Impact of country of origin and national identity on air travel purchase decisions for prospective buyers: The case of American travelers

Talha Harcar, Pennsylvania State UniversityFollow
Ersem Karadag, Robert Morris UniversityFollow

Abstract

This study focuses on how the concept of country of origin (COO) and national loyalty affect purchasing decisions of prospective travelers when purchasing airline tickets. The objectives of this study are to understand: (a) the relationship between demographic structures of travelers and their national loyalty status, (b) the relationship between national loyalty and national airline perceptions, (c) the construction and analysis of the measurement of national airline preference scale, and (d) testing the relationship between national loyalty, national airline perception, and preferences of foreign airlines. Data collected from 136 people residing and employed in three districts of Pennsylvania. The study findings denote that the national loyalty status of travelers affects the purchasing behaviors of air travelers. Prospective travelers do not prefer foreign airline service providers, thinking that they may damage the national airline companies and national economy. The effects of national loyalty include overrating the service quality and merit of national airlines and underrating the merits of foreign airline services. The findings of this research propose that foreign airline companies should convince international travelers that preferring their services over other airlines would not result in a disadvantage of national airlines or deteriorate economic conditions in their home countries.

Keywords

airlines, national loyalty, ethnocentric factors, product’s country of origin, air travel decisions

Chinese Abstract

原产国和国家特征对潜在买家在航空旅行购买决策的影响:以美国旅行者为例

本研究着眼于原产国(COO)和国家忠诚度对潜在旅行者在购买机票时的购买决策所产生的影响。本研究目的是了解:(a) 旅行者人口结构与其国家忠诚度的关系;(b)国家忠诚度与国家航空公司认知的关系;(c)国家航空公司偏好量表的构建与分析;以及(d)检验国家忠诚度、国家航空公司认知与外国航空公司偏好之间的关系。数据收集自宾夕法尼亚州三个地区的136名居住和就业人员。研究发现，旅行者的国家忠诚度会影响其机票购买行为。潜在的旅行者不喜欢外国航空公司，认为他们可能会损害本国航空公司和国民经济。国民忠诚度的影响包括高估本国航空公司的服务质量和优点，和低估外国航空公司服务的优点。本研究的结果表明，外国航空公司应该让国际旅客相信，选择他们而不是其他航空公司的服务，不会不利于本国航空公司或恶化本国的经济状况。

关键词：航空公司，国家忠诚度，民族中心主义因素，产品原产国，航空旅行决策

ORCID Identifiers

Talha Harcar: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9720-3909

Ersem Karadag: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1839-4426

DOI

10.5038/2640-6489.7.1.1175

Recommended Citation

Harcar, T., & Karadag, E. (2022). Impact of country of origin and national identity on air travel purchase decisions for prospective buyers: The case of American travelers. Journal of Global Business Insights, 7(1), 16-32. https://www.doi.org/10.5038/2640-6489.7.1.1175