KEY POINTS:
Air New Zealand is one of the most trusted airlines in the world, according to travellers living in the Asia-Pacific region.
Global research revealed that those passengers ranked their locally-based carriers as more trustworthy than airlines based in Europe or America.
Asia-Pacific airlines comprised seven of the top 10 most trusted airlines, according to the Unisys Trusted Enterprise study.
The study examined consumer trust of 40 major airlines in Asia, Europe and America.
It asked 2869 passengers from New Zealand, Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore what airline they travelled with and what made them trust that airline.
It looked at innovation, risk aversion, dependability, predictability, ethics, strategic focus and economic prudence.
Air NZ was among the four most trusted airlines which also included Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.
The study also found that Asia-Pacific air travellers ranked safety and security as the most important factor to build or decrease trust in an airline.
But travellers were also frustrated with the security and hassle factors of air travel. Two-thirds of respondents said they would accept the use of biometric identification if it would improve the security process.
Only 19 per cent of Asia-Pacific respondents chose an airline on the basis of cost, while 30 per cent based that decision on service and amenities.
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe was pleased with the results.
"Trust and integrity are cornerstones for any successful airline and the survey results are a great accolade for the hard work of Air New Zealanders," he said
Suzanne Carter, spokeswoman for Unisys, said the results were promising for local airlines in the lead-up to the Olympics. "Trust will be a key factor when sports enthusiasts, holidaymakers and convention organisers from across the region select which carrier they will use to fly in and out of Beijing."
The New Zealand Olympic Committee has said that about twice as many Kiwis will travel to Beijing than those who travelled to the Athens Olympics.
Ms Carter said that 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 will arrive on time and that your luggage will arrive with you".
