When booking a flight, U.S. travelers can often take their pick from three major legacy airlines: Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines. But in the battle of Delta, United or American, which one is best?
To choose, consider five factors: where each flies, their credit card offerings, their loyalty programs, overall fees and the in-flight experience. Here’s a closer look at how these three airlines compare.
Where they're based and where they fly
Winner for accessibility: United
United offers the most international destinations and countries flown to of these three airlines, and it’s practically tied with American for the most destinations overall.
Delta, United and American each operate flights to hundreds of domestic destinations and international flights to dozens of countries. So the right airline for you will likely depend on your proximity to a hub. Except for the major markets of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, each airline focuses its hubs in different cities.
Delta
As the old saying goes, "Whether you go to heaven or hell, you have to change planes in Atlanta." Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines operates a network of about 300 destinations in over 50 countries across six continents.
Delta's U.S. hubs and key markets include:
Atlanta.
Boston.
Detroit.
Los Angeles.
Minneapolis-St. Paul.
New York-John F. Kennedy.
New York-LaGuardia.
Salt Lake City.
Seattle.
United
Chicago-based United Airlines flies to around 215 U.S. destinations in addition to roughly 130 international destinations across 70 countries covering Asia, Europe, India, Oceania, South America and parts of Africa.
United's airport hubs can be found in:
Chicago-O'Hare.
Denver.
Guam.
Houston-Intercontinental.
Los Angeles.
Newark.
San Francisco.
Washington-Dulles.
American
American Airlines bases its operations in Dallas-Fort Worth and flies to almost 350 destinations across 60-plus countries on five continents. American focuses on flights to the Caribbean, Europe, South America and connecting its Oneworld partners to destinations in Asia and Oceania.
American Airlines' hubs are found in:
Charlotte.
Chicago-O’Hare.
Dallas-Fort Worth.
Los Angeles.
Miami.
New York-John F. Kennedy.
New York-LaGuardia.
Philadelphia.
Phoenix.
Washington-National.
» Learn more: How to shop for flights
Travel credit card availability
Winner for airline credit card: Delta
NerdWallet thinks a lot about the question of which airline offers the best credit card. Our roundup of the top airline credit cards on the market includes three Delta credit cards, two American cards and one United card — making Delta the winner if you’re considering a travel credit card that’s co-branded with a specific airline.
Delta, United and American each offer a wide range of consumer and small-business credit cards. Each has a no-annual-fee card, a midtier card with a few perks — like free checked bags — and a premium card that includes lounge access.
Here are the details for each.
Delta
Delta offers four consumer and three small-business credit cards — all of which are issued by American Express. Annual fees range between $0 and $650 and perks range from earning 2x miles on restaurants up to Delta Sky Club access. Terms apply.
Credit cards that earn SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
NerdWallet Rating
on American Express' website
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
NerdWallet Rating
on American Express' website
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
NerdWallet Rating
on American Express' website
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
NerdWallet Rating
on American Express' website
Annual fee
$0
$0 intro for the first year, then $150
$350
$650
Earning rates
• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).
• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
• 3 miles per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Delta and on hotel purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).
• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
• 3 miles per $1 on eligible purchases made directly with Delta.
• 1 mile per $1 on other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
Other benefits
• No foreign transaction fees.
Terms apply.
• First checked bag free.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
Terms apply.
• Companion certificate (main cabin).
• First checked bag free.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
Terms apply.
• Airport lounge access.
• Companion certificate ((first class, Delta Comfort+ or main cabin).
• Credit for application fee for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry
• First checked bag free.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
Terms apply.
Learn more
Delta business credit cards
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card ($0 intro for the first year, then $150). Earn 55,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card ($350 annual fee). Earn 65,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card ($650 annual fee). Earn 75,000 Bonus Miles after spending $10,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
United
United offers four personal credit cards and two business credit cards through Chase. Annual fees range from $0 to $525 and perks vary from earning 2x points at gas stations to United Club membership.
Cards that earn MileagePlus points
United Gateway℠ Card
NerdWallet Rating
on Chase's website
United℠ Explorer Card
NerdWallet Rating
on Chase's website
United Quest℠ Card
NerdWallet Rating
on Chase's website
United Club℠ Infinite Card
NerdWallet Rating
on Chase's website
Annual fee
$0 intro for the first year, then $95.
$250.
$525.
$0.
Earning rates
• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases, gas stations and local transit and commuting.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 3 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants, select streaming services and all other travel.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 4 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and all other travel purchases.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
Other benefits
• No foreign transaction fees.
• First checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.
• 2 United Club one-time passes each year.
• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.
• $125 United purchase credit per year (good on airfare).
• Two 5,000-mile award flight credits per anniversary year.
• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• First and second checked bag free for you and one companion on your reservation.
• Access to United Club airport lounges.
• Credit of up to $100 every four years for TSA PreCheck, Global Entry or NEXUS.
• Priority boarding.
• No foreign transaction fees.
Learn more
United business credit cards
United℠ Business Card ($0 intro first year, then $99). Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
United Club℠ Business Card ($450 annual fee). NEW CARDMEMBER OFFER: Earn 75,000 bonus miles + 1,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP)after $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
American
American Airlines offers four AAdvantage credit cards through Citi and one AAdvantage Aviator credit card through Barclays. Annual fees range from $0 to $595 and perks vary from earning 2x points on groceries to a full Admirals Club membership.
Cards that earn AAdvantage miles
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
NerdWallet Rating
on Citibank's application
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
NerdWallet Rating
on Citibank's application
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
NerdWallet Rating
on Citibank's application
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
NerdWallet Rating
Annual fee
$0.
$0 intro for the first year, then $99.
$595.
$99.
Earn rate
• 2 miles per $1 at grocery stores, including grocery delivery services, and on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 1 mile per $1 spent on other purchases.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at gas stations and restaurants, and on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
• 10 miles per $1 on eligible car rentals and hotels booked through AA.
• 4 miles per $1 on eligible American Airlines purchases, up to $150,000 spent per calendar year (5 miles per $1 spent thereafter for the remainder of the calendar year).
• 1 mile per $1 on everything else.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 on eligible American Airlines purchases.
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 1 Loyalty Point per 1 eligible AAdvantage® mile earned from purchases.
Other benefits
•Save 25% on inflight food and beverage purchases when you use your card on American Airlines flights.
•Earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount after you spend $20,000 or more in purchases during your card membership year and renew your card
•No Foreign Transaction Fees
•First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to four companions traveling with you on the same reservation
•Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights.
•Admirals Club® membership for you and access for up to two guests or immediate family members traveling with you.
•First checked bag is free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for you and up to 8 companions traveling with you on the same reservation.
•Free checked bag and preferred boarding for you and up to four companions.
•Annual companion certificate ($99 plus taxes and fees) after spending $20,000.
•Up to $25 per anniversary year in statement credits for in-flight Wi-Fi purchases.
•25% off in-flight food and beverage services.
Still not sure?
AAdvantage business cards
CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® ($0 intro for the first year, then $99).Earn 65,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $4,000 in purchases within the first 4 months of account opening.
Airline loyalty programs
Winner for ease of earning and redeeming miles: American
The overall value of American Airlines’ miles gives American the edge over United. Even better, American still publishes an award chart, and you can easily redeem airline miles for award flights with American and its partners online.
On all three airlines, you'll earn miles based on the dollars you spend on airfare. But when it’s time to redeem those miles, the three carriers differ significantly.
Delta SkyMiles
General Delta SkyMiles members earn 5 SkyMiles per dollar spent on airfare — unless booking basic economy (the only fare that does not earn SkyMiles). You'll earn even more miles if you have Delta Medallion elite status, up to a total of 11 miles per dollar. Delta doesn't offer as many opportunities to earn miles through partners, but there are still 20 ways to earn SkyMiles.
Delta award flight prices vary based on demand, costing anywhere from 3,000 miles up to almost half a million miles one way. Prices also vary when you redeem SkyMiles to fly one of Delta’s partner airlines, so you’ll need to search your preferred route to find out how many miles you’ll need.
NerdWallet analysis finds that Delta SkyMiles are worth 1.2 cents per mile for economy class flights.
» Learn more: Your guide to the Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program
United MileagePlus
United MileagePlus members earn a base of 5 miles per dollar spent on airfare. Premier elite members earn a status bonus of between 2 and 6 miles, for a total of up to 11 miles per dollar spent. However, there are plenty of other ways to earn United miles.
Members can redeem miles on United or any of its dozens of Star Alliance partners. United miles are worth just 1.2 cents each in economy.
» Learn more: Your guide to the United MileagePlus program
American AAdvantage
AAdvantage members earn 5 miles per eligible dollar spent on airfare, with elite members getting up to 11 miles per dollar spent. There is no limit to the number of miles you can earn per ticket. In addition to spending on airfare, we've discovered a total of 36 ways to earn AAdvantage miles.
You can redeem AAdvantage miles to over 1,000 destinations, and you can redeem miles on most partner airlines right on AA's website. Unlike Delta and United, American publishes an award chart showing how many AAdvantage miles you need for an award flight on American or any of its dozens of partner airlines. American miles are worth around 1.7 cents each for economy class flights.
» Learn more: The complete guide to the American Airlines AAdvantage program
Extra fees
Winner for lowest fees: Delta
Nowadays, the airfare that you pay — or the miles you redeem — is usually just part of the cost of your trip. Fees will likely increase the total cost.
NerdWallet did a deep-dive investigation of all of the major carriers and their fees. Most airlines charge a roughly similar amount in fees — with the exception of low-cost carriers Spirit and Frontier, which really pile on the fees — but Delta and American are on the cheaper side of things. American charges an average of $42 in fees for a one-way flight and Delta charges $44, whereas United charges a bit more at an average of $50 per trip.
Delta
Checked bag fees: For domestic flights, Delta charges $35 for the first checked bag. Travelers with an eligible credit card, elite status or active military status may be able to avoid this charge.
Seat assignment fees: On basic economy tickets, you'll need to pay a seat assignment fee to avoid getting a randomly assigned seat at check-in. All other fares allow free seat selection.
Change fees: Delta has eliminated change fees for trips originating in Africa, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States. However, basic economy fares are nonchangeable.
United
Checked bag fees: United doesn't publish baggage fees. Instead, you need to use United's checked bag calculator to see how much you'll pay. Checked bags for domestic flights currently start at $35 prepaid or $40 if you pay within 24 hours of departure.
Carry-on bag fees: United stands alone among the three airlines in not allowing basic economy passengers to bring a carry-on bag. If you book a basic economy fare, you'll need to check any full-size carry-on bags — unless you can use elite status or a credit card to board early. If you get caught at the gate trying to board with a full-size carry-on bag, you'll need to pay the checked bag fee plus an extra $25. Travelers flying to South America or across the Atlantic or Pacific are allowed a carry-on bag with a basic economy ticket.
Seat assignment fees: United basic economy passengers need to pay to select or change their seat. All other fare types come with free seat selection.
Change fees: On United, you won't pay a fee to change or cancel flights within Mexico, the Caribbean or the U.S., or on other international itineraries originating in the U.S. However, basic economy fares cannot be changed.
» Learn more: Which airline should you fly now that change fees are history?
American
Checked bag fees: American domestic checked baggage fee is $40 for your first checked bag or $35 if you prepay online.
Seat assignment fees: All American fares come with free standard seat selection except basic economy. Travelers flying basic economy can pay a fee to select a seat anytime after booking.
Change fees: Like United and Delta, American has generally eliminated change fees for all fare types. You can change your flight fee-free as long as your flight doesn’t start in Australia, New Zealand, Spain or the U.K. Like the other airlines, most basic economy tickets are nonchangeable, with the exception of flights originating in most European countries — which you can change for a fee.
In-flight experience
Winner of the sky: Delta
Besides offering recently updated and comfortable cabins, Delta outranks United and American in our analysis of the best in-flight entertainment offerings. Delta’s recent introduction of free Wi-Fi for all passengers on most domestic routes — with an expansion to the entire fleet by the end of 2024 — pushes this airline to the top of this category.
Delta
Delta owns many aircraft that are more than 20 years old, but you probably couldn't tell by looking at the cabin. Delta has retrofitted many of its older planes with new seats and in-flight entertainment screens. On international flights in economy, Delta has introduced premium meals, hot towel service and alcoholic drinks like Bellinis.
United
United announced in June 2021 that it would install seatback entertainment, additional premium seats, larger overhead bins and high-speed Wi-Fi. However, you still need to wait a few years to see these onboard improvements.
American
American is taking a lower-cost strategy with its in-flight product. It has tightened seat pitch and removed in-flight entertainment screens from almost all of its domestic fleet. The upside of these "Project Oasis" retrofits: bigger overhead bins, power outlets at every seat and high-speed Wi-Fi — for a fee.
» Learn more: Is there Wi-Fi on planes that’s actually good? How to know
If you’re trying to choose between Delta, United and American
Choose Delta: The airline wins in three of our five categories, making it the overall winner of the battle between major U.S. airlines. Delta excels in providing a consistently good onboard experience, understandable fees and an extensive range of credit cards that provide a good fit for every type of traveler. However, United offers travelers more destinations and American’s loyalty program is easier to use.
Take an even closer look in our head-to-head comparison of Delta versus United, or check out our analysis of American versus Delta for another take.
The right airline for you depends on your specific situation. American or United may be a better fit if you're located in — or frequently travel to — one of their hubs.
The information related to the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard® and United Club℠ Business Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer or provider of this product or service.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
