Virgin America receives top marks in airline quality ranking

Virgin America has garnered the top spot among the nation’s largest carriers in the 2016 Airline Quality Ranking, a joint study in its 26th year conducted by Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professors.

The study focused on four areas: on-time arrivals, denied boardings, mishandled baggage and customer complaints. In all, 13 airlines were ranked using data from the federal Transportation Department.

It was the fourth year in a row Virgin America achieved the No. 1 spot in the annual rankings. The news comes as Seattle-based Alaska Airlines announced it is acquiring San Francisco-based Virgin America for $4 billion, including Virgin’s debt and capitalized aircraft operating leases.

Read more from The Wichita Eagle.