Good or bad? Passenger feelings regarding code-share alliances among airlines

Abstract

Code-share agreements among airlines are common in today's airline industry and have advantages for both airline operations and passenger itineraries. However, certain negative aspects associated with code-share arrangements can displease passengers and cause them to negatively react to their preferred airlines. This study hypothesized various scenarios demonstrating code-share alliances between passengers' preferred airlines and other partners. Then, perception data from 547 Taiwanese airline passengers were collected, and multinomial logistic regression analysis was applied to discover the determinants influencing passengers' behavioral intentions. The results revealed that code-share partners from developing countries, passengers' awareness of code-share schemes, and the perceived risk of service inconsistency among code-share airlines are the key drivers influencing passengers' feelings regarding code-share strategies. Those feelings, good or bad, have clear connections with passengers' coping behaviors in terms of favorable or averse reactions. Additionally, trip purpose, travel type and sociodemographic factors, such as gender, age, and monthly income, have various degrees of influence on passengers' feelings concerning code-shared flights. Furthermore, managerial implications are discussed.