A Comparison of Cabin Safety Awareness among Airline Passengers in Taiwan and Mainland China

Abstract

Abstract This article compares the effect of cabin safety education on passengers' cabin safety awareness in knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) in Taiwan and Mainland China, primarily for passengers that cross the Taiwan Strait. Evidence reveals that passengers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait need to be taught about safety before they fly. Passengers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait were surveyed at two Taiwan airports, the Taoyuan International Airport and the Taipei Municipal Airport. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique is used for data analysis. The results show that cabin safety education positively affects Taiwan passengers' cabin safety knowledge, attitude, and behavior. Safety education that involves accurate utilization of emergency equipment procedures, situational awareness, and responses is recommended. Although the cabin safety education positively affects Mainland China passengers' attitude and behavior, it does not have a strong effect on the aspect of knowledge. Emergency equipment procedures and regulations are needed content for cabin safety education for Mainland China passengers. The findings also indicate that Taiwan passengers' cabin safety knowledge will positively affect their behavior; therefore, the knowledge-behavior consistency is supported. The attitude-behavior and the knowledge-attitude consistency correlation are both supported as well. However, the relationships among Mainland China passengers' cabin safety knowledge, attitude, and behavior are not consistent. Passengers' demographic data indicate that the Mainland China passengers' educational level, age, and number of flights could be major factors in this inconsistency.