List Of Largest Airlines in the USA [2024]

What are the largest airlines in the US? Did you know? You might be guessing between some reputed airline brands in the US, but you might be wrong. To get the exact names, keep going through this piece of information. 

The US Aviation Industry

With 59 airlines transporting around 300-900 million passengers every year to every corner of the globe, the US aviation industry has the largest air transportation network. It has flourished a lot over the past two decades and is expected to continue in the same direction in the upcoming years. As per a report, the US aviation industry experienced a massive increase in the number of passengers travelling from and to the United States from 2006 to the present. They have gained more than 100 million more passengers during this period. This figure continues to increase at a rapid pace with every passing year. One of the biggest reasons behind this increasing figure is the upgrades that the majority of the US airlines did to their aircraft and cabin classes to provide a better and improved travel experience to passengers.

With a number of prominent names in the US airline industry, it is tough for passengers to identify the best and largest airlines in the US. When you think about it, some names definitely come to your mind, like American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines, but are they the best and largest airlines in the US in 2022. Let’s find out together!

What are the Largest Airlines in the US? 

There are many big names in the US aviation industry that are considered the best and largest ones. However, figuring out what are 5 largest US airlines can only be determined by different parameters and metrics, like fleet size, number of passengers carried, number of routes operated, revenue generated, number of countries served, number of destinations served, and brand value. Let’s find out which airline is the best and top-ranked as per these various metrics. 

What are the 5 Largest US Airlines By Fleet Size?

As per the data disclosed in December 2021, the 5 largest airlines in the US by fleet size include American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and SkyWest Airlines. 

Here is an extended list of the largest airlines in the US by fleet size:

S.N	Name of Airlines	Fleet Size
1	American Airlines	1,440
2	United Airlines	1,391
3	Delta Air Lines	1,170
4	Southwest Airlines	737
5	SkyWest Airlines	509
6	Alaska Airlines	423
7	Air Canada	300
8	JetBlue	270
9	WestJet	172
10	Spirit Airlines	157

This list is followed by Frontier Airlines (113), Aeromexico (107), Allegiant Air (107), Volaris (102), and Hawaiian Airlines (61). 

What are the Top 10 Airlines in America by the Number of Passengers Carried? 

In the past couple of years, airline services were badly affected globally due to the Covid pandemic. They didn’t operate their carriers with full strength. Yet, American Airlines, one of the top two largest airlines in the US, managed to transport around 95.3 million passengers in 2020. They legged their rival United Airlines by around 37.5 million passengers. It was the greatest achievement for them. 

The following table for “what are the top 10 airlines in America by the number of passengers carried” shows the data as per the data disclosed in 2020. 

S.N	Name of Airlines	Number of Passengers Carried (in millions)
1	American Airlines	95.3
2	United Airlines	57.8
3	Delta Air Lines	55.02
4	Southwest Airlines	54.01
5	SkyWest Airlines	21.26
6	Spirit Airlines	18.31
7	Alaska Airlines	17.9
8	Volaris	14.7
9	JetBlue Airways	14.3
10	Air Canada	13.8

This list is followed by Frontier Airlines (11.2), Aeromexico (9.5), Allegiant Air (8.6), Envoy (8.12), and VivaAerobus (8.12). 

Which is the Largest US Airline by Market Share?

American Airlines topped the table again legging all its competitors. As per the statistics from January 2021 to December 2021, American Airlines is ranked at the top of the table with 19.5 percent of the domestic market share, followed by Southwest Airlines which captured around 17.4 percent of the domestic market share. 

The following table shows “which is the largest US airline by market share” and a complete list of the largest airlines in the US by domestic market share. The table represents the statistics based on the data collected from January 2021 to December 2021.

S.N	Name of Airlines	Number of Passengers Carried
1	American Airlines	19.5%
2	Southwest Airlines	17.4%
3	Delta Air Lines	16.3%
4	United Airlines	12.9%
5	Alaska Airlines	5.4%
6	JetBlue Airways	5.3%
7	Spirit Airlines	4.9%
8	SkyWest	3.4%
9	Frontier Airlines	3.3%
10	Hawaiian	1.7%

Rest of the airlines captured around 9.9 percent domestic market share. 

Largest Airlines in the US by Market Value 

Take a look at the biggest players in the US aviation industry in terms of Market Value. The following data is prepared as of May 2022. 

Delta Airlines is the largest airline in the US and the world in terms of market value. Its market value is 28.01 billion U.S. dollars, closely followed by Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and American Airlines which have a market value of 27.77, 16.81, and 13.1 billion U.S. dollars respectively.

Largest Airlines in the US by Revenue

As per the data published in a reputed publication in January 2021, Delta Airlines is the largest airline in the US in terms of revenue generated. It topped the table with annual revenue of 44.9 billion U.S. dollars. American Airlines followed Delta Airlines in the table with annual revenue of 44.5 billion U.S. dollars. They are further followed by United Airlines and Southwest Airlines with total annual revenue of 41.9 and 22.0 billion U.S. dollars respectively. 

Largest Airlines in the US by Countries Served 

When it comes to the largest airlines in the US by the number of countries served, United Airlines is at the top of the list with its flights operating to around 73 countries around the globe. Delta Airlines lies at number 2 with its flights operating around 57 countries worldwide. American Airlines, the largest airline in the US in terms of fleet size, number of passengers carried, and market share, is ranked number 3 on this list with its flights providing its operations to nearly 50 countries with its partner- American Eagle. 

When it comes to thelargest airlines in the worldin terms of the number of countries served, Turkish Airlines (121), Lufthansa Group (105), Air France (85), Qatar Airways (83), and Emirates (77) come at the top 5. 

Largest Airlines in the US by Brand Value

As of 2021, Delta Air Lines is the largest airline brand in the US with a brand value of 5.77 U.S billion dollars. It is followed by American Airlines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines with a brand value of 5.336, 5.003, and 3.971 U.S billion dollars respectively.

Other largest airlines in the world in terms of brand value include Emirates, Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air Canada, and British Airways. 

Top 20 Largest Airlines in the World 

Here, we have compiled a list of the top 20 largest airlines in the world based on all the metrics and performance in the last few years. Check out the list below.

1. American Airlines 
2. Delta Airlines 
3. United Airlines 
4. Emirates
5. Southwest Airlines 
6. China Southern 
7. Ryan International Airlines
8. China Eastern Airlines 
9. Air China 
10. Lufthansa 
11. All Nippon Airways 
12. Turkish Airlines 
13. Air France
14. British Airways 
15. EasyJet
16. Indigo 
17. Air Canada 
18. Aeroflot Russian Airlines
19. Alaska Airlines 
20. Qatar Airways 

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