Which American Airline Was The Worst In 2017?

In a new analysis of airlines in the United States released by the Wall Street Journal, Jet Blue was awarded the not-so-honorable title of America's worst airline.

In an annual analysis conducted by Wall Street Journal, JetBlue slumped to the bottom in the publications rankings system. The 6th-largest United States air carrier slipped down the list by three spots, even landing behind the widely-panned Spirit Airlines. JetBlue intends to work on the kinks, however.

"Our customers continue to choose JetBlue for a variety of reasons, including our award-winning product and service delivered by incredible crewmembers," Jeff Martin, JetBlue's executive vice president for operations, said in a statement issued to International Business Times. "Our operational performance is also quite competitive with other carriers when looking at the cities and routes we serve."

"While we have efforts underway to improve our on-time performance and have already implemented programs to help address often uncontrollable air traffic and weather disruptions, rankings based on global averages don’t account for operations centered in the heavily congested airspace of the Northeast corridor, where 70% of JetBlue’s schedule touches every day," Martin added.

WSJ's survey used seven crucial operational metrics to determine its rankings, including canceled flights, complaints and delays, according to Country Living.

Delta Air Lines outperformed other U.S. air carriers as it earned the top spot on WSJ's list, despite suffering a $60 million loss from an airport-wide power outage in Atlanta in December, among other similar passenger strandings incidents. In a separate survey, Delta also received the title for last year's most on-time performance against all airlines worldwide.

JetBlue's low ranking comes after its earned high praise in other surveys conducted by J.D. Power, Condé Nast Traveler and TripAdvisor. The airline even received the highest ranking on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which rated Spirit dead last. Forbes also conducted a survey dubbed "America's Best Employers," which recognized JetBlue as the top earner for three consecutive years.

Despite receiving continuous recognition, JetBlue suffered a troublesome year in on-time performance as flight delays became more frequent. The delayed flights are said to be the worst to occur in 10 years for JetBlue, according to Bloomberg.

"Even the first-class suites arrive late when the airplane is late," Bob Mann, president of aviation consulting firm R.W. Mann & Co, said to Bloomberg. "I think some high-value customers have figured out that Delta is doing a better job."

Founded in 2000, the airline has aimed to set itself apart from its competitors through its in-flight amenities, including free WiFi — dubbed Fly-Fi — and additional leg room for passengers seated in coach. With 101 cities on its destination list like Austin and Havana, 1000 flights take off daily to accommodate passengers aiming to head to such regions, JetBlue's website claims.

JetBlue flies 38 million passengers a year.

"For 17 years, we have continued to build a brand that's listened to and remained responsive to the needs of our customers," Robin Hayes, JetBlue's president and chief executive officer, said in a news release.

This story was updated to include a statement from JetBlue Airways.