Sustainable commercial aviation: What determines air travellers’ willingness to pay more for sustainable aviation fuel?

Abstract

While low carbon jet fuels (LCJF) offer a viable alternative to conventional jet fuels in terms of reducing aviation emissions, the higher fuel costs may be passed on to customers in the form of increased ticket prices. However, there has been little research into the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for LCJF use. Our study addresses this gap by exploring citizen's perceptions of, attitudes toward, and willingness to pay a premium ticket price. We conducted an online survey among UK citizens (N = 1008) who flew at least once a year. We used ordered logistic regression to predict the factors that influence WTP for LCJF. The findings confirmed the existence of three factors that explain air travellers' WTP: social trust, perceived risks, and attitude. Although the overall perception of the benefits of LCJF outweighs the associated risks, the level of awareness of LCJF use is rather low. Despite a favourable attitude toward LCJF use, the majority of respondents were unwilling to pay more for carbon-neutral air travel. Our research contributes to and expands the literature on the current debates about acceptance and WTP for LCJF and energy transitions. Additionally, the findings of our study encourage public and corporate managers to leverage the identified key factors to inform and structure campaigns to increase the acceptability of LCJF use.