Note
Antecedents of airline passenger loyalty: Low-cost versus traditional airlines

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2010.01.001Get rights and content

Abstract

This study identifies the antecedents of airline user loyalty. A survey is administered to users of three airlines operating Barcelona–London flights. The results show that the principal antecedent of conative loyalty is affective loyalty. The main antecedents of affective loyalty are satisfaction and trust, the latter being revealed as a key variable for guaranteeing the success of relationships between the airline and its users, and also for understanding long term purchasing behavior.

Introduction

The explosion of the low-cost airlines has had an enormous impact on the civil aviation market. A specific segment of the users of airlines are loyal to the low-cost concept, while others continue to prefer the traditional flag carriers. A key question is to identify the elements that lead a customer to be loyal to one company or to another. This study identifies the antecedents of airline user loyalty.

Section snippets

Context

For airlines, customer loyalty has become a key element in their strategies in the competitive milieu in which they operate. Oliver (1997) defines loyalty as the highest level of commitment, implying the transition from a favorable predisposition (affective loyalty) to a repeated purchase commitment (conative loyalty) as a prior step to the action of purchase. His model establishes a scale of effects, such that cognitive loyalty is the weakest link of loyalty because loyalty is based on

Methodology

A questionnaire was designed. For perceived value the GLOVAL scale of Moliner et al. and Sánchez et al., 2006, Sánchez et al., 2007 was used for reference. In defining the dimensions professionalism of the personnel and quality of services Chen and Chang, 2005, Liou and Tzeng, 2007 and Pakdil and Aydin (2007) are taken into consideration. To measure satisfaction and loyalty we draw on Oliver, 1980, Oliver, 1997, and in the measurement of trust we take into account Doney and Canon (1997) and

Results

Initially a study is made of the dimensions, reliability and validity of the scales used, to ensure that we are measuring the construct that intended. We next test the various hypotheses put forward using structural equations models (SEM) techniques, and especially path analysis.

Conclusions

From the analysis, we can first conclude, that the principal antecedent of conative loyalty is affective loyalty, irrespective of the type of company, but there are differences in the antecedents of loyalty between the low-cost and the conventional operators. Trust seems to play a more important role in low-cost companies than in conventional ones, since it exercises a direct influence on the behavior intention, conative loyalty, an effect that exists neither in British Airways nor in Iberia.

References (21)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (139)

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text