Abstract
This study evaluates the attractiveness of self-hubbing in terms of the (a) symmetry of itineraries and the consequences for passengers in the case of missed flights. We compute the most attractive European origin-destination (O-D) pairs through self-connection and evaluate their robustness by estimating the expected delays relative to connecting times and the travel options available when a connection is missed.Results show that the potential of self-connecting markets is reduced when accounting for asymmetrical travel options and the consequences for travelers in the case of missed flights. In terms of frequencies, self-connecting passengers are, on average, found to have fewer alternatives to complete a given O-D pair than in the case of alliance-based connections (− 33%). Our findings moderate the confidence of past evidence on self-hubbing in light of the concrete reliability of self-connections for passengers. The itinerary choice made by passengers inevitably depends on the evaluation of travel quality attributes related to the (a) symmetry of the itineraries and the costs incurred through missed connections.
Highlights
With the development of the European air transportation market and the growth of low-cost carriers (LCCs), it has become possible for passengers to travel to a destination that is not directly handled by the airlines themselves through the self-connect option
Scholars have investigated the phenomenon of self-connectivity for passengers flying within the European air transportation network [10, 16, 24, 25, 29, 30], highlighting how it represents a concrete alternative for passengers
3 Methodology With the aim of investigating the robustness of selfconnections, our study aims to examine the following in depth: 1) their performance in terms of frequency and presence of reliable return flights; 2) to what extent the presence of delays on connecting legs could impact the performance of self-connection compared to other alternatives; 3) the impact of missing connecting legs in light of reaching the destination in reasonable time
Summary
With the development of the European air transportation market and the growth of low-cost carriers (LCCs), it has become possible for passengers to travel to a destination that is not directly handled by the airlines themselves through the self-connect option. This has become a concrete, alternative rather fly within Europe [7, 10, 17, 25]. Cattaneo et al [10] confirm that 1-transfer quickest paths achievable through selfconnecting flights in Europe have remained a valid alternative in the European framework over the last decade, increasing from 66% in 2006 to 69% in 2016 of the fastest. Airports have registered difficulties in sustainably implementing systems that manage all services associated with self-
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