Qantas is still the most preferred airline for most Australian travellers, according to a Wotif Group survey of its customers.
When asked to name their favourite airline, a whopping 40.9% of respondents chose Qantas, followed by Emirates (15.8 %) and Virgin (15.7%).
However, more than half of travellers surveyed did admit they’re not loyal to an Australian owned airline (compared to 73.1% in New Zealand).
From the 47.2% who said they were loyal to an Australian carrier, 56% of those admitted their loyalty would waver if the airline changed to foreign ownership.
Wotif Group executive general manager for flights and packages, Helen Demetriou, said: "Three quarters of travellers admit they wouldn’t book with an airline they’d never heard of – with safety and service their key concerns for not doing so, followed by reliability and the a lack of awareness of the brand’s reputation also playing a part.
"Unsurprisingly, price was the most important factor for travellers booking both domestic and international flights, with preferred airline being ranked least important for domestic travel but more important for international travel," Demetriou said.
