Best Value Domestic Airline

We asked SmarterTravel.com readers to vote for their favorite and least favorite airlines and airports in our first-ever Readers' Choice Awards and more than 7,000 of you answered. The results are in and we've counted your votes to determine the winners and losers—including some surprises. Legacy carriers American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Airways; and low-cost carriers Southwest, JetBlue, and AirTran all vied for your votes in 16 categories while smaller carriers such as Virgin America and Spirit were rolled in an "Other" category.

Best Value Domestic Airline

Winner: Southwest
Second Place: JetBlue
Honorable Mention: Continental

To determine the overall best value domestic airline, we combined the results of reader voting in 10 categories for domestic carriers including best customer service, prices, in-seat comfort, onboard entertainment, routes and availability, on-time service, baggage service, standard economy class, and frequent flyer program, plus the results of award voting for cleanest airline cabin.

The results speak for themselves: SmarterTravel.com readers think the world of Southwest. Besides capturing our top prize, Southwest took the top spot in eight other categories, making it the Michael Phelps of the awards. This year, the "Love Airline" has become something of a folk hero to airline passengers for having resisted adding fees and trimming services while its counterparts announced one new fee after the next and took hatchets to their capacity and staffs.

Low-cost carrier JetBlue came in second. The airline hasn't added as many fees or cut as much service as other airlines this year, and it still retains the assets that have made it a favorite in other airline rankings: free DirecTV in every seat, free snacks and beverages, and above-average legroom in economy.

Continental came out on top of all the legacy airlines, reflecting its performance in other industry contests this year, including the OAG Airline Industry Awards and the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Voting Breakdown:

Southwest..........28.20%
JetBlue..............13.35%
Continental.........11.94%
United.................9.75%
Delta...................9.13%
American.............8.90%
Northwest............7.28%
AirTran................5.77%
US Airways.........4.32%
Other..................19.22%
Total...................100.00%

See All Category Winners

Best Value Domestic Airline | Best Customer Service | Best Airfare Prices | Best In-Seat Comfort | Best Onboard Entertainment | Best Routes and Availability | Most Reliable On-Time Service | Best Baggage Service | Best Standard Economy Class | Best Value Frequent Flyer Program | Least Favorite Domestic Airline | Cleanest Airline Cabin | Dirtiest Airline Cabin | Best Value International Airline | Favorite U.S. Airport | Least favorite U.S. Airport