航空公司策略聯盟對旅客選擇行為之影響

Abstract

三大航空策略聯盟整體客運量逐年攀升，但要如何利用聯盟優勢提高自身航空公司的市場佔有率，航空公司勢必得了解旅客在面對各種不同的聯盟屬性(可累積里程數、里程效期、總飛行時間、班次頻率、行李提領次數、里程兌換機票門檻)、航程距離及品牌相關潛在變數時之選擇偏好。

目前較少有研究聚焦於航空策略聯盟對旅客選擇行為之影響，故本研究旨在了解航空聯盟品牌潛在變數及受聯盟影響營運變數對旅客選擇行為之影響。本研究首先利用結構方程模式，探討航空公司來源國印象及旅客熟悉之航空公司形象是否會影響旅客評價航空聯盟產品，進而影響其對航空聯盟產品態度，意即產生月暈效果(Halo effect)。另外，利用結構方程模式探討航空聯盟產品、航空公司品牌權益、購買意向三者之因果關係；最後，應用二項羅吉特模式納入受聯盟影響變數及聯盟產品潛在變數構建旅客選擇行為模式。藉由上述分析，了解旅客選擇航空公司之行為偏好，並作為航空公司擬定營運行銷策略之依據。

結構方程模型分析結果顯示，影響航空聯盟產品信念最甚者，為旅客熟悉之航空公司品牌形象；另外，在主要路徑分析結果顯示，航空聯盟產品會對航空公司品牌權益產生正向影響，航空公司品牌權益對購買意向會產生正向影響。

個體選擇模式結果顯示，票價與可累積里程數、總飛行時間、班次頻率、里程效期、里程可兌換機票門檻、旅客背景特性以及功能性聯盟益處，為顯著影響旅客選擇航空公司之重要變數。彈性分析顯示，航空業者若想提高旅客選擇該公司的機率，以減少旅客總飛行時間效果最佳。另外，本研究亦探討長短程旅客對於營運變數的重視差異，發現長程飛行旅客對座位舒適度、可否累積里程、機上餐飲、機上娛樂及地勤、空服人員服務態度等變數的重視程度，皆高於短程飛行旅客。

Whereas passenger volumes of three global airline alliances—Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and Oneworld continue to grow, passengers of member airlines of an alliance are having more choices and thus more decisions to make. It is imperative for individual airlines to understand the heterogeneous preferences of passengers facing different flight distances, brand preferences, and alliance attributes such as mileage accumulation, mileage expiration, total journey time, flight frequency, frequency of claim baggage, and various thresholds to exchange tickets with mileage.

While prior studies have paid less attention to the influence of global airline alliances on passenger choice behaviors, this study aims to investigate how alliance brands and operational changes due to joining an alliance may affect passengers’ airline choice behaviors. This study first utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the effect of country images of member airlines and perceived equity of familiar airlines on passengers’ evaluation about alliance products, and their subsequent effect on passengers’ attitude toward alliance products (i.e., halo effect). In addition, this study applied SEM to examine the causal relationship between alliance products, airline brand equity, and passengers’ purchase intention. Finally, a binary logit model was adopted to investigate the effect of alliance operational and brand variables on passengers’ airline choice behaviors.

The results of SEM analysis showed that passengers’ perceived brand equity of familiar airlines exerted the strongest influence on airline choice behaviors. The products of airline alliances appeared to have positive influence on airline equity and purchase intention.

The results of binary logit analysis showed that variables that significantly affected passengers’ airline choice behaviors included prices, mileages, total journey time, flight frequency, mileage expiration date, and functional benefits of an alliance. The derived elasticity indicated that reducing passengers’ total journey time would be the most effective strategy to increase the airline choice probability of passengers. This study also concludes that compared to short-haul travelers, long-haul travelers emphasized more on seat comfort, mileage availability, in-flight catering and entertainment, ground handling, and the service attitude of flight attendants.