Good news if you're flying on the biggest airline in Minnesota: it's now ranked as the number-one airline in the country.

It's the largest airline in Minnesota-- and it's now #1

That's the word this week from Delta Airlines, which just placed on top of the latest J.D. Power survey for North America Airline Satisfaction. Delta, of course, has a major hub at the largest airport in Minnesota, the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in Bloomington.

I still kind of think of Delta as a 'Minnesota' airline, even though it's not headquartered here. Its corporate headquarters are in Atlanta, but since Delta merged with Minnesota's Northwest Airlines in 2008, Delta still has a major Minnesota influence.

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And now, it's the best airline in the industry for this year. Which is a big deal! In fact, while placing near the top the past couple of years, you have to go all the way back to 1995 for the last time Delta was ranked number-one on the J.D. Power survey.

So how did they come up with those rankings?

According to J.D. Power, they surveyed over 2,300 air travelers between March of 2020 and April of 2021 across eight different categories: aircraft; baggage; boarding; check-in; cost and fees; flight crew; in-flight services; and reservations. And Delta placed first this year, with a score of 860 out of a possible 1,000 points. Southwest came in second with 856, with Alaska Airlines placed third with 850.

According to a Delta news release, "We are honored and humbled to be recognized by travelers as J.D. Power’s No. 1 airline for 2021," Delta's CEO, Ed Bastian, said. "It’s particularly meaningful that this recognition came during the most challenging year in our history, when the warm hospitality provided by our people every day made the difference for our customers," he noted.

Delta also offers flights out of Rochester

It's also impressive to note that you don't have to drive up Highway-52 to MSP to fly on the number-one airline in the country, either. Delta offers direct flights to Atlanta and connecting flights to MSP from right here in the Med City at Rochester International Airport.

As I mentioned earlier, Delta merged with Minneapolis-based Northwest Airlines back in 2008. Northwest was one of those brands that was once huge here in Minnesota (kind of like Dayton's also was) but that now no longer exists. Which is the same for many of the following famous brands. Keep scrolling to see how many YOU remember!

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50 Famous Brands That No Longer Exist

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