The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected airlines. Now, in an effort to woo travelers back to the skies, airlines are adopting more flyer-friendly policies.

United Airlines led the way in September 2020 by announcing the elimination of change fees and standby fees. Within 24 hours, Delta Air Lines announced a similar policy and American Airlines went even further in its policy changes.

Since then, all three airlines have expanded these policies to most international flights originating in (at least) the United States. This time, American Airlines led the way with Delta and United following a few weeks later.

These changes may leave you reassessing which airline is best for you. So, we dug into the details of the policies of the four major U.S. airlines. Here are the pros and cons of each to help you determine which airline to fly.

When should you fly Southwest?

Southwest Airlines has long been known — and beloved — for its lack of fees. And even after American, Delta and United made drastic policy changes, Southwest remains the most flexible airline.

Southwest passengers can still change or cancel a flight up to 10 minutes before departure, regardless of destination. That policy bests American, Delta and United, all of which require passengers to originate in a specific region to get free changes.

About Southwest basic economy

Unlike the three legacy U.S. airlines, Southwest doesn’t offer basic economy. So you don’t have to pay more for a ticket that allows changes.

Plus, Southwest famously still lets all passengers check two bags for free. That’s a trump card for Southwest when you’re traveling with checked bags.

When should you fly American?

Though American was the last to announce policy changes in September, it made up for the delay. American first adopted the broadest and most generous change fee policy of the three legacy airlines, and later led the second wave of change fee policy updates.

What's new at American Airlines

Fewer change fees

Under American Airlines’ expanded policy, there are no change fees on flights originating in North or South America — as long as you don’t book basic economy.