Barrier Air vs Virgin Australia:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Virgin Australia had more branded searches than Barrier Air among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand. Virgin Australia was estimated to have 9.3K branded searches compared to Barrier Air’s 6K, and held a 0.54% Share of Search versus Barrier Air’s 0.35%.
Follow Barrier Air vs Virgin Australia and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Which is more popular in search, Barrier Air or Virgin Australia?
Compare airlines selling domestic, regional, trans-Tasman, and international flights to New Zealand travellers, using branded searches made in New Zealand. 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.
Share of Search by month for Virgin Australia, Barrier Air. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Air New Zealand | Jetstar | Qantas | Singapore Airlines | Fiji Airways | Emirates | Cathay Pacific | Sounds Air | Air Chathams | Virgin Australia | Barrier Air | Originair | LATAM Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 54.6% | 20.4% | 7.9% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 0.87% | 1% | 0.85% | 0.43% | 0.63% | 0.29% |
| Nov 2025 | 51.7% | 21.6% | 8.8% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 4% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.57% | 0.53% | 0.27% |
| Dec 2025 | 48.5% | 23.7% | 9.6% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 1.7% | 1% | 1% | 0.66% | 0.66% | 0.51% | 0.29% |
| Jan 2026 | 56.4% | 17.7% | 8.2% | 4.4% | 3.5% | 4% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 0.86% | 0.7% | 0.56% | 0.53% | 0.28% |
| Feb 2026 | 53.3% | 18.4% | 10.1% | 4.4% | 3.3% | 4% | 2% | 1% | 0.83% | 1.1% | 0.53% | 0.74% | 0.31% |
| Mar 2026 | 53.5% | 18.4% | 7.6% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 5.8% | 2.1% | 0.85% | 0.74% | 0.74% | 0.45% | 0.51% | 0.59% |
| Apr 2026 | 55% | 17.7% | 9.5% | 4.7% | 4.5% | 2.9% | 1.8% | 0.78% | 0.94% | 1% | 0.5% | 0.45% | 0.3% |
| May 2026 | 55.8% | 18% | 8.5% | 5.3% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 0.71% | 0.67% | 0.6% | 0.37% | 0.39% | 0.33% |
| Jun 2026 | 56.9% | 17.8% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 4% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 0.81% | 0.65% | 0.69% | 0.42% | 0.39% | 0.28% |
| Jul 2026 | 58.7% | 15.6% | 8.1% | 5% | 4.1% | 3.2% | 2% | 0.85% | 0.66% | 0.71% | 0.41% | 0.39% | 0.32% |
| Aug 2026 | 55.6% | 17.6% | 9.6% | 5% | 4% | 3.1% | 2% | 0.84% | 0.74% | 0.54% | 0.35% | 0.33% | 0.3% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Barrier Air and Virgin Australia comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Virgin Australia was ahead of Barrier Air in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barrier Air’s estimated Share of Search among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand moved from 0.43% to 0.35%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 7.2K to 6K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Virgin Australia’s estimated Share of Search among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand moved from 0.85% to 0.54%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.2K to 9.3K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand airlines flying new zealand travellers in August 2026?
2 changes
In August 2026, Virgin Australia fell from 9th to 10th among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Barrier Air in New Zealand fell 16.7% over 11 measured months, from 7.2K to 6K in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barrier Air’s and Virgin Australia’s 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.
Barrier Air
2 branded search terms
- Barrier Air
- Barrier Air flights
Virgin Australia
4 branded search terms
- Virgin Australia
- Virgin Australia flights
- Virgin Australia New Zealand
- Virgin Australia NZ
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.