under the American Eagle brand. Because it is owned outright by American rather than contracted, the passenger experience, policies and loyalty treatment are identical to mainline American.

Cape Air

United States · Interline agreements with American, Delta, United and JetBlue

Cape Air operates short-hop flights to islands and small communities: Cape Cod and the Islands, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and Essential Air Service routes in the Midwest and Mountain West. Its nine-seat aircraft mean a genuinely different travel experience — you may be seated beside the pilot, and there is no lavatory or cabin service.

British Airways

United Kingdom · oneworld

British Airways is the UK flag carrier and the largest operator at London Heathrow. For US travellers it is the densest transatlantic option, with multiple daily flights from more than twenty US cities and a joint venture with American Airlines that makes connections through Heathrow to Europe, Africa and India straightforward.

Lufthansa

Germany · Star Alliance

Lufthansa is the largest airline in Europe by fleet and a founding Star Alliance member. Its Frankfurt and Munich hubs connect more than a dozen US gateways to destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and it operates alongside group carriers SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways.

Air France

France · SkyTeam

Air France is the French flag carrier and, with KLM, forms one of Europe's largest airline groups. It operates a transatlantic joint venture with Delta and Virgin Atlantic, which means Delta SkyMiles members earn and redeem across the whole network and connect seamlessly at Paris CDG to Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Netherlands · SkyTeam

KLM operates a single powerful hub at Amsterdam Schiphol, an airport designed around fast connections with everything under one roof — a meaningful practical advantage over Frankfurt, Paris or Heathrow when you have a tight connection. It shares a transatlantic joint venture with Delta, Air France and Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic

United Kingdom · SkyTeam

Virgin Atlantic flies long-haul only, concentrating on transatlantic routes from London and Manchester alongside services to the Caribbean, India and Africa. It joined SkyTeam in 2023 and participates in the transatlantic joint venture with Delta, Air France and KLM, so Delta SkyMiles work fully across its network.

Emirates

United Arab Emirates · None (partners with United, Qantas and others)

Emirates connects a dozen US gateways to Dubai and onward across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia. Its all-widebody fleet means even short connections are flown on large aircraft, and its baggage allowances are among the most generous in the industry — typically 35 kg in economy against the 23 kg European standard.

Qatar Airways

Qatar · oneworld

Qatar Airways connects a dozen US cities to Doha and onward across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Its Qsuite business class — a fully enclosed suite with a door, and a configuration that allows four seats to form a private quad — is widely considered the best business class product in the world, and it is bookable with American AAdvantage miles.

Turkish Airlines

Türkiye · Star Alliance

Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline in the world, using Istanbul as a bridge between the Americas, Europe, Africa, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. For US travellers heading to smaller cities in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia or Africa, it is frequently the only single-connection option.

Air Canada

Canada · Star Alliance

Air Canada is Canada's flag carrier and the largest foreign carrier serving the United States, with more US destinations than any airline outside the US. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver function as alternative gateways to Europe and Asia, and US preclearance at major Canadian airports means you clear US immigration before departure and arrive as a domestic passenger.

Aer Lingus

Ireland · Part of IAG; partners with oneworld carriers

Aer Lingus is the Irish flag carrier and, for US travellers, principally valuable for one reason: Dublin and Shannon offer US preclearance, so you clear US immigration in Ireland and land in the US as a domestic arrival. Combined with competitive transatlantic fares and onward European connections, it is an efficient way into Europe.

Icelandair

Iceland · None (partners with Alaska, JetBlue and others)

Icelandair uses Keflavík as a mid-Atlantic bridge, connecting more than a dozen US and Canadian cities to twenty-plus European destinations. Its signature product is the free Stopover: you can break the journey in Iceland for up to seven days at no additional airfare, effectively getting two destinations for one ticket.

SWISS International Air Lines

Switzerland · Star Alliance

SWISS is the Swiss flag carrier and part of the Lufthansa Group. Zurich is one of the most efficient hubs in Europe — consistently ranked among the best airports in the world for punctuality and passenger experience — which makes SWISS a reliable choice for connections into Europe, Africa and India.

TAP Air Portugal

Portugal · Star Alliance

TAP Air Portugal connects a growing list of US cities to Lisbon and Porto, with onward service across Europe, Brazil and Africa. Its free Portugal Stopover programme lets you spend up to ten nights in Lisbon or Porto at no extra airfare, which makes it a strong option for anyone heading further into Europe.

Iberia

Spain · oneworld

Iberia is the Spanish flag carrier and part of IAG alongside British Airways and Aer Lingus. Madrid is the strongest European gateway to Latin America, and Iberia runs a transatlantic joint venture with American Airlines and British Airways, so AAdvantage miles work fully across the network.

ITA Airways

Italy · Star Alliance (Lufthansa Group)

ITA Airways is the Italian flag carrier, successor to Alitalia and now majority-owned by the Lufthansa Group. It connects several US gateways to Rome and Milan with onward European and Mediterranean connections, and its move from SkyTeam to Star Alliance changed which US loyalty programmes work on it — a detail worth checking before booking.

Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopia · Star Alliance

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest airline in Africa and the primary way to reach most of the continent from the United States on a single connection. Addis Ababa functions as the main African hub, with US service from Washington Dulles, Newark, Chicago and Atlanta connecting to more than sixty African destinations.

ANA (All Nippon Airways)

Japan · Star Alliance

ANA is Japan's largest airline and a five-star rated carrier with a reputation for service consistency that is difficult to match. For US travellers the key practical detail is Haneda: it is far closer to central Tokyo than Narita, and ANA operates most of its US routes there.

Japan Airlines

Japan · oneworld

Japan Airlines is Japan's oneworld carrier and a joint venture partner of American Airlines, so AAdvantage miles work fully across its network. JAL's economy seat pitch is among the most generous in long-haul economy anywhere, which matters a great deal on a twelve-hour Pacific crossing.

Korean Air

South Korea · SkyTeam

Korean Air is South Korea's flag carrier and a SkyTeam partner of Delta, operating a transpacific joint venture that makes SkyMiles fully usable across its network. Seoul Incheon is consistently ranked among the best airports in the world and is an efficient gateway to the rest of Asia.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore · Star Alliance

Singapore Airlines is consistently ranked among the world's best airlines and operates the longest nonstop flights on the planet, connecting New York and Los Angeles to Singapore without a stop. Changi Airport is itself a destination, with a butterfly garden, a rooftop pool and the Jewel complex.

Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong SAR · oneworld

Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong's flag carrier and a founding oneworld member, connecting US West Coast and East Coast gateways to Hong Kong and onward across Asia. Its Hong Kong lounges — The Pier and The Wing — are among the most highly regarded in the world, and AAdvantage miles redeem across its network.

EVA Air

Taiwan · Star Alliance

EVA Air is Taiwan's largest international carrier and a five-star rated Star Alliance member, connecting several US gateways to Taipei with onward service across Asia. Its Royal Laurel business class and unusually good economy service have earned it a strong reputation among transpacific travellers.

Air India

India · Star Alliance

Air India operates the only nonstop flights between the United States and India, serving Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru from New York, Newark, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington. Since its return to Tata Group ownership it has been running a substantial fleet and product overhaul, so the cabin you get varies considerably by aircraft — check whether your flight operates a retrofitted aircraft.

Qantas

Australia · oneworld

Qantas connects Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and New York to Australia, including the Dallas–Sydney route which is among the longest in the world. It is a oneworld partner of American Airlines, so AAdvantage miles earn and redeem across the network — and AAdvantage is generally the cheaper way for US travellers to book Qantas premium cabins.

Air New Zealand

New Zealand · Star Alliance

Air New Zealand connects Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago and New York to Auckland, with onward connections across New Zealand and the Pacific. It invented the Economy Skycouch — three economy seats whose footrests raise to form a flat surface, effectively a lie-flat option in economy for couples or a parent and child.

Aeroméxico

Mexico · SkyTeam

Aeroméxico is Mexico's flag carrier and Delta's joint venture partner, so SkyMiles earn and redeem across its network with reciprocal elite benefits. It serves more than twenty US cities and offers the deepest connectivity within Mexico, including to smaller destinations no US carrier reaches.

Volaris

Mexico · None

Volaris is Mexico's largest ultra-low-cost carrier and serves dozens of US cities, particularly those with large Mexican-American communities. Its fares are genuinely low but everything is unbundled, and its baggage enforcement at the gate is strict — this is a carrier where the advertised price and the price you actually pay diverge sharply if you have not pre-purchased.

Copa Airlines

Panama · Star Alliance

Copa Airlines operates the Hub of the Americas at Panama City, connecting more than a dozen US cities to roughly eighty destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean. Its operational reliability is consistently among the best in the region, and it is a Star Alliance member so United MileagePlus works fully across the network.

Avianca

Colombia · Star Alliance

Avianca connects US cities to Bogotá, San Salvador and onward across Colombia, Central America and South America. It has moved toward an unbundled fare structure, so the cheapest Avianca fares now behave much like an ultra-low-cost carrier — read the fare rules carefully before assuming a checked bag is included.

LATAM Airlines

Chile / Brazil · None (Delta joint venture partner)

LATAM is South America's largest airline group, connecting US gateways to Santiago, São Paulo, Lima and Bogotá with extensive onward domestic networks in Chile, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. It left oneworld and now partners with Delta, so SkyMiles earn and redeem across its network.

WestJet

Canada · None (partners with Delta and others)

WestJet is Canada's second-largest airline, serving many US cities from its Calgary and Toronto bases. It began as a low-fare carrier and now operates a hybrid model with a genuine Business cabin on 787 aircraft. Canadian passenger protection rules apply to its flights, which gives US travellers rights they do not have domestically.