American, Delta & United Are the Trinity of U.S. Air Travel

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are American legacy carriers and they remain the most booked airlines in the United States, according to a survey by Statista Consumer Insights. Respondents questioned in 2023 who had booked a flight in the 12 months previous to the survey had most likely boarded a flight of one of these airlines. American had most people saying they booked a flight on one of their airliners at 41 percent, followed by Delta at 33 percent and United at 30 percent.

However, a newer player to the nationwide aviation market, Southwest Airlines, is not far behind with 24 percent of surveyed U.S. air travelers saying in 2023 that they had recently booked with the airline. Also among the top 8 are Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Air Canada and one ultra-low-cost airline, Spirit Air. The airline's services most closely resemble the European model of low-cost air travel that hasn't caught on in the U.S. so far.