A survey of New Zealand travellers finds a strong preference for the national airline but this would drop markedly if it was no longer Kiwi owned.
A Wotif survey of airline loyalty among more than 3300 travellers found 73 per cent were most loyal to Air New Zealand but nearly half - 46 per cent - would change their allegiance if the airline was no longer New Zealand-owned.
A similar survey of nearly 15,000 Australian travellers showed 47 per cent were loyal to Qantas, which has suffered heavy losses, is cutting 5000 jobs as part of a $2.1 billion cost cutting plan and pushing for ownership changes. Of those, 56 per cent would change their loyalty if the airline was no longer Australian owned.
The New Zealand survey found respondents like knowing the airline they're booking on - with less than 30 per cent willing to travel on an airline they've never heard of.
Travellers are unlikely to consider an unknown airline based on safety, reputation, reliability and service. 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.
