The Best Airlines to Fly From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LA is one of the cultural hubs of the world, with some of the best flight options out of all the major cities in the US
When it comes to traveling from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), choosing the right airline can make all the difference in your journey no matter where you’re going.
With numerous airlines operating from LAX, each offering its own unique features and services, it can sometimes feel somewhat overwhelming trying to determine which one is the best fit for your needs. Whether you prioritize exceptional in-flight amenities, access to the largest number of destinations, or simply value for your money, this guide will help you navigate all the best options and discover which airline is the best for you to fly from LAX. We’ve pulled from both our personal experiences and flight data to compile a list of our recommendations for airlines to travel from Los Angeles based on price, on-time percentage, amenities, and overall customer experience.
So get ready for an in-depth exploration of the airlines that promise to make your LAX experience truly exceptional, regardless of your travel style and goals!
The Best Airlines to Fly From Los Angeles International Airport
1. Delta Air Lines
The first airline on our list is Delta Air Lines. Delta is easily one of the best options you have when flying from LA due to a variety of reasons.
First, not only does Delta have an incredible range of destinations within the USA, but also flights to Europe, Central America, Asia, and Australia (see domestic and international flight maps below)! Delta has also expanded and almost completely claimed Terminal 3 at LAX, offering private security entrances for those with status, a private lounge, and many more privileges for Delta passengers.
However, the major value of flying on Delta from LA is that you can likely fly Delta to almost anywhere you want to go, with only a few holes (e.g., no direct flights to Canada or Dubai). We only expect Delta’s presence in LA to increase going forward, so if you’re looking for an airline to start flying consistently from Los Angeles International Airport, we recommend taking a look at Delta!
While Delta is a travel partner of American Express, meaning that you can transfer your AmEx points directly into Delta SkyMiles, Delta’s reward flights tend to be fairly expensive for domestic travel, so keep in mind that it may be best to book with cash or use points through an alliance partner like Virgin Atlantic.
Overall, Delta has the best coverage, some of the best amenities (particularly for domestic flights), and the best customer experience (especially for premium economy seats) of any airline on this list.
Delta’s total flight map from LAX airport, covering the North America, Hawaii, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe!
Delta’s domestic USA flight map from LAX airport, covering over 20 different states with direct flights.
2. United Airlines
United Airlines is another one of the best airlines to fly from Los Angeles, with a variety of destinations across North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe! While United has slightly fewer domestic flights within the USA and Mexico compared to Delta, United does have more routes to Asia (including two routes to Japan and a flight to China) and Australia. Unlike Delta, United has a direct flight to Canada (Vancouver), which can serve as a great connecting point to anywhere else in the country! However, if you want to travel domestically—especially to the middle of the country (i.e., Kansas through Kentucky)—you might be better serviced by a different airline with more flights to that area.
United Airlines is a transfer partner with Chase Bank, allowing you to use any of your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book United flights for cheap reward travel. This can be particularly synergetic if you hold one of the United co-branded credit cards and can combine your Chase points and United miles.
United Airlines international flight map from Los Angeles International Airport, covering 3 continents
United Airlines international flight map from LAX, flying to over 10 different states!
3. JetBlue
JetBlue Airlines is another one of our favorite airlines that operates out of Los Angeles International Airport.
While JetBlue has far fewer options than either Delta or United, flying almost exclusively domestically within the USA and exclusively within North America, those flights are often priced at a great balance between budget and luxury. JetBlue’s whole value proposition is operating flights with amenities for more budget prices than other top airlines, fitting a perfect midpoint between the more expensive Delta/United’s of the world and true budget airlines. JetBlue has a range of prices for their flights, ranging from extremely luxurious and expensive (i.e., JetBlue Mint, the first class offering) to complete budget (i.e., JetBlue Basic, a seat option with the bare minimum). If you’re interested in flying first-class or business, JetBlue is a great option; JetBlue has ranked the best in first-class/business customer satisfaction for two years running in the North American Airlines Satisfaction Study!
LAX is a JetBlue hub, there are a lot of flight options to other major JetBlue hubs, such as Boston, JFK, and Fort-Lauderdale. f If you’re going to any of the destinations that JetBlue flies to (and particularly other JetBlue hubs), we highly recommend checking them out for your next flight!
JetBlue’s flight map from LAX. While JetBlue almost only flies to the US and Mexico from LA, it is a great option to get to either coast
4. Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines gets a lot of flack from people for its budget experience; however, at the end of the day, Spirit will get you where you’re going for a fraction of the cost of the other airlines on this list. It may not be the airline with the most amenities or benefits, but if you want to travel from Los Angeles cheaply within the USA or Mexico, there likely is not a better airline option out there than Spirit. With direct routes to over 20 different states, Spirit has a shockingly good variety of routes that you can fly from LAX! Below are some example prices for flights on Spirit Airlines—you aren’t going to find any other major airline that flies from LAX for prices below $25.
Spirit Airlines may not offer many (or any) amenities on its flights, but it certainly offers flight prices that are unlikely to be beat by almost any other airline out there!
We’d particularly recommend using Spirit to cover some of the shorter destinations, such as from LA to the rest of California, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City—all of these flights are less than 1.5 hours and can be as cheap as $15! Therefore, you don't’ have to worry too much about the budget experience (though we still recommend not checking a bag on budget airline flights wherever possible).
Spirit’s flight map from LAX. Spirit covers a shockingly great variety of destinations across the USA!
Summary
If you’re flying from LAX you have extensive options of airlines (60+) to choose from depending on your destination. For 80% of destinations, Delta or United are going to be your best bets, especially for any trips outside North America (e.g., Europe, Asia). We highly recommend these two airlines as their point redemptions can be extremely valuable; for instance, you can fly from LAX to Japan for less than 80,000 points round-trip! If you want to fly within the domestic US, it’s also worth checking out JetBlue, which flies a wide selection of routes across the coasts of the US. And if you want to fly on a budget, then Spirit is definitely going to be the airline for you, and is particularly great for short flights on the west coast!
We hope this article was helpful to you in learning about the best airlines that fly from LAX! If you are flying from either Boston Logan Airport or Austin-Bergstrom Airport, we’ve got the guides for you!