An empirical assessment of willingness to accept “low-cost” air transport services: Evidence from the Middle East

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate passengers' preferences and willingness to accept low-cost air transport services. Choice experiment was applied to examine passenger choices associated with a bundle of service attributes applicable to low-cost air transport service. Results of multinomial logit models demonstrated that passengers are willing to accept low-cost air transport services and their preferences are significantly associated with their socio-economic characteristics and travel behavior. Airline managers and policy makers are encouraged to pay closer attention to the appealing nature of low-cost air transport services while accounting for the significant role of passengers' socio-demographic characteristics and travel behavior. This study contributes to the relative body of knowledge through offering willingness to accept calculation as a strategic tool to assess the feasibility of low-cost air transport provision in developing and less developed countries where such services are yet unavailable.