--- title: "British Airways vs Ryanair: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is British Airways or Ryanair more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Airlines set in the United Kingdom. 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/compare/british-airways-vs-ryanair" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # British Airways vs Ryanair: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is British Airways or Ryanair more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Airlines set in the United Kingdom. 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**: British Airways and Ryanair - **Competitive set**: Airlines - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **British Airways Share of Search**: 22.3% - **Ryanair Share of Search**: 22.3% ## Is British Airways or Ryanair more popular in search? - In September 2026, British Airways and Ryanair were level in searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches each, at 22.3% of the total each. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: British Airways took it in December 2025, Ryanair took it in February 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, British Airways’ share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom moved from 21.4% to 22.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.8M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ryanair’s share of searches among airlines in the United Kingdom moved from 26.2% to 22.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.2M to 1.8M. ## Top airlines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ryanair was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both 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. Ryanair was listed before British Airways in three out of five 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 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 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%. ## Month by month | Month | British Airways estimated searches | British Airways Share of Search | British Airways rank | Ryanair estimated searches | Ryanair Share of Search | Ryanair rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.8M | 21.4% | 3 | 2.2M | 26.2% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 1.8M | 24% | 1 | 1.8M | 24% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 1.8M | 25.9% | 1 | 1.5M | 21.2% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 2.7M | 22.9% | 2 | 2.7M | 22.9% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 1.8M | 19.5% | 3 | 2.2M | 23.9% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 2.2M | 21.2% | 3 | 2.7M | 25.9% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 1.8M | 19.6% | 3 | 2.2M | 24% | 2 | | May 2026 | 1.8M | 19.5% | 3 | 2.2M | 23.8% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 1.8M | 20.8% | 3 | 2.2M | 25.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 1.8M | 19.2% | 3 | 2.2M | 23.5% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 1.8M | 19.9% | 2 | 1.8M | 19.9% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 1.8M | 22.3% | 2 | 1.8M | 22.3% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using British Airways’ and Ryanair’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. - **British Airways**: Measured on the search term “british airways”. - **Ryanair**: Measured on the search term “ryanair”. - [British Airways profile](/demand/uk/brands/british-airways) - [Ryanair profile](/demand/uk/brands/ryanair) - [All airlines in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-airlines): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 British Airways or Ryanair more popular in search? In September 2026, British Airways and Ryanair were level in searches among airlines in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches each, at 22.3% of the total each. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "British Airways vs Ryanair: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-ryanair This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/british-airways-vs-ryanair. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.