Virgin Trains Top Service Surveys for 3rd Year Straight

For the past few years, Virgin has been providing the people of England with outstanding service on their railways. Now, through the independent research studies conducted by the railway review company Passenger Focus, their clientele are returning the favor.

Virgin Trains were voted best in class for the 6^th consecutive time in the bi-annual Passenger Focus survey, proving three years of industry domination. Virgin’s survey results yield extremely high score averages and Passenger Focus has reported an average of 91% of passengers marking “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with Virgin’s service since the beginning of the survey in 1999.

Virgin Trains have been on the up and up over the past 6 years, having doubled their number of passengers, now serving 30 million people per year. Tony Collins, CEO of Virgin Trains, applauds Virgin employees and explains that the business model is simple – “fast and frequent trains and excellent customer service”.  Collins also stressed the importance of this summer’s Olympic Games in London, which sets a stage for Virgin to showcase their world class transportation services to millions of travelers from all over the world.

Collins believes Virgin is ready for the challenge.

In addition to good customer service, the Passenger Focus survey also ranked Virgin the highest scoring railway service in personal security, spaciousness, ease of entry and exit, speed of journey, and connections with other trains.

Michael Patton has had the pleasure of experiencing Virgin Train’s service first-hand.  The POTHOS CEO agrees with Passenger Focus’ assessment of Virgin’s superb customer service and cites cutting edge technology and the progressive business plan of the company that allow for such a cool and modern travel experience. 

Airline Rankings: Best and Worst for Flight Delays

With the overall percentage of flights arriving on time at a dismal 78.6 percent, choosing an airline with reliable service is becoming even more essential for travelers. Here are the best and worst airlines for arriving on schedule.

5 WORST:

1. Jet Blue, 72%
2. Comair, 74.6%
3. Atlantic Southeast, 75.2%
4. American Eagle, 75.5%
5. ExpressJet, 76%

5 BEST:

1. Hawaiian, 92.7% (the leader for the past three years)
2. Alaska, 86.9%
3. United, 83.8%
4. AirTran, 83.5%
5. Mesa. 83.4%

For a more detailed description of the study, see this: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-and-worst-airlines-for-delays/1

Best Fried Chicken in America!

From Yahoo and Food & Wine:

Two Sisters Kitchen; Jackson, MS
Pies-N-Thighs; Brooklyn, NY
Momofuku Noodle Bar; New York, NY
Harold's Chicken Shack; Chicago, IL
Central Michel Richard; Washington, DC
Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles; Los Angeles, CA
Prince's Hot Chicken Shack; Nashville, TN
Mama Dip's Kitchen; Chapel Hill, NC
Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill; Las Vegas, NV
Pine State Biscuits; Portland, OR

I am going to have to add a personal favorite to the list- The Hitching Post in Washington, DC (and, no, not the same Hitching Post from Sideways).

Original post with pictures and descriptions: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-40863020;_ylt=AtuISMuh3YyRt5jeHKL0_VKhpYMA

Best Bathrooms in the USA!

From Yahoo/ U.S. News and World Report, By Emily H. Bratcher

#1 The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois

#2 Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, Arlington, Virgina

#3 Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale, Arizona

#4 Don's Johns Luxury Presidential Restroom Trailer, Anywhere, USA

#5 Snowbasin Resort, Huntsville, Utah

5 Runner-Ups:

The Joule Poule at The Joule, Dallas, Texas

Habana Outpost, Brooklyn, New York

Castello di Amorosa Winery, Calistoga, California

Main Street Station Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

Ninja New York, New York City

To see pictures and read descriptions of the features of these bathrooms in case you haven't happened to have visited all 10 of them, see: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-40857604