Photo courtesy of Aero Icarus/flickr
Virgin America has been voted #1 in a recent Airfarewatchdog 2015 Best Domestic Airline poll (and in Travel + Leisure’s 2015 World’s Best Awards). Airfarewatchdog’s survey questioned 3,200 travelers, asking “Which is your favorite domestic airline?”
The results looked like this:
- Virgin America – 22%
- Alaska – 14%
- Jetblue – 14%
- Southwest – 11%
- Hawaiian – 11%
- Allegiant – 9%
- Frontier – 6%
- Delta – 5%
- Spirit – 3%
- United – 2%
- American – 2%
- US Airways – 1%
Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is the king of cool when it comes to branding and, like his first Chicago hotel that removes everything travelers hate about accommodations, the airline also fills in gaps other airlines don’t. Not only does the airline have heart, donating 50% of in-flight wine profits to charity, but Branson’s fun demeanor can be felt throughout the company (a So You Think You Can Dance-style in-flight safety video? yes, please!).
Virgin also seems to have figured out the answer to fix the problem of Wi-Fi moving at the speed of dial-up, but costing the equivalent of a week’s worth of groceries — the airline is about to start offering internet speeds 8-10x faster than what’s out there. You’ll even be able to stream Netflix, Hulu and YouTube on it (finally!).
What’s also worth noting is how high the budget airlines ranked over the standard carriers. While jetBlue and Southwest are constantly praised for their service (Southwest actually topped Airfarewatchdog’s 2015 survey ranking domestic airline loyalty programs), Frontier and Spirit not so much. And with recent incidents like forcing a wheelchair-bound passenger to crawl to their seat and allowing fliers to board faint-inducing 90-degree cabins, American might want to think about cleaning up their act.
What are your favorite domestic airlines?
Jessica Festa is the founder on the solo and offbeat travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and the online responsible tourism and culture magazine, Epicure & Culture. She’s constantly searching for local experiences beyond the guidebook. You can follow her travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.