Drivers of airline loyalty: Evidence from the business travelers in China

Vlachos, I.; Lin, Z.

Abstract

This paper examines the key factors that determine business traveler loyalty toward full-service airlines in China. Based on literature review and panel interview, ten airline attributes under three categories were derived: (a) operational factors: safety, punctuality, and aircraft; (b) competitive factors: frequency of flights, schedule, frequent flyer program, ticket price, and reputation; and (c) attractive factors: in flight food & drinks and in flight staff service. We surveyed 2000 Chinese business travelers on domestic flights, obtaining 462 usable questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analysis reveals that reputation, in-flight service, frequent flyer program, and aircraft have the greatest influence in driving airline loyalty.

Citation

Vlachos, I., & Lin, Z. (2014). Drivers of airline loyalty: Evidence from the business travelers in China. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 71, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2014.07.011

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 27, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Sep 17, 2014
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Nov 10, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 13, 2017
• Journal: Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review
• Print ISSN: 1366-5545
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 71
• Pages: 1-17
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2014.07.011
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1371406