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Longitudinal examination of passenger characteristics among airline types in the US

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  • Cho, Woohyun
  • Min, Dong-Jun

Abstract

We examine longitudinal changes (2005–2015) in the characteristics of passengers flying with two types of airlines in the United States: low-cost carriers (LCCs) and legacy carriers (or non-LCCs). In addition to the extant views on passenger similarities and dissimilarities across LCCs and NLCCs, we find that airline-type passenger segments are dynamic and constantly changing. Furthermore, we argue that such dynamics in passenger segments may have been escalated by the introduction of a new type of airline – ultra low-cost carriers (ULCCs). We assert that taking more caution in targeting air passengers is necessary, as we found a mixture of both convergence (e.g., airport access time, per diem) and divergence (e.g., number of checked bags, terminal wait time) in the key passenger characteristics across airline types.

Suggested Citation

  • Cho, Woohyun & Min, Dong-Jun, 2018. "Longitudinal examination of passenger characteristics among airline types in the US," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 11-19.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:72:y:2018:i:c:p:11-19
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2018.06.004
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