Perception of Crisis Management, Service Quality, and Loyalty Programs on Airline Travel Intention: What Roles Do Fear of COVID-19 and Risk Attitude Play?

Abstract

This research investigates the antecedents of airline travel intention, including the effects of crisis management, service quality perceptions, and loyalty programs, along with the fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and risk attitude among individuals from different parts of the world during the peak of the pandemic. Its main objective is to assess how these variables impact passenger airline travel intention. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess the measurement model and test the hypothesized relationships on the sample of 944 travelers. Results indicated strong positive associations between fear of COVID-19, risk-averse attitudes, and service quality with respect to travel intention. On the other hand, perception of crisis management handling and loyalty programs did not have significant influence on travel intention during the global pandemic. Interestingly, the researchers found that risk-averse attitude positively influences both crisis management and service quality perception. Therefore, airline decision-makers need to consider the psychological aspect of fear of COVID-19 and other researched dimensions to regain passenger confidence and stimulate travel demand regardless of the risk-averse attitude.