Virgin America Named 'Best Domestic Carrier' by Travel + Leisure
Monday, July 13th, 2009
Travel + Leisure recently announced the results of its World's Best Awards for 2009 and has named Virgin America as the World's Best Domestic Airline for the second consecutive year. None of the United States' legacy carriers made it to the top of this year's awards list. Poll results were based on traveler's rankings based on value, service quality and overall experience. Virgin America, a low-cost airline that has been in service since August 2007, has become famous for offering deluxe amenities and a VIP experience at an affordable price.Virgin America is the brainchild of British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and has grown to become one of the most-recognized brands in the world. The airline is the first U.S. airline with mood lighting and offers MP3s onboard every flight, an in-flight entertainment system with pay-per-view Hollywood movies, fresh food ordering options on all flights, and plush seats. Main Cabin passengers also have access to a mini bar, USB plugs on every seat and Ethernet plugs for broadband Internet access.
The Travel + Leisure award also ranked the other nine airlines for this category as follows: JetBlue Airways (#2), Midwest Airlines (#3), WestJet Airlines (#4), Southwest Airlines (#5), Sun Country Airlines (#6), Hawaiian Airlines (#7), Frontier Airlines (#8), Alaska Airlines (#9), and USA 3000 Airlines (#10). WestJet Airlines was the only airline that was not among the top-ranked in the Best Domestic Airline category the previous year. The magazine reports that the survey results are compiled from a questionnaire that is distributed to readers of tlworldsbest.com from January through March. Readers are screened to ensure that they are not travel-industry professionals, and results are tallied by Harris Interactive. All responses are kept confidential, and participants were asked to rank each airline on a scale of 1 to 5 in each area.
All of the World's Best 2009 results for the cruises and airline category can be viewed here.
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