Roy Morgan Research
September 23, 2019

Qantas flies above the rest in both domestic travel and business airline satisfaction

Topic: Customer Satisfaction, Press Release, Special Poll
Finding No: 8137
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New airline satisfaction data from Roy Morgan shows Qantas is the winner of both the Domestic Airline and Domestic Business Airline of the Month Award for August 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 86% across both categories.

As of August 2019 in the Domestic Airline category, Qantas’s customer satisfaction rating of 86% was followed by QantasLink (84%), Virgin Australia (80%), Jetstar (58%), REX (56%) and Tigerair (42%). In the Domestic Business Airline category, Qantas again led with a rating of 86%, followed by Virgin Australia (79%) and Jetstar (56%).

These findings have been obtained from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 50,000 Australians each year in their homes.

Both Qantas and QantasLink were the only two airlines to have increased their domestic airline satisfaction ratings from twelve months ago. Compared with August 2018, Qantas increased its rating by 3% and QantasLink by an impressive 12%. The other airlines all declined in satisfaction ratings.

Qantas has long been the leading domestic business airline in Australia, winning an astonishing forty-one straight monthly satisfaction awards. A key to Qantas’ long-term success has been its ability to maintain consistently high satisfaction ratings. If we look back over the past eighteen months, Qantas’s lowest rating was still a very respectable 81%.

While the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards highlight the winners, 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. A detailed analysis of Australia’s leading airlines is available as part of the Roy Morgan Domestic Airline Customer Satisfaction Report.

Leading Domestic Airline and Domestic Business Airline Customer Satisfaction

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source, (Domestic) Mar. 2019-Aug. 2019, n = 2,636. (Domestic Business) Mar. 2019- Aug. 2019, n= 532. Base: (Domestic) Australians aged 14+ who have used domestic airline in past twelve months, (Domestic Business) Australians aged 14+ who have used domestic airline for business travel in past twelve months.

Who is the typical Qantas customer?

If we were to draw a picture of the typical Qantas domestic customer, she would likely be a woman aged between 50-64 years old, who lives in New South Wales or Victoria. She would be more likely than the average Australian to have a diploma or a degree, with an average income of $67,610.

The Roy Morgan Value Segment containing the highest number of Qantas customers is Visible Achievement, which is a group that despite being successful, retains traditional values about home, work and society. The family is very important to this Segment and they place great emphasis on providing their families with a high-quality environment.

Qantas customers also have particular attitudes towards shopping and retail. Over seventy percent have ‘preferred brands’ for things they buy, most of them believe that the quality of a product is more important than price, and nearly three-quarters try to buy Australian made products as often as possible.

When it comes to what’s on their plate, Qantas customers are more likely than average Australians to be vegetarians, to prefer eating healthy snacks, to try to buy organic food wherever possible, and to try new types of food.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, says:

Block Quote

“Qantas continues to assert itself as the leading airline both for personal and business travel within Australia. Its customer satisfaction rating of 86% across both categories has secured it the Roy Morgan Domestic Airline and Domestic Business Airline Awards for August 2019.

“Qantas’s winning-streak in the Domestic Business Airline category is remarkable, having been in the number one position for around three-and-a-half years. The last airline to topple Qantas for the top spot was Virgin Australia, way back in March 2016.

“It is interesting to point out that since around mid-2016, which was when Qantas began to consolidate its lead in customer satisfaction, its share price has more than doubled. Not only is Qantas receiving strong customer feedback, but the share market is also rewarding its efforts in the broader airline industry.

“There will be a close eye on Virgin Australia over the following twelve months off the back of recent financial loss announcements, and the subsequent shedding of hundreds of jobs. We will see throughout the remainder of 2019 whether Virgin Australia’s response to these events is reflected in its customer satisfaction ratings.”

Margin of Error

The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.

Sample Size Percentage Estimate
40% – 60% 25% or 75% 10% or 90% 5% or 95%
1,000 ±3.0 ±2.7 ±1.9 ±1.3
5,000 ±1.4 ±1.2 ±0.8 ±0.6
7,500 ±1.1 ±1.0 ±0.7 ±0.5
10,000 ±1.0 ±0.9 ±0.6 ±0.4
20,000 ±0.7 ±0.6 ±0.4 ±0.3
50,000 ±0.4 ±0.4 ±0.3 ±0.2

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