For the fourth year running BA has emerged as the favourite airline for business travellers according to the 2005 Barclaycard Business Travel Survey.
The carriers won the backing of 43% of those questioned compared with 7% for Virgin, 6% for easyJet, 4% for KLM and 3% for BMI. BA's score the previous year was 35%.
BA also topped the list as the best carrier for business class travel with 35% of the vote compared to 8% for Virgin, 3% for Emirates, 3% for KLM and 2% for SIA.
But the survey also revealed that low cost carriers were increasingly popular with business travellers with 71% using them in the last year compared to 69% in the year before.
Again easyJet emerged as the most favoured budget airline with the support of 35% of those polled, outstripping rivals Ryanair (12%), Bmibaby (9%), Flybe (5%) and BA (4%).
BA was most popular among companies with a turnover of more than £100m with 52% of these companies using the carrier.
Of business travellers going by budget airlines, 96% said they were “very satisfied” with the level of service and would use them again.
But there were still reservations about using these carriers. 18% cited their use of secondary airports, 8% blamed delays, 8% disliked the level of service and 6% said they were not offered them by their agent.
Tim Carlier, head of card issuing, Barclaycard Business, said: “Low cost airlines have made a concentrated effort to be seen as a credible option in the business air travel market, but in the last 12 months business class providers have regained some of their market share.”
* The Survey, conducted in October 2004, questioned 1,200 UK respondents including ceo's, company directors, managers and executives.