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AI Studies

Is that Airline Review You’re Reading Real, or an AI-generated Fake?

We used our proprietary Originality.ai AI detection tool to help consumers find out which airlines have the most AI-generated reviews and the impact of AI reviews on consumer trust and airline reputations.

The rise of AI-generated content has sparked concerns over the authenticity of online reviews, especially in industries where customer feedback is critical to consumer decision-making. 

A recent study from Originality.ai revealed that AI-generated reviews on Amazon have skyrocketed by 400% since the launch of ChatGPT. In fact, extreme reviews, which are categorized as five-star or one-star reviews, were more likely to be AI-generated.

Another industry that is highly dependent on customer reviews is the travel industry. Finding the right airline for your needs is absolutely critical, whether it’s because you have specific in-flight requirements or unique requests when you get to the airport. Flights are also high-ticket items, so it’s important for consumers to know they’re booking with a trustworthy company.

One way to be sure that your needs will be met is to head to review sites like TripAdvisor or AirlineQuality to see what other customers think of a particular airline before you fly with them. 

But can these airline reviews still be trusted?

At Originality.ai we are experts in AI detection, with our models detecting AI-generated content at an accuracy rate of 99%. We used our proprietary tool to help consumers find out which airlines have the most AI-generated reviews and their impact on consumer trust and airline reputations.

Short on Time? 5 Key Findings:

  1. China Southern Airlines has the most fake reviews of all studied airlines, with 50% of their reviews featuring AI content in 2025.
  2. In the US, United Airlines and American Airlines have the most AI reviews in 2025 at 16.9% and 15.3% respectively.
  3. British Airways had the largest increase in AI-generated reviews from 2021 to 2025: a 421% increase.
  4. Two airlines saw a decrease in AI reviews from 2021 to 2025:
    • Emirates by 4% (from 7.7% AI reviews in 2021 to 7.4% in 2025)
    • Southwest by 13% (from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.8% in 2025)
  5. Customer sentiment also declined by 90% on average from 2014 to 2024, highlighting a disconnect between customers and their trust in the service airlines provide.
AI Airlines Study

Why Should Consumers Care if Reviews Are Faked?

Airline reviews play a key role in shaping consumer choices. However, with AI tools capable of generating realistic reviews, the line between authentic and artificially created feedback has blurred. 

In just a matter of clicks, an experienced prompter can get a list of reviews generated, each with a unique (enough) tone and style to come across as a different “customer.”

John Gillham, CEO at Originality.ai, explains why humans struggle to spot AI content:

“Despite confidence in their own ability, humans tend to struggle to spot AI-generated content. A study revealed that experienced teachers only accurately identified 37.8% of AI texts. Which is why AI content detectors are so important. They’re significantly more effective than humans at identifying AI content

“There are some significant implications of not being able to detect AI content, such as the spread of misinformation, academic dishonesty, and a lack of authenticity online.”

This has raised questions about the reliability of reviews on platforms like AirlineQuality, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and airline-specific portals. Airlines and consumers alike must now consider whether AI content is influencing perceptions of service quality and trustworthiness.

Part 1: 2021 to 2025 AI Airline Review Analysis

AI airline reviews 2021 to 2025

Our study analyzed the reviews of 10 airline carriers from around the world by looking at reviews from SkyTrax, a well-known platform where travellers leave reviews of their airline experiences. We then analyzed the reviews in our Originality.ai AI detector to find out if the reviews were AI-generated or human-written

Fake AI Airline Reviews by Airline: 2021 vs. 2025

AI Airline Reviews 2021 vs. 2025

Comparing 2021 (before ChatGPT was launched in 2022) to 2025 highlights a notable change and overall increase in fake AI-generated airline reviews.

Let’s take a closer look:

Airline Location 2021 2025 % Change 2021 to 2025
Air CanadaCanada6.1%23.1%279% increase
American AirlinesUSA5.7%15.3%168% growth
British AirwaysUK2.4%12.5%421% rise
China Southern AirlinesChina21.0%50.0%138% increase
DeltaUSA6.4%13.0%104% growth
EmiratesUAE7.7%7.4%4% decline
Qatar AirwaysQatar7.0%34.3%390% surge
RyanAirIreland7.1%35.7%402% increase
SouthWest AirlinesUSA5.5%4.8%13% drop
United AirlinesUSA6.1%16.9%177% growth
% of AI Reviews in Airlines — 2021 vs. 2025 Comparison

2021 vs. 2025 AI airline reviews table

China Southern Airlines Has the Most Fake Reviews Overall 

In our study, we analyzed specific airlines from all over the world to find out which ones have the most fake reviews and are potentially misleading customers. 

50% of China Southern Airline Reviews Are AI

In our study, China Southern has the most fake reviews overall, more than any other airline, with a rate of 50% AI-generated reviews in 2025. 

This shows that consumers who are trusting the reviews and potentially looking to buy a ticket from the airline are not informed enough to make a trusted decision. 

China Southern has a 3.5 star average rating on TripAdvisor.

In the US, United Airlines and American Airlines have the most AI reviews

In 2025, United Airlines recorded an AI-generated review rate of 16.9%, marking it as the U.S. airline with the highest percentage of reviews generated by artificial intelligence. 

Meanwhile, American Airlines saw a significant surge in fake reviews over the past year, with 15.3% of its reviews being AI-generated as of 2025.

The high prevalence of AI reviews of United Airlines and American Airlines highlights potential challenges in managing their online reputation and ensuring that reviews reflect genuine customer experiences. 

Comparatively (highest to lowest) levels of AI reviews in US-based airlines, as of 2025:

  • United Airlines = 16.9% Likely AI
  • American Airlines = 15.3% Likely AI
  • Delta = 13.0% Likely AI
  • Southwest Airlines = 4.8% Likely AI

The significant presence of AI-generated reviews across airlines may prompt the industry to adopt more stringent verification measures, as travellers increasingly rely on online reviews when making booking decisions.

Emirates and Southwest Airlines Saw a Decline in AI Reviews: 2021 vs. 2025

Interestingly, Emirates and Southwest both saw a drop in AI-generated content in their reviews (when comparing 2021 vs. 2025), which could suggest that both companies have decided to tackle the issue and implement measures to moderate AI content.

From 2021 to 2025

  • Emirates saw a moderate 4% decrease from 7.7% AI reviews in 2021 to 7.4% in 2025.
  • Southwest saw a slightly higher 13% decrease from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.8% in 2025.

Emirates and Southwest were the only two airlines to see a decline in reviews; AI reviews increased for the rest of the airlines studied.

Part 2: 2014 to 2024 Customer Sentiment Analysis (Finds Sentiment Has Declined by 90%) 

Part 2: 2014 to 2024 Customer Sentiment Analysis (Finds Sentiment Has Declined by 90%) 

Next, let’s take a look at the impact that AI-generated reviews may have had on customer sentiment in the airline industry.

For this segment of the study, we analyzed customer sentiment from 2014 to 2024:

The sentiment graph above shows that across our major airlines, customer sentiment has seen a major decline by 90% from 2014-2024

Below, we provide a visual representation of the average customer sentiment over time, allowing for an analysis of trends and fluctuations in customer feedback. 

The blue data points represent individual days' median sentiment scores, with each point indicating the collective sentiment of reviews made on that day. 

The green dashed line represents the Lowess smoothed line, which smooths out short-term variations and highlights longer-term trends. By comparing the individual data points with the smoothed line, you can identify both immediate shifts in sentiment as well as general patterns that might emerge over time.

When interpreting the sentiment graphs, a positive sentiment score (above zero) suggests generally favorable reviews, while a negative sentiment score (below zero) indicates dissatisfaction or negative feedback. 

Sharp drops in sentiment might correspond to specific events (such as poor service incidents or flight cancellations), while more gradual changes could reflect broader shifts in customer perceptions over time. 

If the green smoothed line shows a steady upward or downward trend, this indicates a sustained improvement or decline in customer satisfaction. 

Air Canada review sentiment

Air Canada review sentiment

Looking closer at Air Canada, it’s easy to see a correlation between the increase in AI-generated reviews (6.1% in 2021 to 23.1% in 2025) and a general drop in customer sentiment. 

Of course, other factors may have also influenced this, most notably the knock-on effects of COVID, but it is obvious from the data that more AI-generated reviews do not align with more positive experiences. 

China Southern Airlines review sentiment

China Southern Airlines review sentiment

This situation is also similar for China Southern Airlines, with a notable increase in AI reviews from 2021 to 2025 (21.0% in 2021 to 50.0% in 2025). While average customer sentiment only began to drop off in 2023, the range of sentiment drastically increased, with customers seemingly either loving or hating their experience with the brand.

Delta Airlines review sentiment

Delta Airlines review sentiment

The correlation between increased AI-generated reviews and declining customer sentiment is much clearer for Delta. Once one of the most popular airlines in America, Delta's AI-generated reviews rose from 6.4% in 2021 to 13.0% in 2025, a 104% growth in total. At the same time, customer sentiment continued to drop from the highs of 2015 to the current lows of 2025. 

Emirates review sentiment

Emirates airlines review sentiment

Interestingly, Emirates went from having 7.7% AI reviews in 2021 to 7.4% in 2025 and was one of two airlines which demonstrated a decrease in AI reviews in 2025.  

Qatar Airlines review sentiment

Qatar airlines review sentiment

Qatar Airways increased AI-generated reviews from 7.0% in 2021 to 34.3% in 2025. At that same time, customer sentiment dropped from the highs of 0.30 to 0.15.

RyanAir review sentiment

RyanAir review sentiment

Although RyanAir has never been the most popular of airlines, it is interesting to see that their popularity has waned in the past decade, with some significantly poor customer sentiment scores in 2022/23. This timeframe also coincided with a climbing percentage of AI reviews 7.1% in 2021 to 35.7% in 2025.

Southwest Airlines review sentiment

Southwest airlines review sentiment

Southwest Airlines was one of the two airlines, along with Emirates, which showed a decline in AI-generated reviews, from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.8% in 2025.

United Airlines review sentiment

united airlines review sentiment

United Airlines had an overall low customer sentiment from this study, and also showed a significant rise in AI-generated content, increasing from 6.1% in 2021 to 16.9% in 2025, without any major impact on the customer sentiment scores.

How to Spot AI-Generated Reviews

Spotting AI-generated reviews can be a minefield, especially as LLMs are becoming much better at mimicking human content online. In fact, multiple studies have shown that even humans who think they can detect AI content find it difficult to do so.

Jon Gillham, CEO of Originality.ai has laid out his top tips for spotting AI-generated reviews so consumers can make better choices online:

  1. Repetitive sentence length
  2. No personal information shared
  3. Perfect grammar and punctuation
  4. Use Originality.ai
  5. Starts with “as a large language model”

Final Thoughts

Overall, from 2021 to 2025, there was a notable increase in AI airline reviews (with the exception of two airlines — Southwest and Emirates, which had a decline in AI reviews).

Further, sentiment analysis revealed that overall, customer review sentiment has declined by 90%. This may be related to factors such as an increase in AI-generated reviews, as well as changes that have impacted the travel and tourism industry since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A lack of authenticity and transparency in customer reviews raises questions and concerns about the reliability and trustworthiness of airline reviews. 

One of the biggest influencers in airline choice (other than price) is brand loyalty, and rising AI-generated reviews could ultimately lead to some major brands losing their current market share.

To be sure that everything you are reading online is legitimate and human-written, be sure to check out the Originality.ai AI Detector.

Read more about the impact of AI across industries:

How Did We Undertake This Study?

How We Conducted the Study:

We used Originality.ai's API to detect AI-generated airline reviews by analyzing their content. Reviews with at least 50 words were scanned for an AI likelihood score and classified as AI-generated or not. We focused on the top 10 airlines by brand value, and visualized how AI-generated reviews changed over time, marking major AI model releases.

Sentiment Analysis:

We collected reviews from airlinequality.com, cleaned the data, and analyzed customer sentiment over time using TextBlob. Lowess smoothing helped highlight trends in customer satisfaction, with visualizations showing daily sentiment scores and overall trends. These insights are useful for tracking airline performance and satisfaction.

Crunchbase sources for airline location data:

For raw data contact maddie@originality.ai

Madeleine Lambert

Madeleine Lambert

Madeleine Lambert is the Director of Marketing and Sales at Originality.ai, with over a decade of experience in SEO and content creation. She previously owned and operated a successful content marketing agency, which she scaled and exited. Madeleine specializes in digital PR—contact her for media inquiries and story collaborations.

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