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Virgin Blue

Virgin Blue has been voted Australia’s best overall airline in a poll of more than 4,000 recent flyers by leading consumer group Choice.The survey of 4307 airline passengers who had flown domestically in the last three years found the budget carrier had an overall satisfaction rating of 68 per cent.Virgin Blue relegated previous 2007 winner Regional Express to second-place, followed by Qantas, Jetstar and Tiger Airways.A series of mechanical mishaps appear to have reduced confidence in the flying kangaroo, with 17 per cent of respondents choosing Qantas domestically because of its safety record, down five per cent on its 2007 score.

But despite this, more respondents nominated safety as a reason to fly with the beleaguered airline than with any other.

Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said that while value for money was the clincher for most travellers, the popularity of Qantas’ frequent flyer program has ensured it continues to dominate local skies.

“However, ask people what airline they would definitely recommend to others and the score is 39 per cent from those who’ve flown Qantas but 57 per cent from Virgin Blue passengers,” Mr Zinn said in a statement.