Alaskan Airlines

What makes an airline great: Conde Nast Traveler readers weigh in

TORONTO — The best service, the most reliable on-time performance and onboard treats like mai tais and guava cookies: Conde Nast Traveler’s annual round-up of the top U.S. carriers offers insight into what passengers value most in an airline.

Conde Nast Traveler readers weighed in on their favourite airlines as part of the magazine’s 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards.

Voters praised Alaska Airlines’ friendly service and checked bag guarantee (on the conveyor belt just 20 minutes after the plane arrives at the gate). They also gave high marks to Southwest’s inflight WiFi, Hawaiian Airlines’ reliability, JetBlue’s unlimited free snacks and extra legroom.

Here are the top-voted airlines, in order:

5. Alaskan Airlines

Alaskan Airlines

Photo courtesy of Alaskan Airlines.

4. Southwest

Southwest

3. Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines

2. JetBlue

JetBlue

1. Virgin America

Virgin America

Complete details can be found at cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-11-10/america-s-best-airlines-readers-choice-survey-2014/1.

Meanwhile Porter Airlines was voted one of the Best International Airlines in the annual poll. It secured ninth place among 20 global airlines and was the only carrier in the Americas to make the list.

“Porter is the smallest airline to be recognized and it is a remarkable achievement to be listed alongside global brands flying long-haul routes. We are proud to represent Canada on this list,” said President and CEO Robert Deluce.

Deluce noted that the 2015 Readers Choice Awards drew ratings and comments from more than 128,000 travellers, the most in the survey’s history.

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