Report: Virgin America and JetBlue Are the Best Airlines in the U.S.

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A Virgin America plane flies over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

By Jessica Plautz2014-04-07 16:49:26 UTC

Virgin America once again ranks first in airline quality in the United States, according to a national study. The airline also placed at No. 1 in the last Airline Quality Rating report.

The Airline Quality Rating, a joint study from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan., and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., found that overall airline performance in 2013 was the highest since the annual ranking began in 1991.

See also: Virgin America Just Launched the Sassiest Safety Video You've Ever Seen

JetBlue came in second this year, followed by Hawaiian Airlines and Delta. Delta's strong performance is a surprise, as the large carrier has been able to maintain a high ranking against smaller carriers.

"Bigger hasn't always been better, but in Delta's case we are seeing a large airline perform at levels usually only seen by smaller low-fare carriers," said Dean Hadley, the report's co-author and associate professor of marketing at Wichita State University.

Here is the 2013 ranking of the United States' leading 15 airlines:

1. 
   

   Virgin America

   
   


2. 
   

   JetBlue

   
   


3. 
   

   Hawaiian

   
   


4. 
   

   Delta

   
   


5. 
   

   Alaska

   
   


6. 
   

   Endeavor

   
   


7. 
   

   US Airways

   
   


8. 
   

   Southwest

   
   


9. 
   

   American

   
   


10. 
    

    AirTran

    
    


11. 
    

    Frontier

    
    


12. 
    

    United

    
    


13. 
    

    ExpressJet

    
    


14. 
    

    SkyWest

    
    


15. 
    

    American Eagle

    
    

Airline rankings are determined by a combination of performance metrics, including on-time performance, denied boardings, baggage handling and consumer complaints.

For 2013, Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance, Virgin America ranked highest in baggage handling and Southwest had the lowest consumer complaint rate.

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Topics: Airlines, Lifestyle, travel, Travel & Leisure, U.S., virgin america