Brandwave

Cathay Pacific vs Qatar Airways:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cathay Pacific had more branded searches than Qatar Airways among airlines flying New Zealand travellers in New Zealand. Cathay Pacific had about 29,000 branded searches, while Qatar Airways had 12,100. Cathay Pacific made up 3% of all airlines flying New Zealand traveller searches we track, and Qatar Airways accounted for 1.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about airlines flying New Zealand travellers, Qatar Airways appeared in two of the five answers and Cathay Pacific in none.

Among airlines flying New Zealand travellers in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cathay Pacific, about 2 searches for every 1 for Qatar Airways

Cathay Pacific 29K searchesQatar Airways 12.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Qatar Airways, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Cathay Pacific in 0

Qatar Airways in 2 of 5Cathay Pacific in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Qatar Airways, the only one of the two named

Qatar Airways first in 2Cathay Pacific never named

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Top airlines flying New Zealand travellers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Qatar Airways was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Cathay Pacific did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Air New Zealand1st
  2. Jetstar2nd
  3. Singapore Airlines3rd
  4. Qantas4th
  5. Qatar Airways5th
  6. Virgin Australia6th
  7. Sounds Air7th
  8. Fiji Airways8th
  9. Emirates9th
  10. Cathay Pacific–
  11. +4 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Air New Zealand5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Jetstar5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Singapore Airlines4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Qantas2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Emirates2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Qatar Airways2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Fiji Airways1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Sounds Air1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Virgin Australia1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Cathay Pacific0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+4 more

See every answer about airlines flying New Zealand travellers

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Cathay Pacific or Qatar Airways more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 airlines flying New Zealand travellers we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways among airlines flying New Zealand travellers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthAir New ZealandJetstarQantasSingapore AirlinesFiji AirwaysEmiratesCathay PacificSounds AirQatar AirwaysAir ChathamsVirgin AustraliaBarrier AirOriginairLATAM Airlines
Oct 202537.5%22.1%11.6%6.1%6.5%4.7%2%1.3%3.3%1.7%1.4%0.72%0.88%0.29%
Nov 202537.9%22.4%12.4%6.2%5.4%5.6%2.4%1.3%1.8%1.7%1.1%0.91%0.72%0.24%
Dec 202534.4%25.3%13.4%5.6%5.9%5.2%2.2%1.5%2%1.6%0.98%1%0.63%0.27%
Jan 202639.6%19.5%12.2%6.4%5.6%5.9%2.6%1.7%1.9%1.5%1.1%0.94%0.74%0.31%
Feb 202635.9%21.7%14.1%5.9%5.1%5.6%2.8%1.5%2.1%1.3%1.7%0.86%1%0.35%
Mar 202635.2%21.6%10.8%7.4%5.1%8.5%2.9%1.3%2.6%1.2%1.2%0.73%0.68%0.79%
Apr 202635.1%21.2%14.5%7%7.3%4.4%2.7%1.2%1.4%1.6%1.7%0.86%0.65%0.33%
May 202633.8%23.4%13.1%8.3%6.9%4.8%3.4%1.2%1.3%1.2%1%0.66%0.6%0.38%
Jun 202633.6%23.7%12.2%8.3%6.9%4.9%3.4%1.4%1.6%1.2%1.2%0.77%0.61%0.3%
Jul 202635%20.2%13.4%8.2%7.3%5.1%3.4%1.4%1.6%1.2%1.3%0.77%0.63%0.39%
Aug 202636.7%21.6%14.4%7.4%6.4%4.5%3.1%1.3%1.2%1.2%0.88%0.59%0.46%0.35%
Sep 202638.4%23%12.5%7.8%5.5%4%3%1.3%1.2%1%0.9%0.63%0.47%0.37%

How has the Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand airlines flying New Zealand travellers in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Qatar Airways rose from 10th to 9th among airlines flying New Zealand travellers in New Zealand.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Cathay Pacific in New Zealand rose 47.2% over 12 measured months, from 19.7K to 29K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cathay Pacific’s and Qatar Airways’ 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.

Cathay Pacific

2 branded search terms

  • Cathay Pacific
  • Cathay Pacific flights

Qatar Airways

1 branded search term

  • qatar airways

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among airlines flying New Zealand travellers

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