• To commemorate the launch, CARMA has published a detailed Airline Reputation Report featuring key insights on how audiences perceive major global airlines
  • Emirates secured the highest overall reputation score in the UAE

CARMA, the world’s leading media intelligence provider, has expanded its service offering to include corporate reputation measurement, with the launch of ‘Reputation by CARMA’. To commemorate the launch, CARMA has published the inaugural Airline Reputation Report featuring eight airlines with Emirates securing the highest overall reputation score in any market for any tracked airline in the UAE.

To demonstrate the breadth of capabilities offered by its new product, CARMA has published a comprehensive report analysing the reputations of eight global airlines, highlighting how media reports, social media discussions, and audience perception shaped those global brands’ reputation.

The report covered British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Malaysian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Saudia. It was based on data collected from January to May 2024 and covered traditional and social media, as well as audience research from key markets, including the UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. With 1,151 articles analysed and survey data gleamed from over 1,500 respondents, the report revealed how media and public perception drive airline reputation.

From a global trends perspective, Emirates garnered an overall Reputation Score of 65 and scored well across the six core pillars: Products & Services (76); Culture (67); Sustainability (52); Conduct (57); Performance (71) and Vision (65). The airline performed substantially better compared to British Airways across all pillars – the British carrier managed a Reputation Score of 50 with pillar scores of 56, 46, 47, 44, 52 and 57 respectively. The report revealed that British Airways scored lower than both Emirates and Singapore Airlines, especially in regions like the Middle East, where awareness and exposure were lower. It was also found that the airline's overall reputation was hampered by negative coverage, especially around customer service and conduct.

In addition, the report highlighted that Emirates enjoys strong brand loyalty in its home region of the UAE and Saudi Arabia and showed that the airline performed well across various markets, except for Malaysia, where its reputation was weakest in terms of vision. And despite facing challenges such as flooding in Dubai, Emirates maintained a positive reputation, due to its strong connection with consumers and proactive communications.

With regards to regional trends in the UAE & Saudi Arabia, Middle East-based airlines received the most positivity from media and audiences, out-performing other markets. Emirates secured the highest overall reputation score in any market for any tracked airline in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the favourability enjoyed by the brand in its home market. The Dubai-based airline also scored ahead of Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Saudia and British Airways in its overall Reputation Score (71) and had higher scores across all six pillars.

The report showed that across all markets, products and services were consistently ranked as the most important factors driving airline reputation, showing alignment between media coverage and public opinion. The exception is Saudi Arabia where conduct was ranked higher. Conversely, sustainability ranked as one of the least influential factors for airline reputation. Consumers were found to have prioritised service quality and reliability over environmental concerns, particularly in the post-pandemic environment.

Orla Graham,Global Insights Consultant at CARMA said, “The report demonstrated that audience perceptions through direct research are more important and often lead to a reality check for professionals and brands alike. It’s clear that social media and traditional media may not always reflect the actual opinions of the general audience.”

The latest product in CARMA’s industry leading research and intelligence portfolio is designed to assist PR and communication professionals understand how three unique data sets - media coverage, social media and public sentiment - influence and shape corporate reputation.

Reputation by CARMA was designed to empower professionals with the tools needed to measure and manage corporate reputation with confidence. The product can:

  • Offer a complete view of reputation by combining traditional media analysis, social media insights and audience perception; measure across six core reputation pillars including Products & Services, Culture, Sustainability, Conduct, Performance and Vision
  • Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses by benchmarking a brand’s reputation against competitors and showcasing areas of strength and weakness
  • Track reputation over time via consistent and reliable benchmarking with a Reputation Score and furnish professionals with actionable insights.

The latter enables PR and communication professionals to make strategic decisions across the entire organisation, allowing them to seamlessly report on the impact of their communications efforts and demonstrate value to the C-suite.

Mazen Nahawi, Global CEO of CARMA stated, "Reputation by CARMA is a milestone in our commitment to helping brands build and protect their corporate reputation. This service offers businesses data-driven insights to understand what drives their reputation, helping them make informed decisions that safeguard brand value in today’s complex media landscape."

Although managing corporate reputations has become extremely complex in the modern world, Reputation by CARMA’s features enable professionals to achieve their goals by overcoming common challenges such as: siloed data which leaves professionals with only part of the picture; limited access to audience perception which limits a professional’s ability to shape strategies; a lack of measurable impact which makes it difficult to track the true value of PR and communications efforts in the absence of campaign-based results, and assessing damage to reputation when a crisis occurs and tracking recovery over time without reliable metrics.

Methodology: The Airline Reputation Report evaluates airline reputations based on traditional media coverage, social media discussions, and audience sentiment research. It examines six key areas: Products & Services, Culture, Sustainability, Conduct, Performance, and Vision, using data collected between January 1st and May 31st, 2024.

To access the full Airline Reputation Report, click here. 

For more information about CARMA, its expert team and their work, visit www.carma.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact: carma@brazenmena.com

About CARMA:

CARMA is the world’s most experienced media intelligence service provider. Established in 1984 and relaunched in 2016, the company has grown today to work with over 3,500 organisations and organisations across the world. CARMA helps its clients use media intelligence to navigate and understand the disrupted media landscape, operate strategically, and demonstrate success with industry-leading media monitoring and communications evaluation programs. CARMA blends expert technologies, powering real-time data insights, with a global team of experienced PR measurement consultants.

Led by Co-Managing Partners – former FIBEP Chair Mazen Nahawi and former AMEC Chair Richard Bagnall – and with 600+ staff across five continents, CARMA’s unparalleled experience, expertise, and client service makes it the first-choice media intelligence provider for any organisation looking to understand the media and refine and prove the value of their public relations.

For more information about CARMA International Ltd, its expert team, and their work. visit www.carma.com.