While this may change by next week, this news has helped airline stocks hit multiyear highs. Which airline is a better bet today: Delta (DAL -1.81%) or American (AAL -2.92%)? Delta is the leader in the U.S. among airline credit card issuers, with a long-standing partnership with American Express. If you are weighing two airline stocks, it is clear Delta is the better business to bet on right now. However, when looking at stock returns across the entire industry, the case for buying airline stocks as a whole becomes much more difficult.