Best Travel Companies to Work For
Alexis Grant
Southwest Airlines and Virgin America top list of travel-related companies as rated by employees
If you'd like travel to be part of your work, consider trying to snag a job at domestic airlines
Those companies rank at the top of a new list of best travel-related employers compiled by career website Glassdoor. The ranking is based on evaluations by employees who work at those companies.
"For people who are considering working in the travel industry, this is a really valuable perspective, to hear what other people who work in the industry are saying," says Glassdoor CEO and co-founder
[See 9 Companies Hiring Now.]
The list includes various types of travel-related companies: airlines, hotels, car and truck rentals, online travel agencies, review websites, and cruise lines. Along with Southwest and Virgin America,
The 40 companies included in the ranking each received at least 10 reviews on Glassdoor between
Both Southwest and Virgin America offer a perk that many job seekers covet: free and discounted flights. Virgin America allows employees plus a designated flying buddy -- usually a spouse or friend -- to fly for free whenever a plane has empty seats, and offer discounted flights to friends and family. Southwest Air also offers free, standby travel to employees, as well as a spouse, dependants, and parents, plus a limited number of passes for friends.
"You get discounts on everything: hotels, car rental, any travel-related items," says
Southwest, which also ranked second on Glassdoor's list of best 50 companies to work for this year, is hiring, but not in large numbers. The 35,000-employee company, headquartered in
[See Top 50 Companies to Work For.]
Virgin America, a domestic airline that began flying in
People like to work for the company because they're passionate about the airline's goal of reinventing flying, Morehead says. "They really feel like they're part of making history in the airline industry, bringing great service back." Headquartered in
Working in the travel industry may have its perks, but it also has its downsides. Southwest employees complain on Glassdoor of politics within the company and low pay. Some perks, such as flexible schedules, they say, apply only to employees in certain departments. Virgin America employees complain about being away from home a lot, an overwhelming workload, and long hours.
[See How to Position Yourself to Change Careers.]
Here's Glassdoor's full list of top travel companies to work for, as well as each company's ranking on a scale of 0-5:
1.
1. Virgin America (airline): 4.2
2.
2.
3. Kimpton (hotel): 3.5
3.
3. Ritz-Carlton (hotel): 3.5
4.
4.
4. American Eagle (airline): 3.4
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