Fort Lauderdale's Spirit Airlines Ranked the Best in the U.S. Yes, Really.

The tariffs are hitting. The stock market is up and down. Rent prices are unsustainable. As folks tighten their belts ahead of an unpredictable summer travel season, it may finally be one budget airline's time to shine.

This month, Miami-based fintech company WalletHub announced it ranked Spirit Airlines as its Best Airline Overall in a comparison of the nine largest U.S. airlines (plus two additional regional carriers). Wait...what?

You might be surprised to hear the ultra-low cost carrier beat out even major airlines, including American, Delta, United, and JetBlue, but WalletHub explains its analysis considered "14 important metrics," ranging from "cancellation and delay rates to baggage mishaps and in-flight comfort."

To accurately compare major carriers to budget and ultra-low-cost carriers, the company also considered how the airlines' pricing stacks up against their amenities. "It wouldn't be right to penalize an airline that charges for drinks if its tickets are far cheaper than those from an airline with free in-flight refreshments," WalletHub wrote.

The company broke down the overall ranking into individual categories, and it wasn't all good news for Spirit. Unsurprisingly, the carrier ranked lowest in the "Most Comfortable Airlines" category, which considered leg room, entertainment options, Wi-Fi availability, refreshments, and pricing.

Even less surprisingly, Spirit was named the "Most Affordable Airline" in the ranking. Perhaps the best news for Spirit is that, in a year marked by a striking number of aviation accidents, WalletHub named the carrier its "Safest Airline" of the year. The category considered metrics including injuries and aviation accidents, as well as the airline's average fleet age.