Top 10 travel brands in Southeast Asia

Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier of Vietnam, has landed in the top spot on our list of Southeast Asia's top 10 travel brands. Founded in 1956, the airline serves over 70 destinations in 19 countries. Leading the Vietnamese aviation market, the state-owned airline was certified as a 4-star international airline by Skytrax in 2016, recognised for its quality of seats, amenities, catering, in-flight entertainment, cleanliness, and cabin and ground staff service.

Vietnam Airlines received an overall best brand score of 76.05%, securing the first position and a comfortable lead over its nearest competitor, Philippine Airlines, which scored 63.15%. Vietnam Airlines owes its top ranking to strong support in its domestic market, where it achieved the highest scores overall for customer service and buying experience, suggesting the national flag carrier is a firm favourite with Vietnamese consumers.

The ranking is based on Campaign’s authoritative list of Southeast Asia’s top 50 brands, created in partnership with research firm Milieu Insight. Campaign has published reports on the top 10 brands from the surveyed markets (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore) across 10 sectors. The brands were evaluated using attributes such as awareness, purchase frequency, quality, buying experience, customer service, trustworthiness, innovation, brand touchpoints (ease of use across all digital and offline interactions), and advocacy (degree of recommendation).

Over the next few weeks, Campaign Asia-Pacific will provide a comprehensive analysis of the top brands by sector in Southeast Asia. This is the sixth in a 10-part series covering sectors such as food, electronics, travel, apparel & accessories, financial services, beauty, telecommunications & streaming, e-commerce, transport & delivery, automotive, and food delivery. The chart below shows the scores of the top travel brands in Southeast Asia overall. Following the chart, you’ll find the top 10 automotive brands in individual markets and a brief analysis of the top 10 travel brand performers across the region.

 

Founded in 1956, the flag carrier of Vietnam officially became a state-owned airline in 1993 and celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. The airline has grown at a double-digit annual growth rate over the past three decades and has positioned itself as a modern airline with an internationally recognisable brand, one that has ranked among the world's top 25 airlines by Airline Rating and recognised as one of the top 5 most punctual airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnam Airlines achieved the highest scores among Vietnamese consumers for customer service (93%), buying experience (86%), and quality (81%), cementing it as one of the most popular brands among Vietnamese consumers. It's that strong domestic support which ultimately landed it in the first position overall for travel brands in the region.

 

In charts: Travel brands breakdown by market

 

 

Let's have a closer look at the top 10 SEA performers

 

Vietnam Airlines

 

Founded in 1956, the flag carrier of Vietnam officially became a state-owned airline in 1993, and celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. The airline has grown at a double-digit annual growth rate over the past three decades and has positioned itself as a modern airline with an internationally recognisable brand, one that has ranked among the world's top 25 airlines by Airline Rating and recognised as one of the top 5 most punctual airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnam Airlines achieved the highest scores among Vietnamese consumers for customer service (93%) and buying experience (86%) and quality (81%), cementing it as one of the most popular brands among Vietnamese consumers. It's that strong domestic support which ultimately landed it in first position overall for travel brands in the region. 

 

Philippine Airlines

 

Founded in 1941, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the official flag carrier of the Philippines and is the oldest operating commercial airline in Asia. Today PAL  serves 40 international and 32 domestic destinations, and is the only privately-owned major flag carrier in Southeast Asia. It's the country's largest international airline and the only full-service Filipino air carrier offering Business Class, Premium Economy and Regular Economy services. Philippines Airlines received top scores for buying experience (83%), customer service (73%) and brand awareness (83%) in its domestic market making it a firm favourite among Filipino consumers and second only to Vietnam Airlines in the overall top 10 for travel brands in the region.

 

Thai Airways

 

With service to 35 countries, Thai Airways is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Known for its hospitality warmth and professionalism, the full service airline has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2018 World's Best Economy Class, Best Economy Class Onboard Catering, Best Cabin Crew in Thailand, Best Economy Class in Asia and World's Best Airline Lounge Spa. Thai consumers clearly favour their national flag carrier, awarding it the highest buying experience score overall (82%) and customer service (81%), along with brand awareness (77%). 

 

Thai AirAsia

 

The budget low-cost airline is an affiliate of AirAsia, and a joint venture of Malaysian AirAsia and Thailand's Asia Aviation. It serves the low cost carrier market in Thailand, operating to 67 destinations from its main hub at the Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok. Notably, Thai AirAsia had a higher purchase frequency score (51%) compared to Thai Airways (42%) suggesting that Thai consumers fly more frequently with Thai AirAsia. However, buying experience (79%) and customer service (76%) were lower. Thai AirAsia was the only low-cost airline to make the top five in SEA's top travel brands. 

 

Garuda Indonesia

 

Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia. Established as a successor to KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf, it's the second-largest airline in Indonesia, following Lion Air. It became the first Indonesian airline to join the SkyTeam alliance in 2014, enhancing its global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide. Notably, Garuda is the only Indonesian airline serving European airspace. It has received multiple awards for service excellence, including the Skytrax World's Best Cabin Crew award. It's therefore no coincidence that Indonesian consumers gave the airline one of the highest customer service scores overall (81%) and buying experience (79%), while it was also one of the most trusted brands for Indonesian consumers (63%).

 

Korea Aerospace Industries

 

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), established in 1999, is South Korea's sole aerospace manufacturer. In recent times it has made strides in Vietnam's helicopter sector through partnerships and local workforce development. In collaboration with Airbus, KAI signed a contract to produce up to 300 helicopters, enhancing its production capabilities and export potential. Additionally, KAI has initiated a recruitment program, training 50 Vietnamese workers for roles in aerospace manufacturing, addressing workforce shortages in the industry. Vietnam consumers awarded KAI a best brand score of 57.35%.

 

Malaysia Airlines

 

Established in 1947, Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia and operates from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Today it connects travellers to over 1,000 destinations worldwide. The airline is well known for its warm hospitality and has received multiple awards, including being named 'Asia's Leading Airline' by the World Travel Awards. Malaysian consumers awarded the airline some of the highest scores for buying experience (71%) and customer service (69%), and was one of thew most trusted brands among Malaysian consumers, scoring 54%.

 

Singapore Airlines

 

Founded in 1972, Singapore Airlines is the national carrier of Singapore and is headquartered at Changi Airport. Renowned for its exceptional service, it has been awarded the Skytrax World's Best Airline title five times. The airline operates a modern fleet, including the Airbus A350-900ULR, enabling it to offer some of the longest non-stop flights globally. The airline consistently ranks among the top airlines worldwide. Singaporean consumers also favor their national airline, awarding it top scores across all categories, and it is the brand they would most recommend to others at 76%. Singapore Airlines also ranked in fourth position among Malaysia's top 10 travel brands and reached the top 20 of Thailand's best travel brands. 

 

Nok Air

 

Nok Air, founded in 2004, is a low-cost airline based in Thailand, primarily operating domestic flights from Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. Known for its vibrant aircraft designs resembling various birds—"Nok" means "bird" in Thai—the airline aims to provide affordable travel options across 24 domestic routes. Nok Air continues to enhance its services, focusing on customer satisfaction and expanding its market presence in Southeast Asia. Thai consumers awarded Nok Air high scores for buying experience (74%) and customer service (72%). It's also a popular choice for travellers in Thailand with a brand awareness score of 78%.

 

Cebu Pacific Air

 

Cebu Pacific Air, established in 1996, is the leading low-cost airline in the Philippines, known for its "low fare, great value" strategy. Operating from hubs in Manila, Cebu, and Clark, it serves 35 domestic and 24 international destinations across Asia and the Middle East. Cebu Pacific has flown over 200 million passengers since its inception. The airline operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, featuring modern Airbus and ATR aircraft. Cebu Pacific is one of the most trusted brands among Filipino consumers scoring 51%. It also scored highly for brand awareness (77%) and buying experience (69%) alongside customer experience (65%).