Although the world of airlines is incredibly competitive, smaller players like Virgin America (VA – Snapshot Report) continue to impress. Airlines like VA tend to offer a bit better service and overall experience, though they might not have the low costs or massive networks that their discount airline cousins possess.

Still, consumers have been embracing this type of airline lately and with expansion possibilities that are nearly unlimited, there is plenty of reason why investors should like this space too. So if you are considering a bet on this corner of the stock market, definitely take a closer inspection of the often overlooked Virgin America.

VA in Focus

Virgin America is a California-based airline with major hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The airline has taken its operations across the country and has expanded to two dozen destinations including a focus city at Dallas’ Love Field.

Now with national reach, Virgin America is an intriguing selection for investors seeking to go beyond the discount carriers and into a quickly growing airline. Analysts seem to agree with this sentiment too as many have been drastically raising their estimates for VA’s EPS over the past two months.

VA Earnings Estimates

Strong economic conditions and healthy growth for VA are making analysts take a second look at this stock. We have actually seen eight estimates go higher in the past two months for the current fiscal year compared to zero lower, while we have a 7:0 ratio for the next year time frame as well.

The magnitude of these earnings estimate revisions has also been impressive as the current year consensus estimate has gone from $4.19/share to $4.48/share over the past two months. A similar trend is evident in the next year time frame as well, with the consensus rising from $4.09/share to $.461/share.

And before you worry about VA’s ability to beat lofty estimates at earnings season, consider that it is riding a streak of two beats of at least 14%. Clearly, this is a stock that has earned its Zacks Rank #1 (strong buy) rating.