Investigating airline customers' decision-making process for emerging environmentally-responsible electric airplanes: Influence of gender and age

• Published in: Tourism management perspectives 2019-07, Vol.31, p.85-94
• Main Authors: Han, Heesup, Yu, Jongsik, Kim, Wansoo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air travel; Airline business; Electric airplanes; Green intentions; Personal characteristics
• ISSN: 2211-9736; 2211-9744
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2019.03.013

The present study was designed to investigate airline customers' green intention generation process for eco-friendly electric airplanes by considering the influence of environmental value, environmental awareness, green image, injunctive social norm, personal norm, and personal characteristics. We used a survey methodology and a quantitative approach. Results of the structural analysis revealed that environmental value, environmental awareness, green image, and injunctive social norm are vital activators of personal norm and important contributors to building green intentions. Our finding found that enhancing and activating customers' personal norm is unavoidable for eliciting their positive decisions for electric airplanes. In addition, our result of invariance test included a theoretical and practical importance as it informs us that gender and age difference exists on airline customers' eco-friendly intention formation for electric airplanes. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed. •We examined airline customers' decision formation for electric airplanes.•Gender and age difference exists on customers' green intention formation.•The important activators of personal norm were identified.•Personal norm played a mediating role.