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AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Media monitoring helps organizations stay informed about what’s being said across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and other media channels. Whether you're tracking brand mentions, measuring PR performance, monitoring competitors, or identifying emerging trends, our expert guides, best practices, and industry insights will help you build a smarter media monitoring strategy and make more informed communications decisions.

Discover expert media monitoring guides, best practices, and industry insights to track brand mentions, monitor competitors, and stay ahead of the news.

Media Monitoring: Guides, Best Practices & Industry Insights

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics?
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.
Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.
Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Understanding the Current LLM Landscape & the Role of Visibility

How Social Media Can Directly Influence LLM Visibility

Ways Social Media Can Indirectly Impact LLM Visibility

How Brands Can Strategically Leverage Social Media for LLM Visibility

Challenges and Considerations When Using Social Media for LLM Visibility

The Future of Social Media and LLM Visibility

Key Takeaways for Brands Using Social Media to Boost AI Visibility

Large Language Models (LLMs) are fundamentally changing how people find and take in information. Instead of relying only on traditional search engines, users are increasingly turning to AI tools that generate answers directly.

This shift changes how visibility works for companies. It’s no longer just about ranking on Google — it’s about being included in AI-generated responses. This means adapting to a new kind of search ecosystem where LLMs play a central role.

What is an LLM and why does visibility matter?

An LLM is an AI system trained on large amounts of text and code. It can answer questions, summarize information, and generate content in natural language.

In a world increasingly driven by AI-powered search, "visibility" means your brand, content, or product is referenced or used by these models when generating answers. LLM visibility is based on several factors including easily readable and up to date information, presence in well known and respected publications, and, of course, a well maintained social media presence.

If your brand isn’t visible to LLMs, it may not show up in responses users see — even if you rank well in traditional search. Visibility now affects not just traffic, but whether you’re part of the answer at all.

Search is no longer limited to search engines. AI tools, chat interfaces, and assistants are becoming new entry and exit points for information. Meaning potential customers may make decisions about you based only on the answer AI provides — without ever visiting your website.

Social media plays a major role in shaping what content gets noticed, shared, and discussed online. These signals can influence what content becomes widely known and what eventually gets picked up or referenced by AI systems.

To stay visible, brands need to consider how their content spreads across the broader digital ecosystem.

How Social Media Can Directly Influence LLM Visibility Metrics

Social media helps determine which content gains attention and momentum online. Posts that are widely shared or discussed often lead to more links, mentions, and follow-on content across the web. 

These signals contribute to a larger digital footprint, which increases the chances that content is picked up, referenced, or reflected in AI-generated results. Because of this, social media can directly influence how visible your content becomes, both to users and to the systems that power AI search.

Driving more brand mentions across the web

A social media presence creates more text, discussion, and references connected to a company. Posts, comments, shares, captions, profiles, and public conversations all add to the amount of context available online.

For LLMs and AI search tools, that context matters. The more often a company is discussed in connection with certain products, services, categories, or industry topics, the easier it is for AI systems to associate that brand with those subjects.

For example, if a cybersecurity company regularly posts about ransomware trends, incident response, and zero-trust security—and those posts are discussed and shared—LLMs have more signals linking that brand to those topics. That can improve the company’s chances of being included when users ask related questions.

Social media can help strengthen a company’s authority in specific subject areas.

When a brand consistently publishes useful insights, commentary, and educational content on a set of topics, it builds a clearer public record of expertise. Over time, that content helps define what the company is known for.

This is important for AI-generated answers because LLMs are more likely to surface brands that appear repeatedly and credibly within a topic area. A strong social presence can support that by giving the brand more opportunities to show expertise in public.

For companies, this means social content should not just promote products. It should also support the themes and questions the brand wants to be associated with in AI search.

Expanding the volume of indexable content

One of the clearest ways social media affects AI visibility is by increasing the amount of public content tied to a brand.

A company website may only have a limited number of pages, but social platforms create many more pieces of content over time: company updates, thought leadership posts, executive commentary, campaign assets, customer interactions, and community discussions.

This larger body of public material gives AI systems more opportunities to encounter the brand and understand how it is described across different contexts. Even when social posts are not the primary source used in an answer, they can still help strengthen the overall presence of the brand online.

The result is a broader, richer content footprint that can support visibility in LLM-generated responses.

Creating more opportunities for third-party references

Social media does not just produce brand-owned content. It also encourages others to talk about the brand.

When posts are shared by customers, influencers, employees, partners, analysts, or publishers, they create third-party references that expand a company’s visibility beyond its own channels. These outside mentions can be especially valuable because they add independent context and validation.

For AI systems, repeated third-party discussion can strengthen the association between a company and a topic. If many public sources mention a brand in similar ways, that gives LLMs more material to draw from when generating answers.

This is why social engagement matters: it helps move brand visibility beyond self-published claims and into broader online conversation.

Social media also helps companies keep their public content fresh.

AI search systems often benefit from recent, relevant information—especially for fast-moving topics, changing product categories, or current industry conversations. A company that publishes regularly on social media creates a steady stream of new content that reflects its latest positioning, priorities, and expertise.

That ongoing activity can help AI systems see the brand as active and relevant in the present, not just as a company defined by older website copy or outdated articles.

For brands operating in particularly competitive spaces, this matters. Regular social publishing can help ensure there is up-to-date public context available when LLMs synthesize answers.

Some of the biggest impacts are less obvious. Social media shapes perception, trust, and how often your brand is referenced online.

Tip: Download our free Brand AI Visibility Guide

Shaping brand reputation and building trust

LLMs are more likely to surface brands that are widely recognized and trusted.

Social media plays a key role in building that trust. Positive discussions, reviews, and consistent messaging help establish credibility.

If your brand is frequently mentioned in a positive context, it strengthens your authority—and increases the likelihood of being included in AI-generated answers.

Responding to public scrutiny and misinformation

If misinformation spreads about your brand, it can shape how people talk about it—and how it appears in online content.

Since LLMs learn from existing content, inaccurate narratives can affect how your brand is represented in AI-generated answers. Addressing issues quickly helps maintain accurate and positive visibility.

To improve AI search visibility, brands need to use social media intentionally—not just for promotion, but to increase their overall presence across the web.

Engaging with key influencers and communities

Clear, simple messaging makes it easier for people to understand and share your content.

Focus on real use cases and outcomes. When people repeat and reference your messaging, it increases the chances your brand becomes part of the broader conversation—and ultimately part of AI-generated answers.

Influencers and active communities help amplify reach.

When trusted voices talk about your brand, it leads to more discussions, content, and backlinks. This expands your visibility across platforms and increases the likelihood of being picked up by AI systems.

Different formats help your content spread further:

More content formats mean more entry points for discovery — and more signals for AI models to pick up on.

Tracking conversations with social listening tools helps you understand how your brand is being discussed.

These insights help you create content that is more likely to be referenced and surfaced in AI-generated results.

Social media can help expand a brand’s digital footprint, but it is not a simple or fully controllable lever for improving visibility in LLM-generated results. Brands can publish regularly, build an audience, and generate conversation, yet still have limited control over how that content is interpreted, whether it is surfaced, or how it influences AI-generated answers.

That is because LLM visibility depends on more than volume alone. It is shaped by the quality, clarity, consistency, and distribution of public information across many sources. Social media can support that presence, but it can also introduce noise, inconsistency, and risk. 

For brands, the challenge is not just being active on social media. It is making sure that activity strengthens and reinforces the positive signals AI systems pick up, rather than weakening them.

One of the biggest challenges is that social media can distort brand information as easily as it can spread it.

Posts on social are often short, simplified, reactive, or taken out of context. As content gets reshared, paraphrased, and discussed by others, key details about a brand’s products, positioning, or expertise can become diluted or inaccurate. Over time, this can create a public record that is fragmented or misleading.

For brands trying to improve LLM visibility, that creates a real risk. If AI systems encounter conflicting or low-quality descriptions of a company across the web, they may form weaker or less accurate associations. Instead of reinforcing a clear brand identity, social media can sometimes muddy it.

More content does not automatically mean better visibility in AI-generated results.

A brand may post frequently, but if that content is overly promotional, repetitive, or lacking substance, it may do little to strengthen the company’s authority on the topics it wants to own. In some cases, it can even weaken credibility by making the brand appear noisy rather than useful.

This is a common challenge for social teams. Social media often rewards speed, volume, and engagement, while LLM visibility is more likely to benefit from clear, informative, and topic-rich content. Brands need to balance publishing often enough to stay visible with publishing thoughtfully enough to build authority.

Brands also do not control how much of their social content is publicly accessible, indexable, or reusable outside the platform where it was posted.

Track your LLM visibility with GenAI Lens

How Social Media Impacts AI Search Visibility

With AI quickly becoming the first stop for trip planning, LLM recommendations are driving which brands travelers choose for their vacation plans. In our previous analysis, we saw how prompts about hotel deals surface a handful of globally recognized online booking websites. For this investigation, we turned our attention from hotels to airlines to see which brands achieved the highest visibility in answers to the prompt: What are the best airline deals to travel around Europe in spring 2026?

Using GenAI Lens, we analyzed responses across eight leading LLMs  — ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Grok, Llama, and Perplexity — from February 24 to March 17, 2026. The results revealed how low-cost carriers dominate AI-driven discovery, while legacy airlines fall behind in reaching high-intent, budget-conscious consumers. 

AI Models Prioritize Low-Cost Airlines in Spring Break Flight Deal Searches

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    <div style="font-size:18px;font-weight:600;color:#000;">Airline Performance Overview</div>
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    <table style="width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;table-layout:fixed;font-size:14px;color:#4c4d4f;text-align:center;">

      
      <tr>
        <th style="padding:12px;">Visibility Ranking</th>
        <th style="padding:12px;">Airlines</th>
        <th style="padding:12px;">Visibility Score</th>
        <th style="padding:12px;background:#eef3f7;">Total Mentions</th>
        <th style="padding:12px;">Prevalence Score</th>
      </tr>

      

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>1</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Ryanair</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#28bbbb" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="88 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">88%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">283 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#28bbbb" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="78 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">78%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>2</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">easyJet</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#28bbbb" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="87 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">87%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">237 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#28bbbb" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="77 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">77%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>3</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Wizz Air</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#28bbbb" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="81 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">81%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">198 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#28bbbb" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="72 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">72%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>4</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Vueling</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="48 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">48%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">96 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="49 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">49%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>5</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">British Airways</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="31 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">31%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">54 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="30 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">30%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>6</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Lufthansa</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="26 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">26%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">44 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="27 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">27%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>7</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Eurowings</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="25 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">25%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">42 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="23 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">23%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>8</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">KLM Royal Dutch Airlines</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="16 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">16%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">24 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="13 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">13%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>9</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Air France</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="16 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">16%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">22 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="14 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">14%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="border-top:1px solid #eaeaea;height:64px;">
        <td>10</td>
        <td style="font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Transavia</td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="16 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">16%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
        <td style="background:#eef3f7;">19 </td>
        <td>
          <svg width="44" height="44" viewBox="0 0 36 36">
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#eaeaea" stroke-width="4" fill="none"/>
            <circle cx="18" cy="18" r="16" stroke="#ff6221" stroke-width="4" fill="none" stroke-dasharray="13 100" stroke-linecap="round" transform="rotate(-90 18 18)"/>
            <text x="18" y="21" text-anchor="middle" font-size="10" fill="#000">13%</text>
          </svg>
        </td>
      </tr>

    </table>
  </div>
</div>

Ryanair and easyJet dominated in LLM visibility through a combination of frequent, prominent mentions and high prevalence across responses. Ryanair led with 88% visibility, closely followed by easyJet at 87% thanks to frequent, prominent mentions, often in the beginnings of AI-generated answers. 

By contrast, LLMs mentioned legacy carriers like British Airways (31% visibility), Lufthansa (26%), KLM (16%), and Air France (16%) much less consistently, frequently, and prominently. 

These rankings bode well for budget airlines, confirming their high visibility to cost-conscious customers, but less so for legacy airlines, which LLMs framed as secondary options during the critical discovery stage. 

<div style="max-width:1100px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;background:#ffffff;border-radius:12px;box-shadow:0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.08);border:1px solid #eaeaea;overflow:hidden;">

  
  <div style="height:6px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#28bbbb,#b627a1);"></div>

  
  <div style="padding:16px 20px 8px 20px;">
    <div style="font-size:18px;font-weight:600;color:#000;">Brands performance by model</div>
  </div>

  
  <div style="padding:8px 16px 8px 16px;">
    <table style="width:100%;table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:6px;font-size:10px;color:#4c4d4f;text-align:center;">

      
      <tr>
        <th style="text-align:left;"> </th>
        <th>Gemini</th>
        <th>Grok</th>
        <th>Perplexity</th>
        <th>Llama</th>
        <th>DeepSeek</th>
        <th>ChatGPT</th>
        <th>Claude</th>
        <th>Google AI Overview</th>
      </tr>

      

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Ryanair</td>
        <td style="background:#5f8fc9;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">63</td>
        <td style="background:#1e4fa0;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">99</td>
        <td style="background:#2f6fbf;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">86</td>
        <td style="background:#2f6fbf;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">83</td>
        <td style="background:#1e4fa0;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">98</td>
        <td style="background:#3f78c2;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">78</td>
        <td style="background:#2a5fb5;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">93</td>
        <td style="background:#7f9fc9;border-radius:6px;color:#fff;">42</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">easyJet</td>
        <td style="background:#6f95c5;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">52</td>
        <td style="background:#1e4fa0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">99</td>
        <td style="background:#3f78c2;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">81</td>
        <td style="background:#2f6fbf;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">83</td>
        <td style="background:#1e4fa0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">98</td>
        <td style="background:#3f78c2;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">78</td>
        <td style="background:#2a5fb5;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">92</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">39</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Wizz Air</td>
        <td style="background:#5f8fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">61</td>
        <td style="background:#1e4fa0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">98</td>
        <td style="background:#7f9fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">53</td>
        <td style="background:#2f6fbf;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">83</td>
        <td style="background:#1e4fa0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">98</td>
        <td style="background:#4a82c6;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">67</td>
        <td style="background:#3f78c2;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">83</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">39</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Vueling</td>
        <td style="background:#9fb4cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">35</td>
        <td style="background:#2f6fbf;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">85</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">51</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
        <td style="background:#4a82c6;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">73</td>
        <td style="background:#5f8fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">56</td>
        <td style="background:#5f8fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">58</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">28</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">British Airways</td>
        <td style="background:#b7c5d6;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">21</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">33</td>
        <td style="background:#5f8fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">60</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">30</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
        <td style="background:#c7d2de;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">17</td>
        <td style="background:#b7c5d6;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">22</td>
        <td style="background:#5f8fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">60</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Lufthansa</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">12</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">41</td>
        <td style="background:#9fb4cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">38</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">42</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">23</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">26</td>
        <td style="background:#b7c5d6;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">22</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">11</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Eurowings</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">40</td>
        <td style="background:#7f9fc9;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">47</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">18</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
        <td style="background:#9fb4cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">38</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">30</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">14</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">12</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">KLM Royal Dutch Airlines</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">7</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">15</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">48</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">18</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">19</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">15</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Transavia</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">19</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">15</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">12</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">12</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">33</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">11</td>
        <td style="background:#d5dde7;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">15</td>
      </tr>

      
      <tr style="height:52px;">
        <td style="text-align:left;font-weight:600;color:#28bbbb;">Air France</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">7</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">8</td>
        <td style="background:#aabbd0;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">31</td>
        <td style="background:#8aa6cc;color:#fff;border-radius:6px;">42</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">6</td>
        <td style="background:#b7c5d6;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">21</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
        <td style="background:#eaeaea;color:#4c4d4f;border-radius:6px;">0</td>
      </tr>

    </table>
  </div>

  
  <div style="padding:12px 20px 16px 20px;">
    <div style="height:10px;border-radius:6px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#eaeaea,#9fb4cc,#5f8fc9,#2f6fbf,#1e4fa0);margin-bottom:6px;"></div>
    <div style="display:flex;justify-content:space-between;font-size:11px;color:#4c4d4f;">
      <span>0–11</span>
      <span>11–19</span>
      <span>19–33</span>
      <span>33–51</span>
      <span>51–81</span>
      <span>81–99</span>
    </div>
  </div>

</div>

As always though, LLM recommendations were far from uniform. With visibility varying significantly across models, consumers’ exposure to airlines appears to be highly dependent on which models they use. For example, while Ryanair was highly visible on Grok (99%), DeepSeek (98%), and Claude (93%), it was much less so on Google’s Gemini (63%) and AI Overviews (42%). Instead, on AI Overviews, arguably one of the more prominent platforms for the everyday consumer, British Airways scored highest with 60% visibility.

Overall, Grok, DeepSeek, and Claude recommended low-cost airlines more aggressively for the best flight deals, while Perplexity and Google AI Overviews mentioned a slightly wider range of brands. 

Strategic Takeaway: For legacy and hybrid carriers targeting cost-conscious travelers, and indeed for brands targeting consumers in any industry, optimizing for the LLMs they use most is key to staying competitive. 

<div style="max-width:1000px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;background-color:#ffffff;border-radius:12px;box-shadow:0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.08);overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #eaeaea;">
  
  
  <div style="height:6px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#28bbbb,#b627a1);"></div>
  
  
  <div style="padding:16px 20px 8px 20px;">
    <div style="font-size:18px;font-weight:600;color:#000000;margin-bottom:4px;">
      Airline Brand Sentiment Overview
    </div>
    <div style="font-size:13px;color:#4c4d4f;">
      Visibility, sentiment drivers, and strategic implications across major European airlines
    </div>
  </div>
  
  
  <div style="padding:8px 16px 16px 16px;">
    <table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-size:14px;color:#4c4d4f;">
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Brand</th>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Visibility</th>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Positive Sentiment Drivers</th>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Negative Sentiment Drivers</th>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">What It Means</th>
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Ryanair</td>
          <td>88%</td>
          <td>Very strong on price and network coverage</td>
          <td>Highest negatives (17) driven by fees, baggage, and add-ons</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">High visibility amplifies trade-offs</td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="background-color:#f9fefe;">
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">easyJet</td>
          <td>87%</td>
          <td>Price + convenience (main airports, flexibility, usability)</td>
          <td>Fee-related concerns (13) but less severe</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">Best balance of value + experience</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Wizz Air</td>
          <td>81%</td>
          <td>Low fares and strong Eastern Europe coverage</td>
          <td>Fees, baggage costs, and add-ons (13)</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">Strong value but trust gap</td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="background-color:#f9fefe;">
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Vueling</td>
          <td>48%</td>
          <td>Competitive pricing and strong regional routes</td>
          <td>Fees and ancillary costs (lower volume)</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">Good perception but low scale</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">British Airways</td>
          <td>31%</td>
          <td>More stable experience, fewer complaints</td>
          <td>Limited negatives but weak link to “deals”</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">Not seen as value</td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="background-color:#f9fefe;">
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Lufthansa</td>
          <td>26%</td>
          <td>Reliability and full-service quality</td>
          <td>Minimal negatives but low relevance to deals</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">Strong equity but low inclusion</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Air France / KLM</td>
          <td>~16%</td>
          <td>Balanced, fewer negatives</td>
          <td>Very low negatives but also low presence</td>
          <td style="font-weight:500;color:#000000;">Missing from “deals” conversation</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </div>

</div>

Being recommendations, LLMs inherently had more praise than critique for the airlines they mentioned. However, responses were not 100% positive, nor did they highlight the same qualities across airlines.

LLMs positively mentioned Ryanair’s and easyJet’s prices, route availability, and flight frequency. Plus, easyJet enjoyed additional praise for its airport access, ease of use, and flexibility. Wizz Air stood out for its strong Eastern/Central Europe coverage, and Vueling for its strength in Southern Europe. Overall, outside of just low fares, AI prioritized broad and convenient networks in its recommendations to European spring breakers on a budget.

On the flip side, lack of transparency was a recurring theme in less than favorable brand mentions. LLMs frequently warned consumers to “watch for extra fees” or “check baggage policies”, driving home the narrative low prices come with caveats.

For low-cost carriers, negative sentiment drivers highlight opportunities to build trust through price transparency and simplicity. For legacy airlines, the challenge comes in demonstrating total cost efficiency. 
Strategic Takeaway: Winning the AI-driven discovery game for cost-conscious consumers may depend on ensuring that “deals” are not just seen as cheap, but as genuinely valuable.

Brand Websites Had Limited Influence on LLMs

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  <div style="height:6px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#28bbbb,#b627a1);"></div>
  
  
  <div style="padding:16px 20px 8px 20px;">
    <div style="font-size:18px;font-weight:600;color:#000000;margin-bottom:4px;">
      Top Sources
    </div>
    <div style="font-size:13px;color:#4c4d4f;">
     
    </div>
  </div>
  
  
  <div style="padding:8px 16px 16px 16px;">
    <table cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%;border-collapse:separate;border-spacing:0;font-size:14px;color:#4c4d4f;">
      <thead>
        <tr>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Website</th>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Mentions</th>
          <th style="text-align:left;background-color:#c4f4f4;border-bottom:1px solid #eaeaea;">Source Type</th>
        
        </tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Kayak.com</td>
         
          <td>63</td>
           <td>Travel Deal Platform</td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="background-color:#f9fefe;">
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Momondo.com</td>
          <td>56</td>
          <td>Travel Deal Platform</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Virginatlantic.com</td>
          <td>55</td>
          <td>Airline</td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="background-color:#f9fefe;">
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Thriftytraveler.com</td>
          <td>43</td>
          <td>Travel Deal Resource and News Website</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Expedia.com</td>
          <td>40</td>
          <td>Travel Deal Platform</td>
        </tr>
        <tr style="background-color:#f9fefe;">
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Travelocity.com</td>
          <td>39</td>
          <td>Travel Deal Platform</td>

        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Skyscanner.com</td>
          <td>37</td>
          <td>Travel Deal Platform</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Easyjet.com</td>
          <td>32</td>
          <td>Airline</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Britishairways.com</td>
          <td>27</td>
          <td>Airline</td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td style="color:#28bbbb;font-weight:600;">Going.com</td>
          <td>27</td>
          <td>Travel Deal Platform</td>
        </tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </div>

</div>

For brands across industries, reshaping LLM narratives begins with developing strategies for the sources that influence them most. In the case of spring break airline deals, travel deal platforms were more influential than brand websites in informing AI-generated responses. They accounted for six of the ten leading sources, led by Kayak with 63 mentions and Momondo with 56 mentions. 

Three brand websites ranked among the top ten sources, including Virgin Atlantic which did not achieve a top visibility score. A lone earned media source, Thrifty Traveler, also made the list, highlighting just how influential niche websites with consistent, expert-informed content can be. 

Collectively, however, LLMs relied far more on aggregator content than on brand-owned messaging when constructing recommendations, likely perceiving them as more objective and useful.  

Strategic Takeaway: First, for airlines, winning in AI requires strong presence in aggregator ecosystems and trusted, niche websites, not just owned channels. Second, brands regardless of industry must ensure that third-party sources accurately reflect their value proposition so that the LLMs that reference them do as well.

As AI increasingly shapes how travelers discover and evaluate options, visibility in LLM responses grows more closely tied to consumer demand. For airlines and travel brands, gaining an edge lies in understanding where, how, and how often you appear compared to competitors. It also requires aligning messaging across the third-party sources LLMs rely on most.

Across industries, the AI era is challenging marketers to pinpoint exactly how these platforms characterize and perpetuate information to a wide range of high-intent buyers. GenAI Lens makes that research feasible at scale, finally giving brands the chance to take control of their AI narrative. 

FAQ: Airline Deals, AI Recommendations, and LLM Visibility

Which airlines have the best deals for Europe travel in spring 2026?

According to Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis of flight deals for spring break, low-cost carriers like Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air are most frequently recommended by AI models. These airlines dominate visibility due to their strong association with affordability, route availability, and frequent service across Europe.

How do AI tools decide which airlines to recommend for cheap flights?

Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis shows that LLMs prioritize airlines based on factors like price competitiveness, network coverage, and how often they appear in trusted third-party sources like aggregators and travel deal sites. This means brands with strong presence on platforms like Kayak or Momondo are more likely to be recommended.

Do different AI models recommend different airlines?

Yes. Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis of LLM recommendations for spring break airline deals in Europe reveals significant variation across models. For example, Ryanair has near-total visibility on Grok and DeepSeek but is much less prominent on Google AI Overviews, where British Airways performs better. This highlights how airline discovery depends heavily on the AI platform used.

What factors influence airline rankings in AI-generated answers?

According to Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis of LLM recommendations for spring break airline deals, key factors include visibility (how often a brand appears), prevalence (how consistently it’s included), frequency (total mentions), and prominence (placement within responses). Airlines that perform well across all four metrics are more likely to dominate recommendations.

What are the pros and cons of low-cost airlines according to AI?

Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis of LLM recommendations for spring break airline deals shows that AI consistently praised low-cost airlines for price and route coverage, but also flagged drawbacks like extra fees, baggage costs, and pricing complexity. This creates a “cheap but with trade-offs” narrative in AI-generated answers.

Why don’t airline websites influence AI recommendations for flight deals very much?

Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis found that AI models rely heavily on third-party sources like aggregators (e.g., Kayak, Momondo). They potentially perceive these websites as more objective and useful than brand websites.

How can airlines improve their visibility in AI search results for flight deals?

Based on Meltwater’s GenAI Lens insights, airlines can improve visibility by strengthening their presence and consistent value messaging on aggregator platforms.

Why does AI visibility matter for airlines and travel brands?

As highlighted in Meltwater’s GenAI Lens analysis, AI recommendations have the potential to shape early-stage travel decisions. Airlines that are consistently visible in LLM recommendations have greater exposure to high-intent travelers, likely giving them a competitive advantage in bookings and brand preference.

The European Airlines Dominating LLMs

PR has quietly shifted under everyone’s feet. You’re still pitching stories, still building relationships, but that’s not where the story ends anymore.

Now there’s another layer sitting on top of everything, with AI tools pulling from thousands of sources, stitching together a version of your brand, and handing that to your audience as the answer. Not a list of links, not a balanced mix of opinions from different sources, just one clean response.

So the real question isn’t whether you landed the coverage, it’s how AI perceives your brand narrative, because that’s what your audience is starting to see first.

This is where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) comes in. It gives you a way to influence how AI systems describe your company, your category, and your relevance, and if you get it right, you don’t just show up in AI platforms, you show up accurately, consistently, and in the right context.

The shift: From gatekeepers to synthesizers

How Meltwater can help you optimize your PR strategies for GEO

Key takeaways: Mastering narrative control in the age of AI

PR used to be straightforward. You pitched a story, a journalist wrote it, and your audience read it. Now, AI sits in the middle, pulling from thousands of sources at once - it doesn’t just pass information along, it rewrites it, compresses it, decides what matters.

So instead of one story being told, you’ve got this blended version of your brand floating around, built from dozens or hundreds of inputs, and you don’t get to approve it.

Earned media still matters, but it’s no longer the final word. AI is looking across sources, weighing them, spotting repetition, and if something shows up often enough, in similar terms, it starts to look like the truth.

That’s where things get tricky, because if your messaging isn’t consistent, or if competitors are more disciplined than you are, their version of the story starts to win.

You can’t rely on isolated wins anymore, one strong article won’t carry your narrative. What matters is the full picture. Every mention, every quote, every page on your site, it all adds up to create the version of your brand and your organization that AI sees and passes on to its users. 

That means your PR, SEO, and content teams need to work together, not in silos. You’re not just telling stories any more, you’re making sure those stories line up, everywhere, all the time. Clean, simple, repeatable, because that’s what AI understands.

3. GEO as category creation & domination strategy

5. The defensive GEO playbook (proactive protection)

6. Crisis communications in the age of GEO (reactive & long-term repair)

Visibility sounds simple, but in this context it’s not just about being seen, it’s about being understood clearly and consistently. That difference matters more than most teams realize, because AI doesn’t just surface your brand, it interprets it.

AI leans heavily on sources it already trusts, like major publications, analyst reports, and established platforms, so if you’re not showing up in those places you’re already behind. But even when you are present, what really matters is how those sources describe you, because that language becomes part of how AI defines your brand.

This is where things often break down. A lot of brands try to sound ambitious or forward-thinking, and in doing so they drift into vague, overcomplicated language that doesn’t hold up. AI needs clarity to work with, not clever phrasing, so if you can’t explain what you do in simple, direct terms, it won’t be able to either.

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