Virgin America has
been awarded the best Business/First Class Domestic carrier in the US in the
recent Conde Nast Traveler’s Business Travel Poll.
I am hardly surprised that
a carrier with non-US roots has taken out this award, I am hoping this type of pressure
will force the entire US airline industry lift its game, providing benefits to
the airlines and its passengers.
The Full Press release
from Virgin American can be found below:
Virgin America, the California-based airline on a
mission to make flying good again, today took the top honors for "best
Business/First Class" among domestic airlines in Conde Nast Traveler's
2008 Business Travel Poll.
The annual survey of the magazine's business
travelers ranked Virgin America as the top U.S. airline for Business/First
Class service, as reported in the October issue of Conde Nast Traveler.
Launched in August 2007, Virgin America has already captured a list of travel
industry best-in-class awards, including No. 1 for quality in First/Business
Class in the U.S. in Zagat's Global Airlines Survey and "Best Domestic
Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards.
"Virgin America was launched with the goal of
reinventing domestic flying by creating an upscale, innovative and
customer-focused experience," said Virgin America President and CEO David
Cush. "Business travelers should expect the very best in design,
technology, entertainment and comfort in a U.S. airline -- just as they do in
their hotel choices. We couldn't be more proud to earn this ranking in our
first year, especially from the selective travelers who fly the most and who
rightly expect more."
An independent firm asked more than 26,500 readers
identified as business travelers to rate hotels, airports and airlines. Over
2,500 surveys were completed. Final scores (out of 100) represent the
percentage of readers who rated an airline "excellent" or "very
good." Virgin America had an overall score of 65.3. The carrier's nearest
competitor (No. 2 in the rankings) had an overall score of 41.1.
Virgin America features unrivalled amenities for the
business traveler -- including new planes with custom-designed leather seats,
standard power outlets for electronic gear, and touch-screen seatback
entertainment with 18 channels of live TV (including CNN, MSNBC and CNBC,
accessed via touch-screen or remote control) and over 30 on-demand films,
including the latest releases.
Virgin America's First Class cabin offers international-grade service and
amenities, with priority check-in and boarding and plush white leather chairs
with 55 inches of pitch and lumbar massagers. The Main Cabin offers
custom-designed leather seats with a deeper, more comfortable pitch. The
carrier recently announced a new cabin option, Main Cabin Select, that offers
38-inches of seat pitch in the exit row and in the bulkhead, complimentary food
and cocktails, an all-access pass to the Red In-flight Entertainment(tm)
system's countless on-demand entertainment options, and priority airport
check-in, security screening and boarding at available airports. Main Cabin
Select will launch later this year.
Virgin America currently flies to seven cities with
daily flights from: SFO to LAX, SFO to JFK, SFO to SAN, SFO to IAD, SFO to LAS,
SFO to SEA, LAX to JFK, LAX to IAD, LAX to SEA, and non-stop JFK to LAS.