Asia-Pacific budget airlines Air-Asia Bhd. and Qantas Airways Ltd.’s Jetstar overtook full-service carriers in a brand-reputation survey as more passengers in the region turned to cheaper options amid a global economic slowdown.
Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., among the world’s 10 biggest carriers by market value, were ranked below the two low-cost air-travel operators, according to the report compiled by Nielsen Holdings NV and research firm Campaign Asia released today.
Global airline profits are set to fall in 2012 by more than half to $3 billion from $7.9 billion last year, according to the International Air Transport Association, as recessions in the U.K., Spain and other European countries damp demand and erode gains from lower fuel prices.
“It’s an economic reality,” Therese Glennon, managing director of consumer insights for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at Nielsen, said in an interview. “As the demand for budget travel increases, as the economic situation deteriorates, you see a lot of these bigger airlines adjusting their business models.”
Nielsen asked 400 respondents in each of 12 Asia-Pacific countries where it conducted the survey to name the top two brands they thought were most trusted or had the best reputation in 14 categories, including travel and leisure, it said.
Cathay in May predicted “disappointing” first-half earnings. The company has pared passenger-capacity growth, cut flights to North America and Europe this year, imposed a hiring freeze on ground staff and offered cabin crew unpaid leave.
“While we cannot comment on the validity of this specific survey, being unaware of its exact methodology, we can share that for more than 65 years, Cathay Pacific has been serving travelers from around the world,” the airline said in an e- mailed response to questions.
Singapore Air, which posted an unexpected fourth-quarter loss of S$38.2 million ($30 million), started a low-cost carrier that completed its first flight last month. Nicholas Ionides, a spokesman for Singapore Air, declined to comment because he hasn’t seen the report.
Other full-service airlines that were ranked lower include Qantas, Australia’s largest carrier that forecast last month annual profit may fall as much as 91 percent, and Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea’s biggest flier that slumped to a surprise first-quarter loss.
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