Which Airline is the Fairest in the Land? JetBlue or Virgin America?

It’s almost like a fairytale. I give you an exerpt from my storybook collection:

“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, fair maiden name JetBlue. She was admired for her  revolutionary on-board entertainment and her perky employees who lived the JetBlue brand 24/7. Her beauty was powerful as she moved into the golden markets of the older, more established airlines , romancing their most loyal passengers from their arms…leaving nothing more than memories of market share and dominance as the broken hearted legacies attempted to protect themselves and their fortress hubs. There was just no way possible for them to match the youth and cleverness of this lovely blue creature. But while JetBlue basked in the glory of her many conquests, another even more beautiful princess was born into the airline kingdom. Her name was Virgin America. With a snow white fuselage and a ruby red tale she was a sight to behold. Her mood lighting and sensuous offerings became the talk of the kingdom that was once ruled by JetBlue. Although the skies remained mostly blue, things were changing. Blue was not the magical color it once was especially in the presence of a striking, imposing burst of red.”

Now, back to reality. Both JetBlue and Virgin America are flying a new route between Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco. What used to be a battle between the low cost carriers and the legacy airlines is turning into a situation in which they are fighting among themselves. Virgin America is a much smaller airline with a fleet of under 30 jets compared with over 150 for JetBlue, but Virgin America is definitely raising the bar for superior service being offered by many of these low cost carriers.

Who will win in the end depends on many things. In the meantime, take a look at the chart below to get an idea of what both of these airline have to offer. I will keep my favorite to myself for now. The color blue may be reflecting in my eyes, but don’t be surprised to see some bright  ruby red lipstick on my cheek.

Who do you want to fly?
Reservations and Information	JetBlue Website	Virgin America Website
San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale	Dep. 11:30PM Arr. 7:40AM	Dep. 11:10AM Arr. 7:40PM Dep. 11:40PM Arr. 8:00AM
Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco	Dep. 7:15PM Arr. 10:24PM	Dep. 10:30AM Arr. 2:00PM Dep. 8:30PM Arr. 11:59PM
Seating Choices	Normal coach seating with the option to upgrade to "Even More Legroom"	Main Cabin, Main Cabin Select (+legroom), First Class
Entertainment	36 channels of DirectTV and 100 XM Radio stations, plus premium programs for a fee	Red: Dish Network TV, 3000 MP3s, 25 on-demand movies, power outlets
In-flight Service	Complimentary snacks and drinks, $6 cocktails. Terra Chips, Nuts, Animal Crackers, and Dunkin Donuts Coffee. See Menu	Order fresh food directly from seat at anytime, self serve mini-bar
Extra Frills	On overnight flights, customers are treated to a "Snooze Kit" that includes eye-shades and ear plugs and hot towels prior to landing	WiFi, Mood Lighting, Chat with other passengers on your "Red" touchscreen
Aircraft Type	Airbus A320	Airbus A320
Worth mentioning	First bag is checked free (subject to size and weight requirements) Check out our chart	Best Domestic Airline Two Consecutive Years in Conde Naste Traveler and Travel + Leisure