Virgin America Named Number One In 2014 Airline Quality Rating Report
Airline Achieves Highest Score in Academic Review of Airline Performance Data for Third Straight Year
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, Virgin America has been recognized as the number one carrier in the Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report, an annual study of U.S. domestic airline performance conducted by professors at Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Based on publicly reported data all carriers must submit to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the AQR provides a comparative ranking based on key airline metrics important to air travelers today including: on-time performance, customer complaints, denied boarding and mishandled bags. When compared to 13 other major U.S. carriers in these categories, Virgin America achieved the highest score in 2014 at -0.30. The California-based airline has led the industry every year since it became eligible for the AQR, which only ranks airlines that make up at least 1 percent of domestic scheduled-service revenue.
"To be recognized for the third consecutive year as the leading carrier in the Airline Quality Report is an honor and a testament to our guest-focused Teammates, both on the front-line and behind-the-scenes," said Virgin America's Chief Operating Officer, Steve Forte. "The rating, which is based purely on quantitative data, speaks to our commitment to operational excellence because our Teammates know that factors such as on-time performance and baggage are just as important to the overall guest experience as an award-winning product and service."
Lauded for its unique amenities and top-notch guest service, Virgin America has also been a stand-out in the industry for its operational performance. Most recently, Virgin America was named the fastest airline in America based on analysis of on-time performance conducted by noted statistician, Nate Silver. Using 12 month data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Silver compared the average flight times of U.S. airlines on a route-to-route basis, which showed that in 2014, Virgin America was faster than the competition on 87% of shared routes. The report can be found on Silver's blog FiveThirtyEight.
Virgin America offers guests sleek, tech-forward aircraft cabins with custom-designed seating, fleetwide in-flight WiFi, signature moodlighting, power outlets near every seat and the Red™ in-flight entertainment system. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America's First Class cabin offers plush white leather 'cradle sleeper' seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier's Main Cabin Select service offers 38 inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding. The Red™ in-flight entertainment platform offers guests their own seatback touch-screen TV, with more than 20 films, live TV, interactive Google Maps, videogames, a 3,000 song library and an on-demand menu, which allows flyers to order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight.
Since its 2007 launch, Virgin America has created more than 2,800 new jobs and expanded its network to include Austin, Boston, Cancun, Chicago, Dallas Love Field, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Newark, New York (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Orlando, Palm Springs (seasonal), Portland, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA), Honolulu (as of November 2, 2015) and Kahului, Maui (as of December 3, 2015).
Photos of Virgin America's unique aircraft can be seen here.
Broadcast quality video b-roll of Virgin America's unique cabins and destination footage can also be downloaded here.
About Virgin America: Known for its mood-lit cabins, three beautifully designed classes of service and innovative fleetwide amenities — like touch-screen personal entertainment, WiFi and power outlets at every seat, Virgin America has built a loyal following of flyers and earned a host of awards since launching in 2007 — including being named both the "Best U.S. Airline" in Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards for the past seven consecutive years. For more: www.virginamerica.com
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SOURCE Virgin America
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