The effect of flag carrier airlines' corporate image on the country's image: The example of Turkish Airlines

In order for corporate companies to achieve their goals such as competing with other companies, being successful, and increasing their profits, they must first increase their own corporate image. The ability of companies to ensure and protect their corporate image is directly affected by the quality of the products and services they provide. Components such as measuring the corporate image, protecting the current reputation, creating the necessary strategies to create a stronger image, and ensuring stability constitute the necessary stages for companies to improve their corporate image. The names of corporate companies, the work they do, their connections with other companies and their level of competition create their images. As in many sectors, corporate image is important in airline transportation systems. However, as the corporate image reaches global areas, the contribution of the corporate image to the country is an undeniable fact. In the context of the aviation industry, the company that represents Turkey at the highest level in terms of both brand value, reputation and country image is undoubtedly Turkish Airlines. In this thesis study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of the flag carrier airlines' corporate image on the country's image in the context of Turkish Airlines. For this purpose, 47 people selected among frequent flyers were included in the study. Country Image and Corporate Image measurements were made by survey method. The data obtained from the surveys were examined through the SPSS 25 statistical package program. In the light of the findings obtained as a result of the analysis, the contribution of flag carrier airline companies to the country's image and the role of flag carriers in country awareness were investigated. It was concluded that the relationship was at a high level and increases in the corporate image sub-factor increased the Country Image Scale when the relationship between corporate image and country image scales was examined by correlation analysis.