--- title: "British Airways: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "British Airways is an airline. 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/uk/brands/british-airways" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # British Airways: search popularity in the United Kingdom British Airways is an airline. 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**: British Airways - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among airlines**: 22.3% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Airlines | 2 | 22.3% | 1.8M | - [Airlines in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-airlines) ## Top airlines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, British 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. British Airways is the sixth most recommended of the seven. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ryanair | 1st | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | easyJet | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Jet2 | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Emirates | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Virgin Atlantic | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | British Airways | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Wizz Air | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about airlines - Asked ChatGPT "Which airline should I fly with from the UK?": 1. Jet2, 2. Emirates, 3. Virgin Atlantic, 4. British Airways - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best airlines in the UK?": 1. Jet2, 2. Emirates, 3. Virgin Atlantic, 4. British Airways, 5. easyJet, 6. Ryanair - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best low cost airline for flights from the UK to Europe?": 1. easyJet, 2. Ryanair, 3. Wizz Air, 4. Jet2 - Searched Google, AI Overview "flights": 1. Ryanair, 2. easyJet - Searched Google, AI Overview "cheap flights": 1. Ryanair, 2. easyJet Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for British Airways changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for British Airways in the United Kingdom held steady at 1.8M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, British Airways’ share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom increased from 21.4% to 22.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, British Airways’ share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom peaked at 25.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 19.2% in July 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, British Airways rose from 3rd to 2nd among airlines in the United Kingdom. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom airlines in September 2026? - In September 2026, British Airways gained share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, from 19.9% to 22.3%. - In September 2026, Ryanair gained share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, from 19.9% to 22.3%. - In September 2026, Virgin Atlantic gained share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, from 4.9% to 5.5%. - In September 2026, Jet2 lost share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, from 16.6% to 13.7%. - In September 2026, easyJet lost share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, from 29.8% to 27.3%. - In September 2026, Emirates rose from 7th to 6th among airlines in the United Kingdom. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Airlines | 1.8M | 21.4% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Airlines | 1.8M | 24% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Airlines | 1.8M | 25.9% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Airlines | 2.7M | 22.9% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 19.5% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Airlines | 2.2M | 21.2% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 19.6% | 3 | | May 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 19.5% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 20.8% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 19.2% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 19.9% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Airlines | 1.8M | 22.3% | 2 | ## How are British Airways’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using British Airways’ 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. - “british airways” ## Which airlines compete with British Airways? - [easyJet](/demand/uk/brands/easyjet-airline): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-easyjet-airline - [Ryanair](/demand/uk/brands/ryanair): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-ryanair - [Jet2](/demand/uk/brands/jet2-airline): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-jet2-airline - [Virgin Atlantic](/demand/uk/brands/virgin-atlantic): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-virgin-atlantic - [Emirates](/demand/uk/brands/emirates): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-emirates - [Wizz Air](/demand/uk/brands/wizz-air) ## 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. "British Airways: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/british-airways This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/british-airways. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.