Virgin, JetBlue, Continental Top Zagat Survey

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

See recent posts by Carl Unger

Want to receive stories like this every day? Subscribe to our free Deal Alert newsletter!

Zagat is out with its annual airline rankings, and there are some familiar faces at the top.

Virgin America swept the midsize domestic carrier categories, taking top honors in both economy and premium classes for the third straight year. Virgin’s score of 24 (out of 30) for its premium class was the highest for any domestic airline, while its score of 21 for economy class was higher than the large carrier winner, JetBlue.

JetBlue’s win in that category was its third straight also, as was Continental’s win in the large carrier premium class category.

On the international side, Singapore Airlines swept both the premium and domestic categories. Overall, the scores for international carriers were much higher than those for domestic airlines.

Other domestic airlines performing well were: Southwest, second in the large carrier economy category; Hawaiian, second in both the midsize premium and economy categories; and Alaska, which put up high scores in the midsize categories.

Readers, what do you think about Zagat’s ratings?

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.