--- title: "Qatar Airways vs Southwest Airlines: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Qatar Airways or Southwest Airlines more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Airline brands set worldwide. 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/global-en/compare/qatar-airways-vs-southwest-airlines" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Qatar Airways vs Southwest Airlines: Which is searched more? Is Qatar Airways or Southwest Airlines more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Airline brands set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: Qatar Airways and Southwest Airlines - **Competitive set**: Airline brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Qatar Airways Share of Search**: 10.5% - **Southwest Airlines Share of Search**: 12.9% ## Is Qatar Airways or Southwest Airlines more popular in search? - In September 2026, Southwest Airlines had more branded searches than Qatar Airways among airline brands worldwide. Southwest Airlines had about 4.1 million branded searches, while Qatar Airways had 3.4 million. Southwest Airlines made up 12.9% of all airline brand searches we track, and Qatar Airways accounted for 10.5%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Qatar Airways took it in March 2026, Southwest Airlines took it in May 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Qatar Airways’ share of searches among airline brands worldwide moved from 12% to 10.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.1M to 3.4M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Southwest Airlines’ share of searches among airline brands worldwide moved from 14.6% to 12.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5M to 4.1M. ## Top airline brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Qatar Airways and Southwest Airlines were each mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Qatar Airways and Southwest Airlines were each listed first in two of the four answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Delta Air Lines | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Qatar Airways | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Singapore Airlines | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Southwest Airlines | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | United Airlines | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Emirates | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Cathay Pacific | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | British Airways | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Qantas | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Air New Zealand | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about airline brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which airline brand should I book?": 1. Delta Air Lines, 2. Southwest Airlines, 3. United Airlines - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best airline brands?": 1. Qatar Airways, 2. Singapore Airlines, 3. Emirates, 4. Cathay Pacific, 5. Delta Air Lines, 6. United Airlines, 7. Southwest Airlines - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best airline brand for long haul travel?": 1. Singapore Airlines, 2. Qatar Airways, 3. Cathay Pacific, 4. Emirates - Searched Google, AI Overview "cheap flights": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "best airline": 1. Delta Air Lines, 2. United Airlines, 3. Southwest Airlines, 4. Qatar Airways, 5. Singapore Airlines, 6. Emirates Not named in any answer: British Airways, Qantas and Air New Zealand. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for airline brands worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, British Airways overtook Southwest Airlines to rank 2nd among airline brands worldwide, with 15.7% of the searches. - In September 2026, Southwest Airlines lost share of searches among airline brands worldwide, from 15.2% to 12.9%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Qatar Airways worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 4.1M to 3.4M in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Qatar Airways estimated searches | Qatar Airways Share of Search | Qatar Airways rank | Southwest Airlines estimated searches | Southwest Airlines Share of Search | Southwest Airlines rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 4.1M | 12% | 5 | 5M | 14.6% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 4.1M | 12.7% | 3 | 4.1M | 12.7% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 4.1M | 13.4% | 3 | 4.1M | 13.4% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 5M | 13.4% | 4 | 5M | 13.4% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 4.1M | 12.1% | 5 | 5M | 14.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 7.5M | 16.2% | 2 | 5M | 10.8% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 4.1M | 12.6% | 4 | 4.1M | 12.6% | 5 | | May 2026 | 3.4M | 10.3% | 6 | 5M | 15.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 4.1M | 12.6% | 5 | 5M | 15.4% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 4.1M | 12.3% | 6 | 5M | 15% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 3.4M | 10.2% | 6 | 5M | 15.2% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 3.4M | 10.5% | 6 | 4.1M | 12.9% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Qatar Airways’ and Southwest Airlines’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Qatar Airways**: Measured on the search term “qatar airways”. - **Southwest Airlines**: Measured on the search term “southwest airlines”. - [Qatar Airways profile](/demand/global-en/brands/qatar-airways) - [Southwest Airlines profile](/demand/global-en/brands/southwest-airlines) - [All airline brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/airline-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Qatar Airways or Southwest Airlines more popular in search? In September 2026, Southwest Airlines had more branded searches than Qatar Airways among airline brands worldwide. Southwest Airlines had about 4.1 million branded searches, while Qatar Airways had 3.4 million. Southwest Airlines made up 12.9% of all airline brand searches we track, and Qatar Airways accounted for 10.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Qatar Airways vs Southwest Airlines: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/qatar-airways-vs-southwest-airlines This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/qatar-airways-vs-southwest-airlines. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.