Traveling by plane costs an average of $363 per trip.

Choosing the wrong airline has the potential to take even more from us.

10 animals died during air transportation in 2018, and 4 major US airlines had at least one pet fatality.

While critical to consider, such factors often fly under the radar due to our focus on price.

Online research firm WalletHub compared the 9 largest US airlines, plus 3 regional carriers, across 15 categories. They range from cancellation and delay rates to baggage mishaps and in – flight comfort.

Here’s how they stack up:

• Best Airline Overall – Alaska Airlines

• Cheapest Airline – Frontier Airlines

• Most Reliable Airline – Delta Air Lines

• Most Comfortable Airline – JetBlue Airways

• Best Airlines for Pets – ExpressJet Airlines and Envoy Air

• Least Complained-about Airlines – Southwest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines

• Safest Airline – Alaska Airlines

For the full list of 2019’s Best & Worst Airlines, visit https://wallethub.com/edu/best-airlines/20916/ .