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Assessing the role of technology on customer satisfaction: A comprehensive study on Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport
Self-service kiosks, self-service baggage drop systems, and smart luggage monitoring technologies improve passenger experiences by reducing check-in and baggage handling times, enhancing on-time performance, and lowering lost luggage incidences. This research investigates the impact of such technologies on customer satisfaction at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Using the Technology Acceptance Model(TAM), the study analyzes passengers' acceptance and intention to use these technologies through questionnaire surveys at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between technology literacy, trust, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness, leading to increased satisfaction. Demographic factors such as gender, age, frequency of airport use, and purpose of the trip were found to have no significant impact on attitudes or intentions towards using the technologies. Despite limitations like small sample size and data collection challenges, the study shows that implementing these technologies can significantly enhance customer satisfaction. Practical recommendations for the airport include installing self-service kiosks and baggage drop systems, deploying smart luggage monitoring, boosting technological literacy, and establishing continuous feedback mechanisms. These advancements can improve passenger experiences, address operational challenges, and support future growth, thereby contributing to the airport's role in fostering economic and social development in Bangladesh.
Industry 4.0 technologies revolutionizing the civil aviation sector: Passenger perspective on modern digitalization (e-services / self-services) implementation
Industry 4.0 technologies have optimized efficiency and effectiveness through the manufacture of sophisticated products and services, which result in enhancement of operations, improvement in safety, time, and cost-saving, and have revolutionized operations in almost all industries and have tremendously transformed the aviation sector. These technologies include but are not limited to artificial intelligence AI, the Internet of Things IoT, big data Analytics, modern robotics, blockchain technologies, etc., which are used as a foundation in the development of e-services that are usually self-serviced through the help of devices or software implemented by airlines or at airports. This study aims to investigate the passenger travel experience with the implementation of e-services before, during, and after trips, from ticket bookings, self check-in kiosks, e-gate, digital in-flight services, and baggage tracking after flight. Also, to understand which modern technologies air travel passengers are familiar with or used and to understand factors that influence acceptance of these e-services. A research model was developed based on the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) and modified to suit the objectives of this study. The study objectives were achieved through a survey, a self-administered online questionnaire from 253 air passengers was obtained, and data was analyzed using SPSS 25 software. The results indicate "performance expectancy, price value, hedonic, motivations, perceived benefits and habit" to have a positive significant influence on behavioral intention, while "social influence, facilitating conditions, effort expectancy and perceived challenges" proposed hypotheses were not supported. The results of the study give insights into how different demographics perceive such implementations. This will provide policymakers ideas on how to better manage and enhance e-services.
The effects of Turkish public diplomacy in sub Saharan Francophone African countries on the brand image of Turkish Airlines: A quantitative research about Turkish Airlines as a soft power tool
Turkish Airlines was founded as a state airline, and today, 49% of the airline belongs to the Republic of Türkiye. From the very beginning, Turkish Airlines acted in accordance with Turkish foreign policy even though it prevented the airline from making a profit. The purpose of this research is to understand the Government-Airline relations within the scope of Turkish Public Diplomacy's effects on Turkish Airlines' brand image with scientific methods. This study aims to understand the relation between Turkish image, Türkiye's image, and Turkish Airlines' image on the continent. To base this study on a scientific basis, a survey is conducted in Istanbul Airport between 24-27th of December 2021 with 126 Sub-Saharan African participants. Results are analyzed by SPSS. The study clearly reveals that there is a positive linear correlation between the images of Türkiye, Turkish people, and Turkish Airlines in African people. It can be concluded that the Turkish Government's longlasting policies and activities in African countries have a positive effect on Turkish Airlines' brand image. Keywords: Brand image, Public diplomacy, Soft Power, Turkish Airlines
Interpretation of airline company commercials using hofstede's cultural dimensions: Examples of Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Sunexpress
The aim of this study is to explain Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and SunExpress commercials on YouTube on the basis of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions. All three airlines have different marketing strategies and approaches to social media. For this study, specifically, their YouTube channels' data and the videos gathered under four topics, safety, sport event, national oriented and international oriented, have been used to compare the airlines' given importance to their YouTube channels and to trace the cultural dimensions of Hofstede in the selected videos. Even though, the different kind of advertisements of airlines have been studied in various ways in previous studies, especially using YouTube as the main social media has never been considered in this context. That's why this study and the ones will be generated accordingly have a great possibility to shape the minds of marketing departments of the airlines. The results have shown that especially the national oriented videos tend to include cultural features of the country. While Turkish Airlines puts great effort on its YouTube channel and the diversity of the videos, Lufthansa is a little bit behind on the number of views, subscribers and the range of the video types etc. SunExpress 10 also emphasizes the cultural traces of both Turkey and Germany in the national oriented videos, however, it has been found that its being a low-cost carrier and having different priorities than two flag carries makes it not logical to compare it to other two airlines. In this direction, embracing an interdisciplinary approach in marketing including human resources, business administration, sociology and psychology is vital in this constantly changing environment.
Key success factors of airline-within-airline model: A qualitative study using the examples of Qantas, Singapore, and Lufthansa Airlines
Aviation has improved in all its dimensions with existing and new airline companies, and the growing competition has led airline companies to develop new strategies. The aviation industry has increasing potential in the LCC business model which is increasing the utilization of selected strategic decisions and threatening the sustainability of a number of legacy airlines. The AWA strategy is efficient as a useful strategic management tool for airlines to compete with LCCs and also to provide additional flexibility during dynamic changes and industry fluctuations. The response of legacy airlines to LCC challenges in the aviation industry is to create an AWA. This research has analyzed the success factors of this strategy, especially for a multi-brand strategy. The AWA strategy should be well-defined for group as a whole and also each brand under the same family. For this reason, the AWA model is a strategic response by FSCs to compete with LCCs. The AWA model enables FSCs to pursue a cost leadership or focus strategy by operating a portfolio of airlines in various market segments. After creating new AWA under the same group, it has been harder to manage dual- or multi-branding and also efficiency in terms of finance and productivity. For this reason, dynamic KPIs detection which are suitable with selected strategies and analysis management are critical for a success formula. Autonomy, network structure, commercial and marketing strategies, product and services, cost efficiency, revenue opportunities, flexibility, agile management, digitalization, human resources policies, union restrictions can be defined as success factors of the AWA strategy. On the other hand, cannibalization and competition can be named as the main reasons for the failure of this business model.
Airline new route selection with pythagorean fuzzy ahp and WASPAS methods
Where to fly is one of the core decision problems of the airline industry. Many programs and tools are used to perform multiple route evaluations to select the optimum route. The previous studies on the subject of airline route selection have used varied methodologies to solve the problem. The airline route selection problem can be interpreted as a complex Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem because it concerns many conflicting criteria and alternative routes contradictory and complex judgments. To cope with these difficulties, a hybrid MCDM approach is proposed in this study by using Pythagorean FAHP and Pythagorean Fuzzy WASPAS methods. A decision analysis is applied for selecting a new route between different alternative routes by evaluating them with determined criteria. Pythagorean FAHP is used for weighting criteria, and Pythagorean Fuzzy WASPAS is used for assessing alternatives. According to the literature review and the experts' opinion, the selection criteria are determined as social/economic conditions, cost, demand, and competitiveness are the main criteria where city population, income and trade, tourism potential, distance, route cost, number of economy passenger, number of business passenger, number of connecting passenger, cargo capacity, number of competitor airlines, frequency of competitor airlines and price of competitor airlines are the sub-criteria of the study. The nine airline experts asked for pairwise comparison of these criteria. The pairwise comparisons of selection criteria are made using linguistic terms. After these linguistic pairwise comparisons are transferred into Pythagorean fuzzy numbers (PFNs) to weigh each criterion's importance. The results of these comparisons show that the main criteria cost (43% weight) and demand (33% weight) impact route selection decision more than social/economic conditions (15% weight) and competitiveness (9% weight). Regarding the criteria, the alternative five routes are evaluated by the route development experts and the best route is selected with Pythagorean WASPAS. This hybrid MCDM methodology presents a feasible solution to the problem.
The impact of cargo and ancillary revenues on net profit for full-service carrier airlines
Air transport has become an increasingly common tool used by most people today and has been a constantly growing industry. On the other hand, it is a sector with low profitability despite high investment costs and risks, which are quickly affected by increasing competition, economic, political, and natural events. That's why airline companies have had to manage their capacities better and generate new revenues due to low profitability rates, high risk, and increasing competition conditions. Ancillary Revenue is defined as the income earned as part of the travel experience through sales made to passengers directly or indirectly before, during, or after the trip. Ancillary revenues are what airline companies offer to their passengers other than the tickets they have sold, services such as inflight catering, baggage fees, loyalty programs, seat fees, advertising and commission revenues, and in-flight entertainment systems. In this study, the relationships between cargo revenues, ancillary revenues, and net profitability of airline companies for the period 2014Q1-2019Q4 were examined in the examples of three full-service airline companies (Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines). The study revealed that there is cointegration between cargo revenues, ancillary revenues, and net profit, and there are one-way causality relationships from both cargo revenues to net profit and from ancillary revenues to net profit. The study also indicated a positive correlation between cargo and ancillary revenues, and net profit. In other words, cargo revenues and ancillary revenues have a positive effect on the net profit of airline companies. In addition, the study found that aviation ancillary revenues provide an essential resource for airline companies; furthermore, two American companies are among the top three companies with the highest incomes in the world in terms of Cargo and Ancillary Revenues; also showed that Turkish Airlines' ancillary revenues are lower than those of these two American companies. On the other hand, the study showed that the contribution of Turkish Airlines' cargo revenues to net profit is much higher than the other two companies.
The perceptive analysis of the effect of proactive maintenance scheduling on maintenance costs and airline profitability: A case study of Turkish Airlines Technic
The accelerated development trend that the industry is going through has created an intensively competitive environment between global airlines. Intense competition in the sector and the pronounced decline in profit rates have increased the importance of reducing expenses and costs, in addition to the management of incomes. Towards this aim, airlines implement various methods to reduce their own costs. Maintenance comprises one of the significant expenses incurred by airlines, while airlines adopt various approaches in their cost-reduction efforts, including general maintenance enhancement programs. It has been seen that some of these methods positively affect cost-reduction efforts that have begun to be implemented. Proactive maintenance planning, on the other hand, is considered one of the methods aimed at reducing maintenance costs and thus increasing airline profitability and is actively used by many airlines. Turkish Airlines is playing a leading role in the effective use of proactive maintenance planning management. However, some proactive maintenance practices are controversial. In order to clear the air about these controversies, this research was carried out to make a perceptive analysis of the Turkish Airlines Technic employees. I carried out this study by using a quantitative survey with a sample of 133 Turkish Airlines Technic staff, which consists of technicians, engineers, planning staff, clerks, and managers. Staff was chosen among departments relating to maintenance. Besides questions that measure the perception of Turkish Airlines Technic staff on the effects of proactive maintenance scheduling on maintenance costs and airline scheduling, some questions relating to demography and experience are also posed. The data which is obtained as a result of this study were collected using an online survey method and analyzed with SPSS version 22. Chi-square and Fisher's tests, which are the most appropriate methods for comparing independent variables, were carried out to analyze the results. Keywords: Aircraft ground times, airline costs, airline profitability, aviation and finance, maintenance costs, proactive aircraft maintenance planning.
The impact of corporate social responsibility perception on organizational commitment: The case of cabin crew in a civil aviation company
In the globalizing world, businesses have developed innovative marketing methods to strengthen their market position. Corporate Social Responsibility projects, on the one hand, provide social benefits, on the other hand, increase the brand awareness of businesses by delivering credibility in the eyes of consumers. The rapid increase in competition requires companies to use their human resources, the essential resource, to sustain their existence effectively and efficiently. Organizational commitment has become an essential research topic for business and academics. Although there are studies in the literature to determine the effect of the perception of corporate social responsibility on organizational commitment in the banking, finance, and tourism sectors, studies have not been conducted specifically for the Turkish Aviation Sector. This study examines the relationship between CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) perception and organizational commitment among Turkish cabin crew. At the same time, the social responsibility perception and organizational commitment scores of the participants were compared according to their gender, age, education level, title, and work experience. The scale of CSR assessment by employees, created by Türker (2006). The attitudes toward CSR were measured through a subscale of the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility (PRESOR) that Etheredge (1999) converted into a two-factor framework to assess the significance of social responsibility for employees. For Employees' organizational commitment levels, we used Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) created by Mowday, Steers, and Porter (1979). This study finds a significant positive relationship between the participants' assessment of existing CSR, attitude towards CSR, and organizational commitment scores. In other words, if the participants think they allocate time and effort to the CSR projects of the institution they work for, their organizational commitment increases. Similarly, as the importance given to corporate social responsibility projects by the participants increases, their organizational commitment to the institution they work for also increases.
How does airport branding contribute to city image: The case of Istanbul Airport
The present research was conducted to find out if there is any connection between tourists' branding perception of an airport and the image formed of the associated city after a visit, based on the case of Istanbul Airport, which opened in April 2019. The research sample was drawn from tourists from the Russian Federation who visited Istanbul Airport. A total of 106 respondents answered the questionnaire. A survey was conducted to measure the image of Istanbul held by tourists from the Russian Federation and the main attributes of the city's and airport's branding that are particularly important for them. Finally, the dependence between the quality of the airport branding and the perceived image of the city was evaluated. The data were analyzed by the IBM SPSS program through Descriptive statistics, Independent and Pair Sample t-tests, Factor analysis, Correlation matrix, and Regression analysis. The research established that Istanbul has a very strong positive image among Russian tourists. The factor analysis revealed the significant groups for the attributes of both Istanbul city and Istanbul Airport. Regression models showed the meaningful dependence of city perception and airport perception. This allows us to state that the branding attributes of the airport have a significant influence on the image of the city.
Ancillary revenue for airlines: Analysis of willingness to pay for ancillaries in terms of travel and customer attributes
Over the last decade, ancillary revenue has become very important for the aviation industry. Ancillary revenue shares have increased rapidly and contributed to the overall revenue stream: fluctuating fuel prices, operational costs, and the global economic recession challenge airlines. The high-cost structure and competitive market conditions pushed airlines to seek opportunities to generate additional income from nonflight-related services. Therefore airlines seek innovative approaches to gain more revenue from their ancillaries. Market research in Bahrain was conducted among travelers by asking about their previous purchase history and willingness to pay for unbundled ancillaries in their future travels. This study aims to examine whether a customer's annual income, travel frequency, carrier type (customer choice and attributes), duration of the flight, travel purpose, and cabin class (travel attributes) have an impact on the willingness to pay (WTP) of airline ancillaries. Also, the customer's past purchase behavior is studied to understand if there is any relation between the demographic profile of customers and purchase attitude. According to the results of the survey, it is found that there is a strong relationship between travel frequency and WTP for ancillaries. On the other hand, there was no direct relation between the purpose of travel and customers' purchase tendency. It is also found that there are differences in WTP for particular ancillary products and services based on the customer's annual income, carrier type, length of flight, and cabin class. Keywords: Airline Ancillary Revenue, Customer Purchase Tendency, Customer and Travel Attributes, Willingness to Pay.
The effect of blockchain awareness on passengers' intention to use biometric technologies at Istanbul Airport
This study measures the intention to use biometric technologies of passengers using Istanbul Airport and the effect of awareness about blockchain technologies on this intention. Biometric technology can be described as the technology to identify a person using biology. Biometric technologies can collect this information and create a person's natural identity card. This information created by biometric technologies is more natural, safer, and more accurate. As these technologies collect sensitive information, the security of these technologies has become just as important. At this point, blockchain comes to the fore to ensure the safety of these technologies. For this purpose, biometric applications in airports, their examples, and the development of these applications are emphasized. Afterward, the place and importance of blockchain technology in biometric applications are emphasized. In order to measure the users' intention to use these technologies, a survey study was conducted at Istanbul Airport, and the results were evaluated. There are several models developed to understand the link between individual acceptance and the use of information systems. Venkatesh et al.'s (2012) UTAUT2 model has been widely accepted. The model used in this research is based on Morosan's (2016) model created according to UTAUT2. Accordingly, it is asked about the performance expectancy of biometric technologies, the effort expectancy of biometric technologies, the privacy concerns of passengers, air travelers' information sensitivity, air travelers' compatibility, and air travelers' knowledge about blockchain. The effects of these concerns on the intention to use biometric technologies are evaluated. In order to assess the relationship between this information and intention, structural equation modeling is used.
A study on the impact of flight attendants' work-life conflict on organisational commitment and burnout
The aviation industry's intensifying competition has led to higher job demands impacting cabin and cockpit crews adversely. This study aims to examine the relationship among work-life conflict, burnout, and organizational commitment in flight attendants. These professionals encounter diverse challenges like irregular hours and extended time away from home. Recognizing the impact of work-life conflict on their well-being and dedication is vital for personal and organizational success. Conducting an online survey using SPSS for analysis, the research delves into the association between work-life conflict, burnout, and organizational commitment. Results highlight a significant positive connection between work-life conflict and burnout among flight attendants. Individuals with lower work-life conflict experience less burnout, indicating the protective role of work-life balance against demanding schedules. Furthermore, a negative correlation is observed between work-life conflict and organizational commitment. Flight attendants with lower work-life conflict exhibit higher commitment levels to their airlines. These findings hold critical implications for both airlines and the welfare of flight attendants. Understanding the importance of work-life conflict, airlines can introduce measures such as flexible schedules, support initiatives, and enhanced communication channels to aid flight attendants in achieving a healthier work-life balance. Establishing equilibrium between professional and personal life can lower burnout rates, enhance commitment, boost job satisfaction, elevate performance, and reduce turnover. In summary, this research emphasizes the pivotal influence of work-life conflict on the well-being and commitment of flight attendants in the aviation industry. It underscores the necessity for airlines to prioritize strategies addressing work-life conflict, tailored to the unique challenges faced by these professionals. Future studies should explore other factors impacting work-life conflict and effective interventions that promote balance, yielding positive outcomes in aviation. Keywords: Burnout, Organizational Commitment, Work-Life Conflict
The effect of perceived social media marketing performance on brand image the example of Libyan aviation sector
With this rapid rise of social media and new communication technologies affecting integrated marketing communication activities, businesses have to differentiate from each other while carrying out marketing communication activities by using social media to reach their existing customers, gain new ones, give trust, and protect their brand image. This thesis examines whether or not demographic information makes a difference in the positive or negative link between perceived social media performance and brand image. This research is a descriptive field study. Two scales will be answered in the survey using a 5-point Likert scale. The universe of the study is the consumers who have preferred Libyan Airlines. The created questionnaire will be carried out with 200 participants. Descriptive statistical methods will be used while analyzing the survey questions. The methods used are factor analysis, correlation analysis, ANOVA, and T-test. It was determined that there was no significant difference between the educational status of the participants and their perceived social media performance. It was determined that there was no significant difference between the income level of the participants and the perceived social media performance. Keywords: Aviation, Brand Image, Libya, Marketing, Performance, Social Media.
The impact of social media on brands in the airline industry:The case study of Turkish Airlines
Brands have very crucial roles in consumer's decisions and purchase preferences. Creating unique, favorable and strong brands provide to occur sustainable competitive advantages with alluring economic returns to increase confidence of passengers in the carriers. This thesis elucidates which strategies and methods are used by airlines to make firm their brands over the last two decades, particularly Turkish Airlines. According to conceptual model by Eun-Ju and Park, its very important to control the brand with the right strategy. Brand image is fundamental dymanic for a brand so this thesis will emphasize brand image and integrated dyanamics with it such as such social media, co-branding strategies, brand credibility, advertising, sponsorship and promotion that are strategies to create and develop stronger brand image in airline industry. The questionnaire technique is used in this thesis. Questionnaires are prepared according to the hypotheses of the thesis transferred to consumers to reply. The data obtained were analysed using ANOVA test, and regression analysis. The convenience is tested using SPSS program. The survey consists of 257 passengers that usually travel to different areas of the world by Turkish Airlines. There are some variables such as flight service quality and postflight service quality, passenger contentment, airline brand image, airline brand value, brand awareness, advertisement strategies and social media importance. According to thesis results, social media activities have important impacts on strong brand image.
The effects of internal communication on job satisfaction: Example of a commercial airline
Communication is known to be one of the fundamental needs of individuals. In the aviation sector, the dimension of communication is crucial, especially considering the large number of employees. It is essential to observe its impact on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a significant factor in professional life, so it is crucial to identify and examine the valid factors that affect it. 'Internal communication' stands out as a primary factor among them. Meeting employees' expectations from the institution, enhancing their intrinsic values within the organization, ensuring their willingness to work, and thus contributing to the job in a high-quality manner can only be achieved by raising the level of internal communication. The higher the job satisfaction level, the more the success of the organization increases, making it easier for the company to achieve its growth goals. Especially in sectors operating internationally, such as aviation, strong internal communication is crucial. This study aims to discover the role of internal communication in the corporate sector and observe its contribution to job satisfaction among employees in the aviation industry. According to the findings, there is no significant difference in the ICS and JSS scores of participants by age, gender, marital status, educational level, and position. On the other hand, a significant difference is determined in the JSS scores by working experience. The participants with experience of 0-5 years had higher job satisfaction scores than those with 6-10 years of experience. Moreover, the examination of the relationship between ICS and JSS scores demonstrates that there was a moderate, significant, and positive relationship between them. The increase in the ICS scores of the employees also increases the JSS scores.
Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates' social media strategies before, during, and after COVID-19
The aviation industry has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, with digital technologies and social media becoming a vital tool for communication and marketing. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, presenting unprecedented challenges to airlines. This thesis explores the social media strategies of Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates before, during, and after the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global air travel, resulting in travel restrictions, reduced passenger numbers, and financial strain on the aviation sector. In response, airlines turned to social media to maintain vital connections with passengers, deliver real-time updates, and navigate this uncertain landscape. The aim of this study is threefold: (i) to assess the pre-pandemic social media strategies of these airlines, (ii) to investigate how these strategies evolved during the pandemic, and (iii) to compare the effectiveness of social media strategies before and after COVID-19. This research offers insights into how these aviation giants utilized social media to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. The findings have significant implications for aviation stakeholders, marketing professionals, and researchers, shedding light on the evolving role of social media in crisis communication and marketing. The thesis is structured into chapters, including a literature review, research methodology, results, and discussions. It concludes with important insights into the changing landscape of social media strategies in the aviation industry during unprecedented global events. Keywords: Aviation Industry, COVID-19, Crisis Communication, Social Media Strategies.
Segmentation of passengers technological preferences at Turkish airports
Companies with an aviation focus are constantly looking for new, creative methods to improve the industry's passenger experience and operational effectiveness. This study aims to assess the segmentation of passengers' technological preferences at Turkish airports. The objectives are to provide a better insight to Aviation Companies in Turkey to assess the technological preferences of passengers on the assessment of their primary needs and to examine the characteristics of passengers that are openly associated with their technological choices. The positivist school of thought, the logical method, and quantitative research techniques are all utilised in this work. Additionally, information is gathered through survey questionnaires from passengers using various airlines who use Turkish airports. Purposive sampling is used in this study, which has a sample size of 455. Different statistical methods, including regression, correlation, and descriptive statistics, are used to analyze the data. The results show that biometric technology, personal device usage, personalization and customization, streaming and on-demand entertainment have significant impact on technological preferences of travelers. However, contactless solutions, inflight Wi-Fi, and mobile apps and digital services have no impact on technological preferences of travelers. Keywords: Aviation Industry; Passenger Experience; Technological Preferences; Turkish Airports; Technological Impact; Quantitative Analysis.
Airline new route selection with Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP and Moora methods: An application for an airline
The airline industry is fiercely competitive, and choosing new locations is essential to maintaining carriers' competitiveness and financial success. However, because there are so many different variables and requirements to take into account, this procedure is frequently difficult and complex. An effective choice of new routes can result in large benefits and returns, but an inefficient choice can have negative effects. To help airline firms choose the best routes and destinations, it is crucial to establish efficient frameworks and decision-making techniques. By evaluating and validating the key factors that influence airlines' decision-making processes, this research intends to alleviate the difficulties associated with new route selection in the airline sector. What is the primary factors influencing airlines' choice of new routes? is the research question that directs this investigation. A two-pronged methodology is used to accomplish the study goal. The first route entails desk research, which includes looking at a number of instances and the literature on the current conceptual framework. This contributes to a thorough grasp of the variables and standards used to choose a new path. The second way emphasizes the employment of a hybrid model that combines the Interval-Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP technique for weighting the chosen criteria and the MOORA method for evaluating and ranking the alternatives. The results of this study show that the main criteria of cost (40% weight) and demand (17% weight) impact route selection decisions more than social and economic conditions (28% weight) and competitiveness (15% weight). This study adds to the body of knowledge in the area of choosing new airline routes and offers useful information to industry decision-makers. Airlines may improve their competitiveness and profitability by tackling the difficulties and uncertainties involved in choosing new routes and by ultimately making more strategic decisions. Keywords: Aviation Industry, Fuzzy MOORA Method, New Route Selection, Pythagorean Fuzzy AHP.
Impact of airport service quality on customer satisfaction under privatized airport: A survey of Aden Adde International Airport's passengers in Mogadishu, Somalia
Service quality is essential for every service provider with an open market in every industry, especially aviation, which generates billions of dollars for the services that it provides to its customers annually. The quality of the service has an impact on customer satisfaction; in contrast, customer satisfaction will impact back on the service provider. To achieve various corporate goals, it is necessary to focus on customer satisfaction precisely when the entity is privatized. This study focuses on the "impact of airport service quality on customer satisfaction under a privatized airport." The study employed descriptive and correlation analysis. The study conducted 400 questionnaires from passengers who departed from Aden Adde International Airport. Later, we analyzed the data using a statistical package for social science (SPSS), and the findings indicated a strong positive relationship between Airport customer services and customer satisfaction. The study also showed that the majority of the passengers of the airport were not satisfied with the services of Aden Adde International Airport. Keywords: Airport Service Quality; Customer Satisfaction; Privatization.
The analysis of the flight dispatcher's workload in the Turkish aviation industry
This study aims to focus on the increased costs related to the workload of flight dispatchers in the aviation industry, and on the air traffic flow management (ATFM) delays that constitute a significant part of the operational costs in the airlines. Inspired by the conceptual framework of De Cauwer's Temporal Bin Packing Problem, we use flight data of an anonymous Turkish airline company from June to August 2022 on flights to West Europe, Central Europe, and Great Britain, as these regions experience high rates of ATFM delays. The year 2022, considered a part of the post-pandemic period, witnessed significant international events, like the closure of Ukraine's airspace, that have affected air traffic between Turkey and Europe, creating new challenges and opportunities for flight dispatchers and airlines. The findings show that applying the workload metrics of the off-season to the high season generates net savings of 6940,800 in the ATFM delay costs. The results provide valuable insights for the airlines to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and develop efficient strategies. Keywords: Air Traffic Flow Management, Flight Dispatcher, Turkish Aviation.
The effects of digital marketing strategies on customer satisfaction and purchase intention, and the mediating role of perceived value and brand awareness in the aviation industry
In the dynamically evolving landscape of the aviation industry, digital marketing strategies has become increasingly important. This study examines the interplay between digital marketing strategies, customer satisfaction, and purchase intention with a special focus on the mediating role of brand awareness and perceived value. The research covers airlines operating in Gambia. We collect data through a Google Form survey run to 310 passengers who fly at Banjul International Airport. We employ Smart PLS software for the analysis. The results show that there is a significant relationship between digital marketing strategies and customer satisfaction, influencing the purchase intention of passengers in Gambia. The findings also highlight the pivotal role of brand awareness and perceived value in mediating the impact of digital marketing on passenger behaviors. The study provides valuable insights for airlines operating in Gambia to enhance their digital marketing strategies, offering a localized perspective within the unique context of development in aviation.
A comparative analysis of inclusive services for passengers with hidden and visible disabilities at Istanbul Airport
In an era characterized by an unprecedented surge in global air travel, the demand for services tailored to diverse passenger segments has reached new heights. Of particular significance is the increasing focus on individuals with hidden or invisible disabilities, reflecting the aviation industry's evolving commitment to accessibility. This study delves deeply into the world of passengers with both hidden and visible disabilities, conducting a meticulous examination of the services available to them on a global scale and across various airports. Employing a qualitative research methodology, we analyse the provision of special assistance at airports, conducting an exhaustive comparative assessment of passenger services. Through this rigorous investigation, our aim is to provide a detailed overview of the range of services currently accessible to passengers with hidden disabilities worldwide. Additionally, we seek to identify airports that serve as exemplars in providing services to passengers with disabilities, thereby contributing to the advancement of accessibility in air travel. To this end, we examined the provided services in major airports, Istanbul Airport (IGA), Munich Airport (MUC), Incheon International Airport (ICN), Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), and Hamad International Airport (DOH), using MAXQDA software with content analysis method. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in serving passengers with disabilities, fostering inclusivity and equal access in the aviation sector.
Determinants of demand for air cargo transport between Turkey and the selected far east countries
This study aims to explore the fundamental determinants of demand for air cargo by focusing on the case of Turkey and the Far East. A panel data set covering the period 2008-2018 and six Far East destinations is used. The findings indicate that air cargo transportation is influenced by GDP per capita and the number of aircraft emphasizing the important of market size and the cargo capacity.
Rusya'da havayolu seyahati talebini belirleyen etkenler: Moskova-İstanbul uçuşları örneği
This study examines the factors affecting air travel demand for Moscow – Istanbul market and presents a comprehensive econometric demand model in which the most significant parameters for air travel demand have been identified. The analysis is build on time series data from January 2014 to December 2018. DOLS and FMOLS regression models are applied to find the cointegration relationship and compare the effect of these variables. The aim is to find out the most critical factors and how they affect the air travel demand and to provide robust air travel demand elasticity estimates. Besides using the standart demand factors like income per capita and price, frequency, crude oil price and PMI index are included in the model. The scholarly contribution of the thesis lies in taking into account the effect of currency crisis and international economic sanctions in Russian Federation between 2014-2018 in estimating the model. Empirical results indicate that ticket price of Turkish Airlines, ticket price of Aeroflot Russian Airlines (a rival company) and per capita income of Russian travellers are the most significant determinants of travel demand. The coefficients of all three determinants are estimated to be elastic, indicating that the Russian travelers are quite sensitive to the changes in prices and income. Moreover, travel demand is affected negatively by seasonal changes. Flight frequency is found to be statistically insignificant in the model.
Factors affecting customers retention:the case of Turkish Airlines
This Research on the factors of Customer Retention Strategies In the Aviation Industry in the context of Turkish Airlines mainly focused on the African region, in particular Addis Aabba, Ethiopia in the East Africa region. The factors are mainly service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyality, loyality reward, and relationship commitment. The development of technology & the liberalization of the aviation industry has created opportunities for customers nowadays to use a variety of alternatives, which gives rise to high competition in the industry. This situation compels the aviation industry not only to increase its market share in acquiring new customers, but also to be able to retain their current customers. It has attracted the attention of researchers that retaining customers is by far more cost-efficient and incurs less marketing cost than attracting new customers. This situation, therefore, necessitates that Turkish Airlines studies the gap between its customer's perceived and expected retention strategies, and analyzes the factors affecting customer retention in Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines is interested in filling any gaps following the findings of the research. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in this research. The research design is of a descriptive type that describes the characters of objects, people, and the environment. In the research, a 200-sample size was randomly selected from Passengers in the boarding area at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. In addition to that, interviews with the top management and employees of Turkish Airlines Addis Ababa were carried out. Descriptive statistical analysis, factor analysis, and regression were also used in this study. The result of this study is that customer satisfaction and perceived safety, influence customer retention more than other factors.
Exploring the impact of socio-political crises on the operational performance of the Turkish Airlines
This study investigates the impacts of socio-political events on the operational performance of the Turkish Airlines, by referring to the firm-specific factorsi.e. available seat kilometers (ASK), revenue per kilometer (RPK), passenger load factor (PLF) and passenger carried (PC) over the period of 2010M1-2018M12. To conduct the study, we selected four critical events among many others that had a serious impact on the Turkish socio-political environment. These events, by chronological orders, are; Gezi Park, the shooting of the Russian military jet, the attempted military coup and electronic devices ban. To detect the outlier impact, we run four different outlier algorithms, namely outlier detection algorithm (ODA), breakout detection algorithm (BDA), change-point algorithm (CPA) and causal impact analysis on a regional basis. The findings suggest that the socio-political crises have changing impacts on the operational performance of the Turkish Airlines regionally. CPA successfully detected the Gezi Park in domestic, Africa and North America regions for RPK and in domestic, Europe, Far East, and North America regions for ASK. ODA detected an outlier impact in Africa and North America for RPK and ASK for the shooting of the Russian military jet. ODA had an outlier impact in Europe, the Middle East, and North America regions for the attempted military coup. Finally, for the electronic devices ban while ODA successfully detects an outlier effect in domestic, North and South America regions, CPA reveals an impact in Africa, Far East, and South America for RPK. The impact of the crises in PLF has been less visible. These findings show that although the crises had an immediate effect on the operational performance, Turkish Airlines recovered from each crisis very promptly. This proves the resilience and agile management ability of the company. Keywords: Causal impact, Operating Performance, Outlier Detection Analysis, SocioPolitical Crises, Turkish Airlines
Sustainability in full service carriers and low cost carriers: A comparison of the Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines
Sustainability is important in aviation industry due to its continuous growth and the use of finite natural resources. Thus, airline companies should implement sustainable business strategies to reduce detrimental environmental and social effects. Strategies in technological improvements may be strong solutions to improve sustainability. These include environmental-friendly aircraft design, use of alternative fuels, low emission engine design, advanced air traffic management procedures. This study explores how two airline carrier types, Turkish Airlines, a Full Service Carrier (FSC), Pegasus Airlines, a Low Cost Carrier, have addressed sustainability in their business models. The results reveal that Turkish Airlines and Pegasus are both doing well in the strategic integration of sustainability due to their large investments in fleet renewal and advancements, which reduce fuel consumption and emissions. While Turkish Airlines follows publicly available policies and publish sustainability reports disclosing the progresses, Pegasus Airlines is not successful in addressing and communicating its sustainability activities to the shareholders and stakeholders. Thus, as a FSC Turkish Airlines' strategies leans more strongly towards sustainability than Pegasus Airlines.
Sustainability in full service carriers and low cost carriers: A comparison of Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines
Sustainability is important in aviation industry. The continuous growth and the use of finite natural resources question the sustainability of aviation. Thus, airline companies should implement sustainable business strategies to reduce detrimental environmental and social effects. Strategies in technological improvements may be strong solutions to improve sustainability. These include environmental-friendly aircraft design, use of alternative fuels, low emission engine design, advanced air traffic management procedures. This study explores how two airline carrier types, Turkish Airlines, a Full Service Carrier (FSC), Pegasus Airlines, a Low Cost Carrier, have addressed sustainability in their business models over the period of 2014-2018. The results reveal that both Turkish Airlines and Pegasus have performed well in the strategic integration of sustainability due to the substantial investments in fleet renewal and advancements, that reduce emissions and fuel consumption. While Turkish Airlines follows publicly available policies and publish sustainability reports disclosing the progresses, Pegasus Airlines is not successful in addressing and communicating its sustainability activities to the shareholders and stakeholders. Thus, as a FSC Turkish Airlines' strategies leans more strongly towards sustainability than Pegasus Airlines.
Digital transformation maturity of airline firms: A tool for self-assessment
Technological developments are in a rapid change. Market places are global and transparent. With digital transformation (DT), everything is connected and communicating. Manual processes are now automated for most of the businesses. Habits and needs are changing which, in turn, effects the conventional way that firms offer their goods and services to customer. Airlines have been pushed to this new journey as well. Those who adapt quickly to this new world will gain a greater share of the pie. However, most of the airlines have bulky and rigid systems that are designed based on strict rules and regulations of the industry. Thus, the transformation process required to adapt to the new era of digitalization is not a simple task staying ahead of aviation companies. Several interrelated factors, such as strategy, organization, customer, technology, operations, ecosystem, and innovation, have to be redefined to conceptualize a valid and functioning business framework. From passengers' perspective, on the other hand, connectivity and accessibility is the name of the game. They demand the processes that can be carried out on their digital and mobile devices in many areas from planning to the realization stage of travel. Acknowledging the necessities of the new era, the aim of this study is twofold: (i) to highlight the essence of DT by examining the role of DT's sub-dimensions in civil aviation industry, (ii) and propose a Digital Transformation Maturity (DTM) self-assessment tool for determining the DT maturity level of aviation firms.
Freedoms of the air and effects of 5th freedom implementation at Ankara Airport
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the Civil Aviation Regulations, and to prove that the more a market is liberalized, the better chance it has to grow. Many civil aviation authorities are strict regarding airlines of third-party countries in order to protect their own market and to support their flag carrier. However, it is possible to use third-party countries' airlines in order to grow the market and while supporting their own flag carrier. Unproductive airports and Flight Information Regions might be used to set the market in motion. This thesis contains six chapters. After Introduction and Literature Review the third chapter contains the definition of Air Freedoms. Chapter four contains the Study Methodology. In the fifth chapter, the Civil Aviation Authority Singapore, which has one of the most liberalized regulation policies, has been evaluated. The positive and negative effects of implementing the model of Singapore, at the Ankara Airport which has a capacity of 25M passenger per year has been determined. For data and statistics figures from IATA have been collected. The last part contains the conclusion. For this research, quantitative methods have been used, along with the descriptive method.
An analysis of the biometric and anthropometric characteristics of airline passengers; and the impact of these characteristics on airline safety and environmental performance
One of the biggest problems related to aviation safety issues is exact weight values. Calculating the center of gravity of an aircraft without the correct weight values may be a cause of fatalities. The main aim of this research is to show how some passengers' obesity may affect the safety of the aircraft. Because of different anthropometric and biometric characteristics, the standard weight of a passenger used in balance calculations may vary across the world. Thus, weight-value standards may not at times be applicable in some specific places or indeed countries. Besides the issue of flight safety, another important matter which is directly connected to human anthropometry is the fact that an aircraft's fuel consumption may rise. The more passengers weigh, the more fuel is consumed during the flight and, as a result, the more CO2 is released into the atmosphere. This in turn lowers the airline's environmental performance. In addition to the above reasons, passengers' comfort and the airline's economic efficiency are other aspects of this problem. Additionally, this survey will provide some clues to the new possibilities, opportunities and potential solutions for decision makers. In addition, information from this study presents background information and may be used as a base for new analyses and other future projects.
The effect of economic and political relations on Turkish Airlines' route decisions
This thesis research aims to put a clear understanding on strategic decisions and activities of Turkish Airlines as a part of the public diplomacy, in other words, soft power. Since the 1980s, Turkish Airlines made an important contribution to Turkish foreign policy. The company has often been used as a tool of public diplomacy. This situation increased significantly after the declaration of the Africa Opening Policy. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between economic and political decisions made by Turkish authorities and the private sector and the strategic decisions of Turkish Airlines. For this purpose, an analysis of data considering 9 countries which are Colombia, Latvia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mali, Madagascar, Chad and Ghana, is conducted to figure out whether there is such a relationship. The findings suggest that, there is a positive correlation between traffic numbers and foreign trade. However, a significant result can be obtained by adding revenue per flight, detailed passenger number and increase in the sample countries. Both values, traffic numbers and export level increased significantly after the opening of the embassy in the chosen countries, these actions were supported by other means of soft power such as TIKA and DEIK.
The influence of cultural comfortability on customer satisfaction: the case of Amman Airport
Cultural differences between airport employees and passengers can have a substantial impact on how those passengers evaluate and judge the quality of services provided to them at airports. In this regard, the purpose of the present study is to investigate whether the differences of cultural backgrounds between customers and national employees effect the comfortability and satisfaction of customers using the example of Amman Airport. The demographic factors such as age, gender and education was also taken into consideration. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 passengers at the Amman Airport. While both cultural comfortability and customer satisfactions differs by education and nationality, they do not show significant differences based on gender and age. On the other hand, there is a significant impact of cultural comfortability of passengers on their satisfaction. The results of the present research are similar with most of the studies that have discussed the culture within the concept of business, and confirmed that a cultural difference effect
Linking perceived airline service quality with passenger loyalty, repurchase intention, and word of mouth: Case study of Turkish Airlines
Current study aimed at examining the influence of Airline service quality on customer behaviour (repurchase intention and word of mouth) through the mediating effect of customer loyalty. Employing the quantitative approach, and depending on questionnaire; 222 individuals – passengers – responded to the online questionnaire which was uploaded using Google forms. Gathered data was screened and analysed based on structural equation modelling using AMOS. Results indicated that there is a positive influence of airline service quality on customer behaviour (repurchase intention and WoM) that is attributed to customer loyalty, meaning that customer loyalty mediates the relationship between airline service quality and both variables of repurchase intention and WoM. In addition to that, it was found out that airline service quality dimensions are influential on dependent variables. 'Image' and 'Personnel' are the most influential dimensions of all. Study presented implications including the fact that customer behaviour isn't a fixed trait that won't change over time. On the contrary, it develops with increased awareness from customers; their behaviour is expected to change over time. The current study may present a tool for organizations to develop their awareness regarding customer behaviour into a new level of examination and appreciation. Researcher of this study recommends examining the influence of 'Airqual' variables on marketing approaches of airline organizations. It is also recommended to examine how marketing strategies and campaigns might be influenced if the organization followed a well-built airline quality service. Keywords: Airline service quality (AirQual), customer loyalty, repurchase intention, word-of-mouth
Efficiency analysis of major airlines: exploring the effects of operational performance determinants
In a changing and increasingly competitive era, operational performance evaluation of airlines has become one of the most important research topics. Although there are many studies about the efficiency analysis of airlines in the literature, existing research on the effects of size, business model and alliance membership are relatively scarce. This study evaluates the performance of 38 airlines from different regions of the world between 2015 and 2019 assessing the effects of size, business model and alliance membership on the operational performance of the airlines. In this regard, first, constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) input-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) models with 3 inputs and 2 outputs were implemented. To discriminate between efficient airlines, input-oriented CRS model super-efficiency DEA was also used. The determinants of operational efficiencies were assessed applying Mann-Whitney rank-sum tests. The results of the analyses show that majority of airlines suffer from scale inefficiency. Additionally, it was found that the size of airlines measured in available seat kilometer (ASK) has no statistically significant effect on the performance. On the other hand, low-cost airlines were found to be more efficient than full-service carriers. Lastly, the airlines without alliance membership have performed better than the airlines with alliance membership.
The effects of frequent flyer programs in the airline industry on customer loyalty: A study in Istanbul
It is extremely critical for companies to have strong ties with their customers. Because this commitment also determines where the companies will be in the competition in the market. Customer loyalty is one of the most serious targets of companies. The sense of loyalty that customers have determines the managerial and financial success levels of companies. Customer loyalty programs are one of the most important leverage of companies in customer loyalty. These programs can be seen as a new roadmap for the development of relationships between companies and customers. The civil aviation sector also attracts attention as one of the sectors where customer loyalty programs are used extensively. Frequent flyer programs, which are an important tool in this industry, are used as a tool for the sustainable commercial relationship between airlines and passengers. The purpose of this thesis is to focus on the importance of frequent flyer programs of airline companies on the basis of customer loyalty. As an example of this, frequent flyer programs in the civil aviation sector have been selected. In the fourth part of the study, the subject has been investigated in detail. In the research, this study was carried out with the airline passengers in order to reveal the effect of the importance level of the awards / services offered under the frequent flyer program on the level of customer loyalty. According to the results of the research, the ticket fee-reward balance in the frequent flyer programs is an important factor for the participants. At this point, it is observed that the income level of the participants guides the effect of frequent flyer programs on customer loyalty. At the same time, the number of flights of the participants was determined as the determinant of the process. Participants establish a balance of vi perception between customer loyalty and frequent flyer program, together with the income they earn and their number of flights.
The influence of redemption controlling policies of frequent flyer programs on consumers' attitudinal loyalty
Customers want to be compensated with loyalty benefit programs, which are an effective competitive way to attract and maintain them. Interestingly, in airline industry, reward redemptions receive limited attention from studies. Evidence indicates that customers are gradually quitting them because of controlling redemption policies, despite massive frequent flyer program offerings. This study aims to explore how differently redemption controlling policies of an airline frequent flyer program impact costumers' attitudinal loyalty. We divided FFPs' economic benefit related redemption controlling policies to three main areas; cost controlling policies (CCP), accumulative controlling policies (ACP) and protective controlling policies (PCP). Our core findings indicate that to increase attitudinal loyalt firms should keep satisfied customers with both CCP and PCP; whereas, ACP should be treat carefully since its influence founded negative to attitudinal loyalty. Furthermore, descriptive analysis show that perceived satisfaction of the some sub controlling policies significantly vary accross the travel purpose type and membersip level.
Forecasting global civil aircraft in-service and other parameters in commercial aerospace
This study examines the forecast of commercial aerospace paramaters, i.e., Aircraft in-Service Fleet, Available Seat Kilometer (ASK) and Revenue Passanger Kilometer (RPK) for the next 20 years for airlines and other market players in aerospace ecosystem regarding their long-term strategies. The forecasts are run with the previous 20 years data via Tableau Software by empyoing exponential smoothing and multilinear regression analysis. The results are then compared with Boeing and Airbus figures. The study also explores the effects of Gross Domestic Product, inflation, and crude oil prices on the forecasts figures. The findings suggests that Tableau Software forecasting tool has accurate and promising results, particularly in Aircraft in-Service fleet forecast compared to Boeing and Airbus estimations. The results also show that Gross Domestic Product has a significant and positive effect on ASK and RPK, while inflation rate has a negative and significant effect on Aircraft in-Service fleet. The study provides valuable insights on long term aircraft fleet forecast outputs for the civil aviation industry itself and for the authorities and investment professionals that are interested in civil aviation.
Does flight crew work motivation and enthusiasm change with increasing tenure?: The case of Turkish Airlines
The aim of this research was to determine the change of work motivation and work enthusiasm levels of the flight crew. The universe of the research consists of the flight crew who work at Turkish Airlines. The selection of 225 flight crew who are included in the sample of this study was made by a convenience sampling method. The data in the study were collected through an online questionnaire form consisting of three main parts. The SPSS 20 program was used in the analysis of data. As a result, a positive but weak relationship was found between the intrinsic motivation levels of the flight crew and the levels of absorption, dedication and vigor. There was no statistically significant relationship between the extrinsic motivation levels of the flight crew and their absorption attitudes, dedications and vigors. Motivation levels of the flight crew did not differ according to age, educational status, marital status, working time in the aviation sector, working time in the company and position in the flight crew, but it was found that the extrinsic motivation levels of male flight crew personnel were higher than female flight crew personnel. The work enthusiasm attitudes of the flight crew did not differ according to their education status, marital status, working time in the aviation sector, and working time in the company. Absorption and dedication levels of female flight crew personnel were higher than male flight crew personnel. The vigor of the participants did not differ according to gender. However, the vigor of the older crew personnel was found to be lower than the younger ones. The absorption and dedication levels of the flight crew did not differ
Technostress and well-being of remote working employees during COVID-19: Mediating effects of work-family conflict and success enablers
Since organizations had to change and adapt their way of working with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the phenomenon of technostress became even more crucial in this new world order. In the present study, we investigated the direct effect of technostress on the well-being of remote working employees, success enablers and work-family conflict. In addition, the direct effect of success enablers and work-family conflict on the well-being of employees, as well as the mediating impact of both on the relationship of technostress and well-being are investigated. Sample data for 266 participants was collected from Turkish Airlines employees which have been experiencing remote working conditions since the beginning of March 2020. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is used to test hypotheses. Technostress was found to be negatively related to success enablers and positively related to work-family conflict. Although technostress was not found to be directly related to well-being of remote working employees, success enablers and work-family conflict were found to have a full mediation effect on the relationship of technostress and well-being of remote working employees. Additionally, success enablers' direct positive effect and work-family conflict's direct negative effect on the well-being of remote working employees were found. This study is important not only for its contribution to the literature, but also for shedding light on the phenomenon of technostress in the forced remote-working era during the Covid-19 pandemic, and for assisting decision-makers in organizations in improving the well-being of remote working employees.
Cabin crew perception of air rage and unruly passengers
Air Rage is the unruly acts of distraught passengers that leads to loss of control and the disturbance of order during air travel. The importance and the scope of air transportation is increasing with each passing day. Meanwhile, increasing air traffic and air passengers along with increases in aviation employees, has increased modern day stresses associated with the industry. Recent Air Rage cases are nettlesome specifically to Cabin Crew. In order to maintain flight safety and to provide safe and comfortable travel to passengers to their destinations, unruly passengers should be identified and the case should be prevented before it takes place. There is a necessity for and yet a lack of such studies in Turkey, this study aims to analyse the phenomenon of unruly passenger, the factors causing Air Rage and its impacts on Cabin Crew. It is intended to create an awareness on the issue and to minimize the increasing Air Rage cases. The research is based on a quantitative result, a 4-chapter survey was created and was distributed to Cabin Crews via Google Forms. The responses of 216 Cabin Crew were received in the same way and the data was analysed with IBM SPSS program and research methods. As a consequence, factors causing Air Rage have been identified, the higher level of Air Rage related to the level of education has been observed and the impacts of Air Rage on Burnout and Organizational Commitment has been noticed.
Factors contributing to the risk of airline pilot and crew fatigue
The rhetoric that flight and ground crews are "tired" is taken lightly by some people unfamiliar with aviation. Every professional group has its own stress and fatigue and should be taken seriously; However, the importance we attach to the stress and fatigue of flight crews is that they are at critical points so that they can be the main actors in flight accidents. The concept of fatigue is often equated with muscle aches, loss of strength and decreased performance resulting from intense physical activity. This situation fits with the words "Tiredness" and "Exhaustion". However, within the concept of "Fatigue", there are also mental and psychological fatigue elements that are more important than fatigue and burnout. Their explicit and implicit consequences; carelessness, forgetfulness, timing and decision-making mistakes, intolerance, irritability, etc. A pilot or flight attendant cannot be expected to do a safe job if his/her body has not rested sufficiently, has not been able to get sleep and refresh his/her brain. Fatigue is the result of constant activities, insufficient rest, lack of sleep, and irregular work. The known consequences of fatigue are slowing down of reaction time, reduced attention and attention to details, difficulty in solving problems, lack of personal energy and motivation, communication problems, and inability to perform as required by the task.
Impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the aviation industry: The case of Qatar Airways during the COVID-19 pandemic
The world economy, historically, has been challenged by many negative happenings such as terrorist attacks, diseases, economic crises, and these happenings have negatively affected many sectors across the globe. The aviation industry that has become one of the major contributors to the world economy, especially, after the second world war, has been dramatically affected by such happenings. For example, global crises that have happened after the 2000s such as September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 2003 Iraq war, the SARS pandemic, and recently, the COVID-19 outbreak have had long-term effects on the aviation industry as well as other industries in the world. The main aim of this paper is to examine the influence of the COVID-19 outbreak on the aviation industry during the last two years and the strategies implemented to minimize the effects of this outbreak. Within the study, the impacts of some global crises on the aviation industry have been analyzed based on the secondary data and sectorial reports, and afterward, relevant case studies and SWOT analyses have been used to understand the strategies applied by Qatar Airways and might be useful towards the COVID-19 outbreak. Outcomes of this research propose significant hints for other entities within the aviation industry to diminish the influence of the pandemic. Keywords: Aviation; Crisis; COVID-19; Qatar Airways
A simulation approach for aircraft cargo loading considering weight and balance constraints
Air cargo transport is a growing industry in parallel with world trade growth and increasing e-commerce. It is performed by the passenger aircraft belly and the pure cargo air crafts, i.e., the freighters. Assignment of Unit Load Devices (ULDs) to the specific positions on the freighter is performed by loadmasters by manual or semi-manual methods. As the global air cargo transport traffic gets busier, the importance of timely loading with minimum error increases. Therefore, digitalization of the air cargo loading process is needed. This study aimed to write a program that automatically performs the ULD assignment by simulating the loading process performed by the experienced loadmasters and considering the weight and balance constraints. The SEMMA (sample, explore, modify, model, assess) model is used while analyzing the data. Fifty real-world setting data were used to evaluate the program. The ULD assignment by the program and the loadmasters by semi-manual loading were compared regarding time and center of gravity by the Mann Whitney U test. The results demonstrated that the program could load all the given sets of ULDs, as efficiently as a loadmaster with a similar center of gravity in a shorter period of time. In conclusion, digitalization of the ULD assignment is possible, which needs to be improved to cover all the constraints.
Critical determinants of quality perception in business class demands in air transportation and implications for COVID-19 period the case of Turkish Airlines
The aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of the quality perception of the products and services offered by Turkish Airlines on the business class demand in the Covid-19 conditions. The dramatic decline in the demand for air travel has adversely affected the airline industry. As a result, Turkish Airlines inevitably had to make some changes in catering and service quality during the pandemic. Therefore, we tried to determine business class passengers' perception of the new services and their quality under the conditions of Covid-19 with the alterations in service quality and strict health measures in the latest market circumstances. In this research, a face-to-face survey was conducted at the Istanbul Airport Business Lounge with 107 international and long-haul business class passengers travelling with Turkish Airlines. This study will help determine the effect of the perceived quality level of products offered by Turkish Airlines on business class demands.
Examining the causes and effects of flight attendant fatigue
The scope of civil aviation operations has increased rapidly in recent years. This growth has also raised the expectations from flight attendants. The duties of cabin crews have diversified and created several challenges including longer duty days, consecutive working days, heavy workload. Hence, flight attendants have become subject to physical and mental fatigue due to irregular sleep, inadequate rest time, and long working hours. This study investigates the causes and effects of fatigue among flight attendants of a Turkish airline company through a self-administrated questionnaire. A structured survey was developed and run online to 152 flight attendants. It collected data on demographics, sleep quality, fatigue experience, causes and effects of fatigue, and fatigue management strategies. The results show that almost all participants experience sleep-related issues. The findings indicate that the majority of the flight attendants have trouble falling asleep before flight duty. The sleep duration before night flights and during layovers with minimum rest time is dramatically low. Moreover, a significant number of flight attendants have admitted having nodded-off unwillingly during flight. The results also reveal that factors related to scheduling - i.e., layovers with minimum rest time, long duty days, night flights, consecutive working days and 4-legged flight duty play an important role in causing fatigue. Hence, scheduling should be improved. In balancing work and social life, men struggle more than women and married flight attendants have more difficulty than single ones. Also, the sleep duration before night flights is strikingly low in younger cabin crews than their older colleagues. The immune system of the majority of the flight attendants is negatively affected due to working conditions. These findings provide valuable insights for airline companies and policymakers to seriously manage fatigue related factors to ensure the security and safety of airline operations and the well-being of flight attendants.
The effect of airline alliances on the performance of airline companies: The case of Star Alliance
Increasing competition rates, deregulations and liberalizations with the effect of globalization have led to numerous changes in aviation as well as in many sectors. Aircrafts have faced various changes in reaction to this changing and increasing competitive environment. Most airline companies within the world have sought new strategies to survive within the market and to protect themselves from the negative effects of these changes, and international airline alliances have emerged as a result of a situation. This study is a case on the Star Alliance, which is the world's biggest international airline alliance nowadays. The effects of Star Alliance on the performance of airline companies were examined. In arrange to shift the center of gravity of aviation from west to east and to make territorial differences, Air China, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines were selected as the sample group among the member airlines of the Star Alliance. From a financial and operational point of view, assessments were made on various parameters based on the three years before and after the airlines joined the Star Alliance. As a result of the research, while the positive effects of Star Alliance on the performance of the pertinent airlines were observed in operational data, positive results were not observed in financial information.
Airline passengers' perception of sustainability practices and business model of airlines: A study in the Turkish civil aviation market
Considering the future of our world, it is now widely accepted by all stakeholders that sustainability should be put as the first priority. Reviewing the literature on sustainability in aviation, we observe that there are not many studies particularly on Turkish civil aviation although some research has been done on the subject. As Turkish civil aviation has been growing rapidly in the recent period, it is certain that the issue of sustainability should be addressed with great attention, and the necessary tools and policies should be developed. In this regard, the focal purpose of this study is to determine the importance of environmental practices of airlines from the airline passengers' perspective and to investigate their perception and awareness of sustainability practices and environmental initiatives of airlines. On the other hand, the study also aims at revealing the possible relationship between airlines' business model preferences, passengers' perceptions and awareness on airlines' sustainability policies, and passengers' willingness to voluntarily contribute to these activities. As a result of the analysis, we observed that the perception of passengers on airlines' activities on the sustainability has a significant positive effect on the passengers' willingness to voluntarily contribute to these activities. However, the study revealed that the passenger profile, in other words, the airline business model preferences of the passengers, has no significant moderation effect between the perceptions of the passengers regarding sustainability practices and their voluntary contribution to these activities.
An in-depth analysis of key determinants of non-aeronautical Revenue at Banjul International Airport and their impact on total revenue
Over the years, the only source of revenue for airports has been aircraft-related operations. This trend changed when Low-Cost Carriers (LLC) entered the aviation market with a new dimension of business operations. The low-cost carrier business model ensures low operating costs, allowing airlines to charge low fares to passengers and, in turn, provide them with few or no extra services. Airport operators have seen high passenger volume as a positive means of developing business strategies with commercial benefits. This caused airport managers to shift their focus from aeronautics to non-aeronautics services to generate more revenue. This study uses time-series data from 2008 to 2022 to investigate the determinants of non-aeronautical revenue (NAR) at The Gambia's only airport, Banjul International Airport. It tests the correlations/impact of non-aeronautical revenue on total revenue and the impact of the determinants of non-aeronautical revenue on total revenue. The NAR and passenger segment relations by route type and low-cost carriers were also tested. The BIA is state-owned and operated by the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). GCAA is the Authority that handles the aviation industry's regulatory aspects and airport operations. BIA generates most of its revenue through aeronautic services but has a strategic plan to focus more on non-aeronautic revenue, which is manifested through the expansion project. This study uses ordinary least squares to estimate a model of the determinant of NAR, with NAR as the dependent variable. The results will inform the relevant authorities at the airport on which determinant has more influence on NAR and its relations to passengers of different categories.