March 12th, 2024, Janice Fernandes
Last month, Ryanair made headlines by revealing a 10% increase in fares for the upcoming summer season due to lack of planes. This news follows a 17% hike on air fares in the previous year.
We used YouGov BrandIndex, which tracks perceptions toward brands on a daily basis, to understand how consumers view Ryanair and whether they would consider flying with the budget airline.
Over the last year, Ryanair's Index score, a comprehensive measure of overall brand health, has averaged at -21.1. This metric considers six essential aspects of brand health and provides a holistic view of the airline's standing.
The airline sector as a whole has an average Index score of +6.5. While this is much higher, it is not unusual for low-cost airlines with high customer volume to have negative Index scores.
Notably, Ryanair's Value score emerges as the best performing aspect of its brand health. This score reflects consumer perceptions of the brand's value for money, and it stands out as a significant strength. Despite the challenging landscape, Ryanair manages to uphold a positive image in terms of value. Therefore, maintaining competitive pricing will be crucial for sustained consumer demand.
While Ryanair’s Satisfaction score generally remains in the negative, it surpasses the overall Ryanair Index score, contributing positively to the airline's brand health. However, weaknesses are evident in the brand’s Impression and Reputation categories, which emerge as the biggest detractors of Ryanair's overall brand health. Additionally, Ryanair’s Quality score has experienced a decline since May 2023, signifying another area for improvement.
Considerations of travellers when planning their next trip
Despite the challenges reflected in Ryanair’s brand health metrics, the airline’s Consideration scores, which gauge the likelihood of Britons choosing the airline for their next journey, have seen a surprisingly steady growth with an average of 23.8% over the last year.
Even with its brand health challenges, Ryanair's strong value perception and steady Consideration scores show it remains top of mind for British consumers. It even exceeds the average Consideration scores of the airline sector overall.
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Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. A brand’s Index score is an overall measure of brand health, made up of General Impression, Customer Satisfaction, Quality, Value, Corporate Reputation and Recommendation and delivered as a net score. Its Consideration score is based on the question: “When you are in the market next to book a flight, from which of the following would you consider purchasing a ticket?” Data from surveys of adults aged 18 years and above residing in UK from January 2023 to February 2024. The figures are based on a 4-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.
Image: Getty Images