Full-Service Carrier (FSC) vs Low-Cost Carrier (LCC): Purchasing Decision-Making Process of Passengers

Abstract

The demand for the aviation industry has grown as a result of the shift in people's travel preferences brought on by rising wealth and expanding trade in the world and in our nation. Air travel is now preferred due to state assistance, new airports, superior aircraft, and the relative drop in expenses. This study's main focus is on the consumer purchase patterns of two airline companies that operate in the very competitive aviation sector. Depending on whether the airline is a full-service carrier or a low-cost carrier, these variables change. The "Factors Affecting Airline Preferences Scale" was created and distributed to passengers of two airline organizations at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (a full-service carrier (FSC) and a low-cost carrier (LCC) operating in Turkey) to assess the extent to which variables like airline reputation, advertising, frequent flyer programs, price, service quality, and digital marketing tools like websites, e-mails, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and mobile applications have an impact on the process of ticket purchasing decision of passengers. It was shown that the passengers' purchasing decisions were influenced by reputation, service quality, frequent flyer programs, price, digital marketing initiatives, and advertisement. It was shown that depending on whether the airline is a full-service carrier or a low-cost carrier, the impact of these elements differs.