Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study explores older passengers’ attitudes, behavior, and evaluations of digital air travel, as well as the impact of digital technologies on this demographic, using China as a case study. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for air transport companies to develop sustainable operational strategies, increase passenger satisfaction, and potentially achieve long-term viability. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted targeting this subgroup, applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the primary analytical frameworks. While the study’s sample is skewed towards digitally literate individuals, this subgroup remains highly relevant for analyzing digital impact trends, as they are the most likely to interact with and be influenced by digital air travel tools. This study suggests that older passengers, particularly young-old passengers, in China have a generally positive attitude towards the use of digital air travel tools, with time saving, convenience, and cost saving identified as the top three perceived benefits. Over 80% of participants indicated that digital technology influenced their decision to continue choosing air travel, highlighting a link between digital engagement and sustainable passenger behavior. However, as this study is limited to digitally literate “young-old” passengers in China, the findings should be interpreted as exploratory and context-specific rather than globally generalizable. Future studies are needed with broader age groups and mixed methods to verify these results.
Source: Future Transportation
Authors: Iryna Heiets, Doreen La
Institutions: RMIT University, Central Queensland University
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
OpenAlex ID: W4415008555