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Flying-Related Concerns among Airline Customers in Finland and Sweden during COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Joonas Leppävuori

    (Doctoral Programme in Built Environment, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland)

  • Heikki Liimatainen

    (Transport Research Centre Verne, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland)

  • Stefan Baumeister

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland)

Abstract

COVID-19 hit the global economy hard in early 2020, and airline industry was among the biggest commercial victims. Governments closed borders, the virus scared off travelers and the aircraft stayed on the ground to a large extent. The forecasted record year turned out to be the worst in the history of aviation. This study focused on the concerns of airline customers and analyzed the differences between the customer behavior in two focus markets, Finland and Sweden. The article is based on a questionnaire and the answers of 2004 airline customers. The results show that even though the overall COVID-19 strategy was very different between the focus markets, the same concerns still arose. The main concerns were related to quarantines and convenience of traveling, but health was also a major worry. The impact on climate change and public opinion were among the least concerning factors for most. The Swedes were less concerned about the quarantine upon returning, which may not be surprising due to their more liberal COVID-19 strategy at the time. Other attributes that were analyzed (gender, airline loyalty tier, age) suggest that females are categorically more concerned than males, the travel-related annoyances affect all travelers regardless of the tier and that travelers from different age groups are concerned about different aspects of traveling during a pandemic. The data gathering for this research was carried out in collaboration with Finnair, Finland’s national carrier.

Suggested Citation

  • Joonas Leppävuori & Heikki Liimatainen & Stefan Baumeister, 2022. "Flying-Related Concerns among Airline Customers in Finland and Sweden during COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-18, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10768-:d:900932
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Lamb, Tracy L. & Winter, Scott R. & Rice, Stephen & Ruskin, Keith J. & Vaughn, Austin, 2020. "Factors that predict passengers willingness to fly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Randrianarisoa, Laingo M. & Gillen, David, 2023. "Policy responses and travellers’ preferences in pandemics: Evidence from Europe," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 305-316.

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