--- title: "Virgin Australia: search popularity in Australia" description: "An Australian airline flying domestic Australian and trans-Tasman routes. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/au/brands/virgin-australia" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Virgin Australia: search popularity in Australia An Australian airline flying domestic Australian and trans-Tasman routes. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: Virgin Australia - **Market**: Australia - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among airlines**: 22.9% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Airlines | 3 | 22.9% | 673K | - [Airlines](/demand/au/categories/au-airlines) ## Top airlines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Virgin Australia was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Virgin Australia is the most recommended of the four. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Virgin Australia | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Qantas | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Jetstar | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Rex | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about airlines - Asked ChatGPT "Which airline should I fly with in Australia?": 1. Qantas, 2. Virgin Australia, 3. Jetstar - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best airlines in Australia?": 1. Qantas, 2. Virgin Australia, 3. Jetstar - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best value airline for domestic flights in Australia?": 1. Virgin Australia, 2. Jetstar, 3. Qantas - Searched Google, AI Overview "flights": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "cheap flights": 1. Jetstar, 2. Virgin Australia Not named in any answer: Rex. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in Australia on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Virgin Australia changed in Australia over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Virgin Australia in Australia fell from 823K to 673K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virgin Australia’s share of searches among airlines in Australia peaked at 26.6% in June 2026 and was lowest at 22.8% in October 2025. ## How did search popularity change for Australia airlines in September 2026? - Virgin Australia’s share of searches among airlines in Australia has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 26.6% to 22.9% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Rex in Australia fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 49.5K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Jetstar in Australia fell 18.7% over 12 measured months, from 1.5M to 1.2M in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Qantas in Australia fell 18% over 12 measured months, from 1.2M to 1M in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Airlines | 823K | 22.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Airlines | 823K | 22.8% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Airlines | 673K | 22.9% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 22.8% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 24.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 22.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Airlines | 673K | 22.9% | 3 | | May 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 24.3% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 26.6% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 24.8% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Airlines | 823K | 22.9% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Airlines | 673K | 22.9% | 3 | ## How are Virgin Australia’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Virgin Australia’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “virgin australia” ## Which airlines compete with Virgin Australia? - [Jetstar](/demand/au/brands/jetstar): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/jetstar-vs-virgin-australia - [Qantas](/demand/au/brands/qantas): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/qantas-vs-virgin-australia - [Rex](/demand/au/brands/rex-airlines): Head-to-head: /demand/au/compare/rex-airlines-vs-virgin-australia ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Virgin Australia: search popularity in Australia". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/au/brands/virgin-australia This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/au/brands/virgin-australia. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.