Virgin America rated best US carrier

Virgin America has been named the best US-based airline by a top North American consumer group.

Travel Insurance News - 23/05/2013

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Virgin America has been named the best US-based airline by a top North American consumer group.

According to a USA Today report published on Monday, the carrier was rated number one in the latest Consumer Reports annual airline rankings. Officials said that the firm received good marks across the board, especially in the baggage handling category.

Coming in a second and third place respectively were ‘non-legacy’ carriers Southwest and Jetblue, both of which also received high marks in the baggage category. Southwest gathered particularly high praise for retaining its policy as the only airline to allow two checked bags free of charge.

At the bottom of the list was budget firm Spirit Airlines; the ranking comes despite Spirit offering some of the lowest fare prices on US domestic and international flights. Customers frequently complained about a lack of space and cramped seating, in addition to substantial add-on fees for a number of services including hand baggage as well as booking charges, according to the report.

Spirit’s chief executive Ben Baldanza has since responded by saying that his airline focuses on what its customers care about most, which is price.

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