Do you have a preferred Australian domestic airline?
No. For regional routes, possibly Qantaslink is preferred over Qantas and Virgin. Even though Qantaslink is part of Qantas, the service seems to be a little better possibly because it caters for mainly business/industry travel.
We’re looking into what people think of Australia’s four main airlines (Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and Tigerair).
See above and…
The only one I haven’t flown on regularly (or at all) if Tiger. There is not particular reason except for the fact that they don’t seem to travel on the legs we most often fly or at times that we prefer. I also agree with @PhilT that my only concern about Tiger would be its reputation in relation to cancelled flights and lack of alternative connections.
Do you prefer to fly with (or avoid!) a particular airline?
No, with exception of Qantaslink as outlined above. But Qantaslink may be the only airline servicing the particular port as well, or completion is low (e.g. used to be serviced by Virgin ATRs. but no longer are)
Do you choose your domestic flights based on the cheapest price?
Yes, both price and time of flight. If for personal travel, I avoid the bloodshot eye flights before sunrise as they tend to knock me around (being tired) for the rest of the day,
Best service? Comfort?
Qantaslink as outlined above.
I also enjoy flying on the turboprops (Bombardier series) as while they are narrow, they are reasonably comfortable for short flight legs.
Safety?
Personally don’t think safety is an issue in Australia for the large commercial airlines…
https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/tigerair-australia/
https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/virgin-australia/
https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/qantas/
https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/qantaslink/
These airlines have had no major safety incidents, with exception of Tiger but this was due to their safety management system rather than a aeroplane incident per say.
Tiger is the only one not given 7 stars by Airlineratings.com – The world’s best one-stop airline safety and product rating review website
I must admit when travelling domestically in other countries, the safety ratings are factored into who we fly with.
Anything else?
The other factor as outlined above is the number of flights each day, their time.