Further investigation of behavioural intention towards LCAs: multi-group analyses of air traveller behaviouristics
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-10-2020-0394 |
| Published date | 30 June 2021 |
| Date | 30 June 2021 |
| Pages | 101-120 |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,International business |
| Author | Chawannuch Wungrotjanarut,Olimpia C. Racela |
Further investigation of behavioural
intention towards LCAs: multi-group
analyses of air traveller behaviouristics
Chawannuch Wungrotjanarut and Olimpia C. Racela
Abstract
Purpose –This study investigated an appended belief-attitude-intention (BAI) model, which included
two antecedent beliefs of attitude and two marketing factors as additional determinants of air traveller
behavioural intentionstowards low-cost airlines (LCAs). The hypothesized relationshipswere compared
acrossdifferent behaviouristic groupsbased on flying frequency, travel purposeand travel party size.
Design/methodology/approach –Survey data from 331 air travellers intercepted at a major
international airport in Thailand were analysed using structural equation modelling and bootstrapping
multiple-groupcomparisons to investigatethe hypothesizedmediation and moderation effects.
Findings –Results indicate that behavioural intention towards LCAsis largely influenced by perceived
price, followed by attitude towards LCAs and subjective norm and not determined by airport
accessibility. Antecedent beliefs of perceived service quality and uncertainty avoidance influence
behavioural intention,as mediated by attitude towards LCAs. The role of subjective norm varied among
air travellergroups.
Practical implications –Managers can manageprice perceptions by focusing on LCA affordabilityand
they should closely scrutinizethese air traveller behaviouristic groups to identifyopportunities to appeal
to the distinctivecognitive responses of travellersegments.
Originality/value –This study tested an appended BAI model across three different air traveller
behavioural characteristics, a multi-group analytical approach that can reveal meaningful implications,
yet has been underusedin LCA research.
Keywords Thailand, Uncertainty avoidance, Service quality, Behavioural intention, Low-cost airline,
Airport accessibility
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In 2019, low-cost airlines (LCAs) accounted for 31% of the world’s total seat capacity
(Mazareanu, 2020), with one out of three air travellers in the world having flown on a LCA.
Asia’s air transport industry has undergone a major shift with the rapid entry and expansion
of LCAs, which have made air travel accessible to a broader public while simultaneously
intensifying pressure on airlinesto fill seat capacity. According to the Centre for Asia Pacific
Aviation (CAPA), slightly over half of all air travellers in the Southeast Asia region flew by
LCA, making this region the most competitive LCA market in the world (Asia Fund Manager,
2020). LCAs attempt to draw price-savvy consumers with super-low no-frills fares. As LCAs
compete to match or undercut competitors’ fares to capture market share, the lowest fares
have become an attribute that does not differentiate LCAs (Truong, Pan and Buaphiban,
2020). As the market of air travellers continues to grow and diversify in composition, other
contextual elements are expectedto play important roles in influencing consumers’ decision
to travel by LCA.
Chawannuch Wungrotjanarut
is based at Safety, Security
and Quality Department at
Nok Airlines, Pcl., Don
Mueang, Thailand.
Olimpia C. Racela is based
at Business Administration
Division –Marketing,
Mahidol University
International College,
Salaya, Thailand.
Received 7 October 2020
Revised 21 March 2021
Accepted 10 April 2021
DOI 10.1108/JABS-10-2020-0394 VOL. 16 NO. 1 2022, pp. 101-120, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jPAGE 101
Numerous studies have examined extended models of behavioural intention among large
pooled samples of air travellers (Buaphiban and Truong, 2018;Truong et al.,2020).
However, most overlook the possible distinct cognitive nuances of specific air traveller
segments. This current study fills this gap and responds to the call for LCA studies to
examine moderating effects of traveller characteristics (Truong et al., 2020), contributing to
this under-researched area in the air travel and services marketing literature. Specifically,
this paper provides an empirical test of an appended model of behavioural intention across
three relevant air traveller behaviouristics, namely, flying frequency, i.e. infrequent vs
frequent, travel purpose, i.e. leisure vs non-leisure and travel party size, i.e. lone vs travel
with a few vs travel with a large group. Managers need an enhanced understanding of the
relative influences of a broader range of behavioural intention determinants across specific
air traveller segments.
This study builds on the tenets of the belief-attitude-intention (BAI) model (Fishbein and
Ajzen, 1975), which has undergone several transformations, i.e. the initial theory of
reasoned action (TRA) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991). The BAI
model presumes that individual behaviour is contingent upon intention, which depends on
attitude towards the behaviour and on the subjective norm,i.e. perceived opinions of others
to engage in the behaviour. As the ultimate aim of the BAI model is to explain a significant
proportion of behavioural intention, the model is open to the incorporation of additional
predictors that are meaningful to the particular context of interest (Ajzen, 1991). With this in
mind, we integrated literature in servicesmarketing, consumer psychology and air transport
management to develop a model of air traveller behavioural intention towards LCAs. In this
study, the BAI is appended in three ways. Firstly, we included two antecedent beliefs of
attitude, namely, service quality and uncertainty avoidance, each of which has been
recognized in the consumer behaviour literature as a key determinant of attitude formation,
particularly in high-involvement decision-making situations (Bhalla and Overton, 2019;
Churchill and Surprenant, 1982;Fan et al., 2019). Secondly, we included two marketing-
related factors, namely, perceived price and airport accessibility, as determinants of
behavioural intention. These two marketing-related factors are noted in the marketing
literature as critical cuesthat influence the consumer decision-making process (Joneset al.,
2003). Thirdly, we examined this appended BAI model across three different air traveller
behaviouristics, each of which serves as a common segmentation basis in the airline
industry. By pursuing this study, the findings provide meaningful theoretical contributions to
the application of BAI models to an emerging market in Asia as well as insightful
implications for LCA managers and marketers striving to acquire more passengers in their
highly competitive markets.
Theoretical underpinnings and research model
Belief-attitude-intention models
Numerous studies have proposed and tested an extended behavioural intention model to
empirically identify meaningfulcognitive and attitudinal predictors of passenger behavioural
intention towards LCAs. This current study’s appended model is anchored in Fishbein and
Ajzen’s (2009) BAI model that postulates that an individual’s behavioural intention, which
refers to a person’s inclination to engage in a particular behaviour, is determined by two
cognitive processes of attitude(i.e. individual influence) and subjective norm (i.e. normative
influence). Both attitude and subjective norm have been shown to be meaningful predictors
of air traveller behavioural intentions (Buaphiban and Truong, 2018;Pan and Truong,2018).
While the construct of perceiving behavioural control has been regarded as a predictor of
behavioural intention (Ajzen,1991), its influence has not been consistently found in samples
involving Asian air travellers and LCA airlines (Buaphiban and Truong, 2018;Pan and
Truong, 2018;Truong et al.,2020), and therefore, was notincluded in this study.
PAGE 102 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jVOL. 16 NO. 1 2022
To continue reading
Request your trial