Qantas vs Virgin Australia:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Qantas had more branded searches than Virgin Australia among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand. Qantas was estimated to have 166K branded searches compared to Virgin Australia’s 9.3K, and held a 9.6% Share of Search versus Virgin Australia’s 0.54%.
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Which is more popular in search, Qantas 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 Qantas, Virgin Australia. 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 Qantas and Virgin Australia comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Qantas was ahead of Virgin Australia in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Qantas’ estimated Share of Search among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand moved from 7.9% to 9.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 131K to 166K.
- 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, Qantas gained estimated Share of Search among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand, from 8.1% to 9.6%.
In August 2026, Virgin Australia fell from 9th to 10th among airlines flying new zealand travellers in New Zealand.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Qantas’ 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.
Qantas
7 branded search terms
- Qantas
- Qantas airlines
- Qantas Airways
- Qantas flights
- Qantas New Zealand
- Qantas NZ
- Qantas NZ 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
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