YouGov reveals UK’s favourite airlines
EasyJet has the most successful conversion rates of any airline operating from the UK, according to YouGov data.
It shows that 51% of people who are aware of easyJet would consider booking a flight with the low-cost airline and 43% of them say it is their top choice when choosing a flight.
While British Airways has the highest awareness of all the airlines and 47% of people who’ve heard of BA would consider flying with the airline, it has a poorer conversion rate (33%) than easyJet.
When asked which airlines represented good value for money, leisure holiday customers ranked easyJet in first place with a score of 39, followed by Jet2 with 23 points and flybe and Thomas Cook, both with 10 points. Virgin completed the top five with nine points.
Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Norwegian and Etihad were the airlines people were most likely to recommend to friends.
However, British Airways came top when people were asked which airlines they felt most positively about, followed by Virgin, Emirates, Qantas and Singapore.
BA also topped the list of airlines 18 to 34 years old would feel most proud to work for, followed by Virgin, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar.
But Jet2 was the airline with the most improved score and the holiday airline is making the greatest inroad in the north east and north west of England where it topped the list of positive things people had heard about airlines in the previous two weeks.
When asked which airline they would consider booking, it scored four points more than last year, while Norwegian, easyJet and Thomas Cook all scored an additional two points and Qatar scored one more.
The YouGov data also reveals that customers consider different factors when booking long-haul flights compared to short-haul ones, which might explain why Norwegian’s quality score in the short-haul market isn’t matched on its long-haul routes.
The data also suggests that while overall brand health is important for long-haul carriers, it is less so for short-haul airlines. While BA tops the list for overall brand health, easyJet is only in 12th position despite its high conversion rate.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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