Assessing passengers' buying behavioral intentions toward low cost carriers in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand aviation industry is rapidly growing due to the increasing number of passengers. A volume of low cost airlines' passengers' significantly increases each year. Most of low cost airlines' revenue in Thailand is from Don Mueang international airport, the largest low cost carriers'airport in Thailand. The major low cost airlines such as Thai Air Asia, Nok Air, and Thai Lion Air use Don Mueang international airport as their hubs. The purposes of this research were to find out factors that influence passengers' buying behavioral intention toward low cost airlines in Thailand by examining relationship between factors and behavioral intention and to test the expansion of theory of reasoned action model (TRA). This research adopted a quantitative method by using questionnaire surveys and structural equation modeling method to test the hypotheses. Four hundred questionnaires were given to low cost airlines' passengers at Don Mueang international airport. The research finding showed that passengers choices' of flying with low cost airlines are influenced by airline service quality, uncertainty avoidance via attitude, individual attitude, subjective norm, and airline ticket price. It is hoped that the study results could assist low cost airlines to enhance their business strategies in order to engage and attract more customers by focusing on airline service quality and uncertainty avoidance to increase passengers' positive attitudes toward low cost airlines.