Boise Airport airlines rated highly in annual scorecard. How they ranked
The lead airlines at the Boise Airport performed well in an analysis that ranks the industry’s top annual achievers.
Southwest Airlines, which flies 10 routes in and out of Boise for the second-most, finished first among all commercial air carriers in The Wall Street Journal’s airline scorecard. The yearly ranking of the U.S.’s nine major airlines is based on seven operation metrics, which include on-time arrivals, canceled flights, various delays and baggage handling.
Specifically, Southwest finished in the top two for on-time arrivals, canceled flights, extreme delays and tarmac delays. It tied for third for involuntary bumping of passengers from flights, and fourth for mishandled baggage — its lowest rating in a single category, still ahead of five competitors.
“We’re thrilled to take the top spot,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s COO, said in a statement. “We’re always trying to improve and we did that again this year. We believe being reliable is hard to copy, and we intend to stay there.”
Alaska Airlines, which is the dominant carrier in Boise with 17 routes, finished fourth in the survey. The ranking was down from third last year and second from 2021 to 2023.
Alaska was first for extreme delays and third in three categories: on-time arrivals, canceled flights and two-hour tarmac delays.
Alaska is proud of its service for passengers living in and visiting Boise, an airline spokesperson said in an email to the Idaho Statesman.
This year, Alaska is adding new routes in and out of Boise. Starting June 10, the Seattle-based air carrier plans to fly twice a week during the summer on Wednesdays and Saturdays to and from Anchorage, Alaska. The route is expected to run through mid-August, and it will be the first time Boise passengers can fly nonstop to Alaska.
In January, the airline also added a daily nonstop flight between Boise and the city of Ontario in Southern California. Alaska now flies direct from Boise to nine cities in California.
Other airlines that operate in Boise also placed in The Journal’s rankings.
Allegiant Air, which offers two routes — to and from Orange County, California, and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport — finished second overall. It had the fewest overall canceled flights and mishandled bags and tied for the best score for involuntarily bumped passengers.
Delta Air Lines ranked third overall. It topped the scorecard for on-time arrivals and tied with Allegiant for best score for involuntarily bumped passengers. It ranked fourth for canceled flights. Delta flies five routes at the Boise Airport, including flights to Salt Lake City, Seattle, Atlanta and Minneapolis.
United Airlines ranked sixth on the overall scorecard. The air carrier last finished in the top four in 2022.
American Airlines and Frontier Airlines, which returned to Boise in May 2025 after nearly four years, tied for last place. Frontier flies daily to Denver, while American makes nonstop trips to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
The Boise Airport is coming off breaking its annual passenger record for the fourth straight year, setting a new mark in 2025 with more than 5.2 million passengers. The airport’s eight airlines now offer service to 27 destinations.
