10Mar 2018

ASSESSING WHETHER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IS A CRITERION OF CONSUMERS WHEN SELECTING AN AIRLINE.

  • University of the West of Scotland.
  • University of the West of Scotland and University of Fiji.
  • University of Southern Queensland.
Crossref Cited-by Linking logo
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • References
  • Cite This Article as
  • Corresponding Author

The aim of this study is to gain insight as to whether environmental impact is a criterion of consumers when actually selecting an airline. Findings indicate that cost and convenience, followed by destinations on offer and departure airports, are the key criteria for consumers in airline ticket purchasing decisions. Airlines may continue environmental activity and disclosure for long-term strategic reasons although individual ticket purchase decisions do not appear to be based primarily on environmental considerations. The research fills a gap in the U.K. empirical literature by exploring whether consumers of airlines operating out of the U.K. consider environmental impacts when making actual ticket purchase decisions.


  1. (2015). Environmental management accounting. [online],available at: http://www.accaglobal.com/uk/en/student/exam-support-resources/professional-exams-study-resources/p5/technical-articles/environmenta-management.html [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  2. ADS Group. (2015). The great British take-off - growth, investment and innovation in UK aviation. [online],available at: https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/the-great-british-take-off-growth-investment-and-innovation-in-uk-aviation/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].
  3. Air Transport Action Group.(2002). Media release: ATAG study outlines air transport's contribution to the Latin American/Caribbean economy ? and calls on governments to stimulate the regional market. [online], available at: file:///C:/Users/77781318/Downloads/FC7D_0402%20LatAm%20press%20release.pdf[Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  4. (2008). Greener planes ? but lots more of them: Aviation industry flies in face of environment concerns. Strategic Direction, 24(6), pp.16-18.
  5. Arnold, P.J. (1990). The state and political theory in corporate social disclosure research: A response to Guthrie and Parker. Advances in Public Interest Accounting, 3, pp.177-181.
  6. com. (1988).Airline economics. [online],available at: http://www.avjobs.com/history/airline-economics.asp [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  7. Barr, S., Shaw, G., Coles, T., and Prillwitz, J. 2010). ?A holiday is a holiday?: Practicing sustainability, home and away. Journal of Transport Geography, 18(3), pp.474-481.
  8. Becken, S. (2002). Analysing international tourist flows to estimate energy use associated with air travel. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 10(2), pp.114-131.
  1. Belyaeva, Z. (2015). CSR in the Russian aviation industry: The winds of change. Strategic Direction, 31(8), pp.7-9.
  2. Bhasin, H. (2017). The influence of culture on consumer behavior. [online],available at: http://www.marketing91.com/the-influence-of-culture-on-consumer-behavior/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  3. British Airways.(2017). British Airways. [online],available at: https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_gb [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  4. Civil Aviation Authority (2015). Consumer research for the UK aviation sector: final report (CAP 1303). [online],available at: https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1303ConsumerresearchfortheUKaviationsectorfinalreport.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  5. Clancy, M. (2001). Mexican tourism: Export growth and structural change since 1970. Latin American Research Review, 36(1), pp.128-150.
  1. Clarkson, M.E. (1995). A stakeholder framework for analyzing and evaluating corporate social performance.The Academy of Management Review, 20(1), pp.92-117.
  2. Deegan, C. (2002). The legitimising effect of social and environmental disclosures: A theoretical foundation.?Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal,15(3), pp.282?311.
  3. Deegan, C. and Unerman, J. (2011).Financial accounting theory.2nd European ed. Maidenhead, Berkshire, McGraw Hill Higher Education.
  4. Donaldson, T. and Preston, L.E.(1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. The Academy of Management Review, 20(1), pp.65?91.
  5. (2015a). Efficient fleet. [online],available at: http://corporate.easyjet.com/corporate-responsibility/environment/efficient-fleet [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  6. (2015b). Environment. [online],available at: http://corporate.easyjet.com/corporate-responsibility/environment [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  7. (2016). Investing in our strengths: Annual report and accounts 2016. [online], available at: http://corporate.easyjet.com/~/media/Files/E/Easyjet/pdf/investors/result-center-investor/annual-report-2016.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  8. EasyJet. (2017). Our commitment: Introduction by Carolyn McCall ? Chief Executive. [online], available at: http://corporate.easyjet.com/corporate-responsibility/our-commitment [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  1. Elhadad, S.L. (2014). Understanding the changes in consumer preferences. [online], available at: https://www.newsrecord.co/understanding-the-changes-in-consumer-preferences/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  2. (2013). Ryanair Europe's greenest airline pollutes more than the entire country of Ethiopia. [online],available at: http://www.eturbonews.com/36960/ryanair-europes-greenest-airline-pollutes-more-entire-country-et [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  3. Freeman, E.R. (2010/1984).Strategicmanagement:?Astakeholder?approach. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press [originally published 1984].
  4. Freeman, E.R. and Reed, D.L. (1983). Stockholders and stakeholders: A new perspective on corporate governance. California Management Review, 25(3), pp.88-106.
  5. Gray, R.H.,?Kouhy, R.and?Lavers, S. (1995). Corporate social and environmental reporting: A review of the literature and a longitudinal study of UK disclosure.?Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 8(2), pp.47-77.
  6. Gray, R.H., Owen D. and Adams, C. (1996).Accounting and Accountability.Hemel Hempstead, Prentice Hall Europe.
  7. Guthrie, J.E. and Parker, L.D. (1990).Corporate social disclosure practice: a comparative international analysis. Advances in Public Interest Accounting, 3, pp.159-176.
  8. Hall, C.M. (2005). Tourism: Rethinking the social science of mobility. Harlow, Essex, Pearson Education.
  9. Hasnas, J. (1998). The normative theories of business ethics: A guide for the perplexed. Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(1), pp.19-42.
  1. Hooper, P.D. and Greenall, A. (2005).Exploring the potential for environmental performance benchmarking in the airline sector.?Benchmarking: An International Journal, 12(2), pp.151-165.
  2. (2016). Demand for air travel in 2015 surges to strongest result in five years. [online],available at: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2016-02-04-01.aspx [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  3. Kolk, A., (1999). Evaluating corporate environmental reporting.Business Strategy and the Environment, 8(4), pp.225-237.
  4. Kuo, L., Yeh, C.-C.and Yu, H.-C. (2012).Disclosure of corporate social responsibility and environmental management: Evidence from China. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 19(5), pp.273-287.
  5. Lynes, J.K. and Dredge, D. (2006).Going green: Motivations for environmental commitment in the airline industry.A case study of Scandinavian airlines.Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 14(2), pp.116-138.
  1. Martin, B. (2016). Monarch seeks fresh funding despite flying back into profit. [online], The Telegraph,available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/26/monarch-seeks-fresh-funding-despite-flying-back-into-profit/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  2. Mathews, M.R. (1993). Socially responsible accounting.London, Chapman & Hall.
  3. McLeod, S. (2008).Likert scale. [online],available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/likert-scale.html [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  4. Middleton, V.T.C. and Hawkins, R. (1999). Sustainable tourism: A marketing perspective. Oxford, Butterworth Heinemann.
  5. Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R. and Wood, D.J. (1997). Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. The Academy of Management Review, 22(4), pp.853-886.
  6. Monarch Airlines.(2017a). Monarch and the planet. [online],available at: http://www.monarch.co.uk/about-us/environment/monarch-and-the-planet [Accessed 28 Feb. 2017].
  7. Monarch Airlines. (2017b). Our carbon footprint. [online],available at: http://www.monarch.co.uk/about-us/environment/our-carbon-footprint [Accessed 28 Feb. 2017].
  8. Monarch Airlines.(2017c). Waste and recycling. [online],available at: http://www.monarch.co.uk/about-us/environment/waste-and-recycling [Accessed 28 Feb. 2017].
  9. Monarch Group.(2016). Monarch pre-close trading statement for the year to 31 October 2016. [online],available at: http://www.monarchholdingslimited.com/media/news-and-press-releases/2016/monarch-pre-close-trading-statement-for-the-year-to-31-october-2016/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2017].
  10. (2017). Graphic: The relentless rise of carbon dioxide. [online],available at: http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  11. Penner, J.E. (1999). Aviation and the global atmosphere: A special report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
  12. Rani, P, (2014).Factors influencing consumer behaviour.The International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review, 2(9), pp.52-61.
  13. Rowley, J. (2014). Designing and using research questionnaires. Management Research Review, 37(3), pp.308-330.
  14. (2015). Environmental & social. [online],available at: https://investor.ryanair.com/governance/esg/#1467901939192-333a93b1-fd59 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  15. (2017). Ryanair Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) policy. [online],available at: https://investor.ryanair.com/governance/esg/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  16. com. (n/d).History of Ryanair. [online] Available at: https://corporate.ryanair.com/about-us/history-of-ryanair/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  17. Statista.(2017).British Airways Plc?s worldwide revenue from FY 2010 to FY 2016 (in million GBP). [online],available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/264296/british-airways-worldwide-revenues-since-2006/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  1. Sustainable Aviation. (2016). UK aviation industry: Socio-economic report. [online], available at: http://www.sustainableaviation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/SA-Socio-Economic-Report.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  2. Thomas Cook Group.(2016). Annual Report & Accounts 2016. [online],available at: https://www.thomascookgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TCAR16.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  3. Thomas Cook Group. (2016). Customer at our heart: Sustainability Report 2016. [online],available at: https://www.thomascookgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Sustainability-Report-2016.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  4. Thomas Cook Airlines. (2017). Our company: Looking after the environment. [online],available at: https://www.thomascookairlines.com/en/our-company/looking-after-the-environment.jsp [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  5. TUI Group.(2015). Airlines. [online],available at: http://www.tuigroup.com/en-en/sustainability/sus_business/airline [Accessed 1 Mar. 2017].
  6. TUI Group. (2016a). Better holidays better world: Sustainability strategy 2015-2020. [online],available at: http://www.tuigroup.com/damfiles/default/tuigroup-15/en/sustainability/Reporting/TUI-Group-Better-Holidays-Better-World-strategy_EN-8cad5293e208989e0d05a27ec7dae00a.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  7. TUI Group.(2016b). Better holidays better world 2015 report. [online],available at: https://www.tuigroup.com/damfiles/default/tuigroup-15/de/nachhaltigkeit/berichterstattung-downloads/2016/TUI_BHBW_Report_2015_final.pdf-05e80ccb2b83c762e30e110939fbbb8d.pdf [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].
  8. Vourvachis, P., Woodward, T., Woodward, D.G. and Patten, D.M. (2016). CSR disclosure in response to major airline accidents: A legitimacy-based exploration.Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 7(1), pp.26-43.
  9. Watts, R.L. and Zimmerman, J.L. (1978).Towards a positive theory of the determination of accounting standards.The Accounting Review, 53(1), pp.112-134.
  1. Watts, R.L. and Zimmerman, J.L. (1986).Positive accounting theory.Englewood Cliffs, NJ.Prentice-Hall.
  2. Watts, R.L. and Zimmerman, J.L. (1990). Positive accounting theory: A ten year perspective. The Accounting Review, 65(1), pp.131-156.

[Jamie McLachlan, Kieran James and Bonnie Hampson. (2018); ASSESSING WHETHER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IS A CRITERION OF CONSUMERS WHEN SELECTING AN AIRLINE. Int. J. of Adv. Res. 6 (Mar). 740-755] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com


By Jamie McLachlan
University of the West of Scotland

DOI:


Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/6727      
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/6727