Emirates leads international airline satisfaction, with Qantas just outside top five
New Roy Morgan customer satisfaction data shows Emirates is the winner of the International Airline of the Month Award for August 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 86 per cent.
Locally based airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia placed sixth and seventh, respectively. Emirates was closely followed by Singapore Airlines (85 per cent) and Qatar Airways and Air New Zealand (both 84 per cent).
The rest of the top 10 were more spread out, with Etihad Airways (81 per cent) just pipping Qantas (80 per cent), and Virgin Australia (76 per cent), Thai Airways (75 per cent), Cathay Pacific (74 per cent) and Malaysia Airlines (69 per cent) filling out the rest of the field. These new ratings have been drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from indepth face-to-face interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year in their homes.
Roy Morgan chief executive officer Michele Levine says the frequency with which Australians head overseas makes them very discerning in weighing one airline against another:
“Australians have a well-earned reputation as keen travellers, with communities of expats all over the world, so customer satisfaction ratings from Australians are a valuable indicator on the overall performance of an airline.”
Mr Levine points out that airlines face particular challenges when it comes to satisfying customers, because “many of the negative experiences that customers endure, such as delayed flights, are outside of their control.
“So, Emirates’ satisfaction rating of 86 per cent is an impressive result when compared to other industries with far more straightforward products and services.” Emirates’ August win is its fourth monthly award for 2019, putting it on an equal footing with Singapore Airlines in contending for the 2019 Roy Morgan International Airline of the Year Award.
Mr Levine says, “The last time an Australian airline reached the top five was back in December 2018, when Qantas shared fifth position with Air New Zealand.
This time last year Qantas and Virgin Australia were equal, on 79 per cent. Now Qantas has pulled ahead, with a four per cent lead.”
Asian-based airlines
Two Asian-based airlines experienced significant satisfaction rating changes over the past year, with Malaysia Airlines enjoying the biggest increase of any airline (+7 per cent), pushing it into the top ten, and Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific suffering the largest decline over the same period (-9 per cent), slipping from third place to ninth.
Emirates customers: Educated, opinionated culture-lovers
We know that the typical Emirates customer is female (although the gender split is almost even), aged between 50-64, well educated and more likely than the average Australian to earn a salary of $100,000 or more.
They tend to be professionals, managers and white-collar workers.
Over a third of them are in the AB Quintile when it comes to socio-economic status.
They likely fit the Socially Aware Roy Morgan Value Segment. People in this segment often have a strong sense of social responsibility, a propensity for convincing others of their opinions, and often become involved in pressure groups associated with their favoured causes. Common occupations are public servants, politicians and researchers.
Emirates customers are far more likely than the average Australian to attend a ballet or opera performance or go to a jazz, classical or blues concert. Over a third recently held a dinner party.
For more know in-depth information about customers of particular airline brands, visit the Roy Morgan travel and leisure profiles page. Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards
The Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards highlight the winners but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Roy Morgan tracks customer satisfaction, engagement, loyalty, advocacy and NPS® across a wide range of industries and brands.
This data can be analysed by month for your brand and importantly your competitive set.