Singapore Airlines rises into first position for customer satisfaction

The latest Roy Morgan customer satisfaction data reveals Singapore Airlines as the winner of the International Airline of the Month Award for November 2019, with a customer satisfaction rating of 87%. 

It was followed by Emirates (85%), Qatar Airways (85%), Air New Zealand (84%), Qantas (80%), Cathay Pacific (79%), Etihad Airways (78%), Virgin Australia (77%), Thai Airways (74%) and Air Canada (71%).  

The new ratings are drawn from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with over 1,000 Australians each week in their homes.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says the top three performers in the latest ratings have been the clear customer satisfaction standouts throughout the year. 

“We’re getting close to the announcement of International Airline of the Year, a look back at the 2019 results as a whole. Singapore Airlines and Emirates have challenged each other month by month for top position throughout the past year, while Qatar Airways has finished in third place an astonishing eleven times. These three airlines have had the satisfaction ratings lead on lockdown. Other international carriers, particularly the strongly performing Air New Zealand, will need to lift their ratings to compete for monthly award wins in 2020.”

Two of the airlines on the list also feature in other recent Roy Morgan consumer research.

“Roy Morgan recently conducted an in-depth study into brands with the highest proportion of high-spending, premium consumers,” says Ms. Levine. “Two airlines featured in the top 10: Qantas at number four and Emirates at number nine. These premium consumers know what they want and reward brands that deliver. In terms of customer satisfaction, both airlines, but particularly Emirates, have been consistent top performers for many years, with Emirates winning the International Airline of the Year Award in 2016,” Ms. Levine says. 

Leading international airline customer satisfaction ratings

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, December 2018 – November 2019, n= 3,360.
Base: Australians aged 14+ who have used an international airline in the past twelve months.

Roy Morgan’s new Helix Personas provides in-depth information about Singapore Airlines customers

Helix Personas use deep psychographic insights, far beyond simple demographics, to segment consumers into targetable groups. The tool incorporates values, beliefs and attitudes, which are the best predictors of consumer behaviour.

Singapore Airlines customers tend to belong to the Leading Lifestyles Helix Community. People in this group are focused on success, career and family, and are proud of their prosperity and achievements. They are big spenders and enjoy cultured living to the max.

If we look closer within the Leading Lifestyles Community, we see Singapore Airlines customers are likely to be Bluechip, Domestic Bliss and Humanitarians Helix Personas. They are typically educated and classed as big spenders. They are more likely than the average Australian to be concerned about cholesterol level and sugar intake, to always consider the calories they consume, and to be feeling well and in good health.  

They are also more likely than the average Australian to try to buy organic food whenever possible, to eat only vegetarian food, and to drink wine with meals. 

For in-depth information about customers of each particular airline brand, visit the Roy Morgan travel and leisure profiles page.

In addition to customer satisfaction, Roy Morgan tracks many variables including engagement, loyalty, advocacy and NPS across a wide range of industries and brands. This data can be analysed by month, by brand and by competitive set.