The Australian says that while it may come as a surprise to the 1500 workers about to lose their jobs and passengers hit by recent long delays, Qantas ranks in the top four most trusted airlines.

A survey of 40 airlines conducted on behalf of information and security systems provider Unisys found that air travellers in the Asia-Pacific trusted their local airlines more than those based in Europe or North America, The Australian reports.

The January survey of 2910 respondents in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore found that Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand were the four most trusted airlines.

The survey looked at seven broad characteristics – innovation, risk aversion, dependability, predictability, ethics, strategic focus and economic prudence – as well as 28 “supporting” attributes, including customer service.

Not surprisingly, it found safety and security were the most important factors in building or destroying trust.

“With the growing number of airlines in Asia-Pacific, customers not only want to trust that you will have a safe flight, they want to trust that you arrive on time and that your luggage will arrive with you,” said Justin Williams, the head of commercial industries at Unisys Australia and New Zealand.

And we like the home-grown product – Asia-Pacific airlines made up seven of the 10 most trusted airlines.

The 20 carriers that engendered above-average trust were all Asian, Middle Eastern or European, with North American carriers all ranked in the bottom third.

Safety and security (75 per cent) emerged as the most important factor in building or eroding trust, but travellers globally were frustrated by security-based hassles.

Two-thirds of respondents said they would accept the use of biometric identification if it would improve the security process.

Other trust-building attributes included customer satisfaction (70 per cent), longevity (64 per cent) and respect of customers (62 per cent).

Nine out of 10 respondents said they would not trust an unsafe or insecure airline while other factors included poor leadership (78 per cent), customer dissatisfaction (77 per cent) and non-compliance (72 per cent).

A Report by The Mole from The Australian

Related News Stories :   Ryanair to open new base     Generic Viagra     Search for missing tourist stepped up     Jet2 resumes flights to Turkey     TSA: most screeners jabbed, no impact on holiday travel     Air NZ luggage fees change