PurposeBy extending the existing service quality dimensions and reflecting the low-cost carriers (LCCs) context, the purpose ot this study aims to develop the research model to examine whether passenger satisfaction mediates the relationship between service quality and behavioral intentions of LCCs across low- and high-experience passengers.Design/methodology/approachData collected from 320 passengers (180 for low-experience passengers and 140 for high-experience passengers) to test the research model. The partial least square structural equation modeling approach was used to perform the path modeling and multi-group analysis.FindingsThe results confirm that passenger satisfaction mediates the relationship between four service quality constructs (tangible features, service reliability, quality of personnel and online ticketing service) and behavioral intentions (repurchase and recommendation intentions) for both low- and high-experience passengers. However, convenient flight schedule has a significant influence on passenger satisfaction only for low-experience passengers.Practical implicationsThe results of multi-group analysis indicated that passenger satisfaction exerts stronger effect on recommendation intentions for low-experience passengers. LCCs managers' priority should be placed on providing satisfying service experiences to less experienced passengers. Improved passenger satisfaction through superior service quality motivates low-experience passengers to recommend LCCs, thus increasing the positive word-of-mouth promotion.Originality/valueTheoretically, this study is first considering both low- and high-experience LCCs passenger perceptions to examine how passenger satisfaction mediates the relationship between service quality and post-purchase intentions. From the managerial perspective, the findings can provide useful management insights into developing multi-faceted strategies that allow LCCs firms to restore passenger confidence and retain their repurchase intentions.
Long-haul tourist arrivals depend on the airline market, its size, and the degree of competition. This article studies the entry and exit of full service carriers (FSCs), charter carriers (CCs) and low-cost carriers (LCCs) from two origins: the United Kingdom and Germany, and five sun-and-beach destinations in Spain. The relationship among all types of airlines is captured with a trivariate structural time series model to disentangle the airlines’ responses under common shocks of airlines’ entry and/or exit and provides estimates of immediate responses and indicators of responses over time. The results show that in the British market, the entry of LCCs has crowded out FSCs and CCs. However, in the German market, the results are heterogeneous and overall do not support the existence of such crowding out effect.
Since the liberalization of the airline industry, the low-cost business model has been developed worldwide and a new business model of long-haul low-cost carriers (LHLCCs) has evolved. This chapter aims to investigate the LHLCC business model from a customer-oriented perspective in terms of service quality and perceived value. For this purpose, the authors investigated the effect of service quality on perceived value for money for LHLCCs. In this chapter, user-generated content was adopted to collect data, and 824 user-generated airline reviews were collected from TripAdvisor.com, the largest tourism-related repository. In order to investigate the relationship, a predictive correlational design was structured and a logistic regression analysis was applied. To contribute to the regression analysis, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to measure the classification success. As a result, the logit model describes well the relationship between variables for LHLCCs.
The deregulation of air transport has increased competition between air carriers, resulting in lower fares and increased volumes of passengers. Subsequently, the fare reduction has altered the market structure with the establishment of new carriers, strategic alliances and mergers, and the bankruptcy of several traditional airlines which were unable to adapt to the new environment. The emergence of low cost carriers (LCCs) is one important outcome of the deregulation. LCCs entered the market by offering a differentiated product based on bare services offered at significantly lower prices. The main target was travelers with increased sensitivity in pricing and less demand for all-around services. The rise in terms of passengers and flights dictated a better utilization of the fleet, requiring reduced turnaround times at airports. Many central airports had very little flexibility and capacity necessary to facilitate additional timeslots. As an answer to inadequate capacity combined with higher taxes and fees, most LCCs have chosen to use secondary or regional airports. This choice has altered the balance and strategic importance between airports and increased their importance for air carriers. This paper examines the evolution and development of LCCs globally, along with the consequences of their expansion to the traditional carriers, the market and the passengers. Emphasis is given to the relationship between LCCs and airports which has resulted in an additional increase in air travel. The prospects of Greece as a market for LCCs are also being discussed.
Have Low-Cost Carriers Crowded Out Full Services and Charter Carriers in Tourism Destinations? A Trivariate Structural Time Series Analysis