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Virgin America Wins Best Domestic Airline in Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards

Posted on: Thursday, 16 October 2008, 09:00 CDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the California-based airline on a mission to make flying good again, today took the top honors as "Best Domestic Airline" among domestic carriers in the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler's 2008 Readers' Choice Awards. In its first year flying, the California-based carrier broke a six-year "Best Domestic Airline" winning streak by another domestic carrier.

"Virgin America was launched just last year with the goal of creating a different kind of airline - one built around providing an upscale, innovative, attractively-priced experience for guests," said Virgin America President and Chief Executive Officer David Cush. "We couldn't be more humbled and honored to win the Readers' Choice Awards and to receive this feedback from discriminating travelers. With a relatively small network, this award is a testament to just how much the public has embraced our airline since launch."

The Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards is the largest independent poll of consumer preferences - second in size only to the United States Census. With nearly 32,633 travelers voting this year, the award is a compelling representation of the public's top airline choices.

"These awards celebrate the destinations, lodgings, and modes of transportation that manage to exceed our expectations," said Conde Nast Traveler Editor in Chief Klara Glowczewska. "The Readers' Choice Awards are a credit to the worldly expertise of Conde Nast Traveler readers - passionate travelers for whom no island is too remote, no city too challenging, and no hotel too untested."

Launched in August 2007, Virgin America is the best financed new airline in U.S. history. In just over one year flying, the airline has captured most of the major travel industry best-in-class awards, including:

-- Best First/Business Class in the U.S. in Zagat's Global Airlines 2007 Survey; -- "Best Domestic Airline" in the July 2007 Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards; -- A "Best Travel Value" in Arthur Frommer's 2007 Extra Mile Awards; -- Best U.S. Business/First Class in the September 2008 Conde Nast Traveler 2008 Business Travel Poll.

The San Francisco-based carrier offers guests amenities unrivalled in the domestic skies and boasts the youngest fleet in the U.S., with 24 new Airbus A320-family aircraft. The aircraft feature power outlets near every seat and the most advanced in-flight entertainment in the U.S. Red(TM) allows guests to control their own experience, with a food ordering system, 30 films, seat-to-seat chat, the ability to create a play-list from 3,000 MP3s, videogames, and live TV - all accessed via seatback touch-screen or remote control.

Virgin America's First Class cabin offers international-grade amenities, with priority check-in and boarding and plush white leather seats 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, which offers 38-inches of seat pitch, complimentary food and cocktails, an all-access pass to Red's(TM) countless entertainment options, and more.

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.

EDITORS NOTE: Virgin America is a U.S. controlled and operated airline - an entirely separate company from Virgin Atlantic. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is a minority share investor in Virgin America.

About Virgin America: Launched in August 2007, Virgin America is a California-based airline that offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. Virgin America's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport's ultra-modern and convenient International Terminal. The airline's new Airbus A320-family aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets for laptops and other electronic gear. In September 2008, Virgin America took the top honors for "Best Business Class" among domestic carriers in Conde Nast Traveler's 2008 Business Travel Poll. In July 2008, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards and in Zagat's 2007 Global Airlines Survey, the airline was ranked #1 among U.S. carriers for quality in First/Business Class and #2 in Main Cabin. To learn more: http://www.virginamerica.com/

*About Conde Nast Traveler:

Truth in Travel: Many travel publications accept free travel and accommodations. Conde Nast Traveler does not, and its correspondents, as far as possible, travel anonymously. They experience travel the way consumers do, both the good and the bad, and report on it fairly and honestly. In 2008, Conde Nast Traveler was named one of the top 10 magazines in the U.S. by both Adweek and Advertising Age. Conde Nast Traveler has an audience of 3.1 million and is published by Conde Nast Publications, Inc. Online at cntraveler.com.

Virgin America

CONTACT: Abby Lunardini of Virgin America, +1-650-533-7576,abby.lunardini@virginamerica.com

Web Site: http://www.cntraveler.com/http://www.virginamerica.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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