The effect of travel purpose and self-image congruency on preference toward airline livery design and perceived service quality

Jeongmin Lee, Jisu Yi, Dawon Kang, Wujin Chu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper examines travelers’ preference for airline livery design, which is an important component of sensory experience for tourists. Based on surveys of both U.S. and South Korean respondents, this study finds that airline livery preference depends on travel purpose (i.e. business vs. vacation). Designs preferred by the two travel segments differ in terms of color tone, hue, line, and shape. Business traveler-preferred designs signal punctual, efficient, classy, and safe service; while vacation traveler-preferred designs elicit feelings of fun, friendly, and exotic service. It is also shown that travelers prefer airline livery that is congruent with their situational self-image, depending on the travel occasion at hand. In fact, self-image congruency of design is approximately half of the variance in airline livery preference. Finally, results show that self-image congruency also increases perceived service quality.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)532-548
Number of pages17
JournalAsia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research
Volume23
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Jun 2018

Keywords

  • Airline livery
  • self-image congruency
  • sensory experience
  • service marketing
  • service quality
  • travel purpose

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