Qantas and Virgin toppled: embattled underdog named Australia's favourite airline

How an airline that went into administration became Australia's most satisfying carrier.

The wing of a Rex aircraft. Picture by Josh Withers/Unsplash

By Sarah Falson

May 4, 2026

While the big players fought for market share in the "golden triangle", it was the underdog that captured the hearts of the flying public, according to the results of a new customer satisfaction survey.

Roy Morgan has unveiled the winners of its annual Customer Satisfaction Awards, voted by more than 60,000 customers, with some surprising results in the travel category.

The Domestic and Regional Airline of the Year award hasn't gone to Qantas or Virgin Australia.

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It's gone to small embattled carrier Rex Airlines (Regional Express).

The International Airline of the Year award for 2025 went to Singapore Airlines.

Rex propelled itself into the domestic "golden triangle" market with services between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in 2021.

It planned to go head-to-head with Qantas and Virgin.

But the venture bled cash and entered voluntary administration in 2024. Its jets were grounded and hundreds of jobs lost.

US firm Air T now owns the airline's regional operations, which are still flying.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said the awards celebrate organisations that "deliver continuously on their social contract with every customer".

She said the annual study provides an "accurate, independent, and objective measure of how people feel about the companies they give their business to."

She said they identify the companies and brands that "stay ahead of the pack by knowing what their customers want and delivering it".

The survey was performed monthly between January and December 2025 to ascertain the winners.

Customers named companies they dealt with in more than 30 industries including travel and tourism, automotive, banking, supermarkets and telecommunications, and rated how satisfied they were with them.

The results were used to identify Monthly Customer Satisfaction winners in each category over the course of the year and the awards go to the companies with the most monthly wins.

Singapore Airlines amassed 10 wins during the year. It won the International Airline of the Year award for the sixth year running and 10th time overall.

Words bySarah Falson

Sarah is ACM’s travel producer. She believes regional travel is just as fun (if not better) than staying in the big cities and loves any travel experience to do with nature, animals and food!.

My all-time favourite destination is ... Cornwall. From the giant seagulls to the blustery beaches, Cornish pasties and fishing villages, it stirs something romantic and seafaring in me.

Next on my bucket list is … Mongolia. I want to go somewhere really unique that feels totally foreign and challenges my way of life.

My top travel tip is … Don’t plan too much. Walk the streets and let it happen. And make sure you check out what’s within a few blocks of your hotel - sometimes the best local food is found that way.