Трансформация бизнес-модели традиционных авиаперевозчиков: развитие неавиационных доходов

Airline industry is one of the biggest economic sectors in the world — more that 5% of global GDP supported by air transport and tourists. Nevertheless, it is a highly competitive environment and comparatively low industry profitability. At the same time, nowadays there are significant changes in the industry: hybridization of business models — “complex phenomenon” that affects both full-service and low-cost carriers — changes already volatile landscape. Catastrophic losses due to COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 will shape the industry for the next 5–10 years. All of these factors create an opportunity for performance maximization through the use of technology, which recently has become a leading factor in the success of airlines in the hyper-competitive market in conditions of external instability and internal constraints.
Potential solution for these challenges is ancillary revenue development and relevant necessity improving of merchandising capacities. This can add value to the entire customer experience, which is especially relevant for full-service carriers, which drives profitability and customer satisfaction, because customers all over the world positively accept different ancillary). In addition, ancillary products and services are possible during the whole stages of travel journey. Finally, airlines have another strong advantage such as a strong brand and more direct traffic to the websites and other airline platforms, than most other travel companies, since tickets searching and purchasing still are one of the most basic elements in the travel planning. The purpose of the paper is to identify the barriers that prevent passengers of Russian airlines from purchasing ancillary products and services from airline platforms and make recommendations for Russian airline companies. Many studies on ancillary revenue have been conducted on the choice and behavior of both full-service and low-cost airlines, but only a few studies have examined the factors that lead to customers purchasing ancillary products and services and the willingness to pay for them.
At the same time, insufficient attention to the new mathematical models and factors that affect airline customers purchasing intention of ancillary products and services allow us to find a gap in research and expand our understanding of these processes. In addition, previous researches are highly localized and focus predominantly Asian markets, which additionally opens up opportunities for research.
The goal of this research to identify significant factors that affect the behavioral intention to purchase ancillary products and services through Russian airline platforms.
5
Object of the study are ancillary products and services development in Russian airline companies. Research subject: reasons for the buyers rarely buy more products and services through the different airline platforms.
The tasks of the study are:
1. Understand the general market landscape and underlying reasons for the business
model transformation;
2. Study theoretical research on ancillary products and services for the identification
of relevant factors influencing purchase of ancillary products and services through
airline platforms by Russian consumers;
3. Conduct consumer empirical research in order to test stated hypothesis;
4. Conduct analysis and identify best practices in the field of ancillary products and
services;
5. Make complex system of recommendations for airline companies.
The primary data will be collected for the analysis and the extended modified unified
theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) will be used for the following reasons:
• Widely used in modern research and aimed at explaining of the acceptance and use
of information and communications technologies specifically by customers;
• Tests consumers’ intentions;
• Integrates elements across eight prior models and demonstrates stronger predictive
power than any of the previous models;
• Used in similar travel studies: online purchasing of airline tickets, online booking
of rural tourist activities, direct booking from hotel platforms, OTA’s.
The framework was modified in two ways: new variables were added (perceived personalization, trust and switching costs) and some variables were excluded (facilitating
conditions).
Research questions are the following:
• What are the key factors that influence the adoption of purchasing ancillary
products and services directly through the airline platforms on Russian market?
• How much of the variation in airline platforms acceptance can be explained by the
selected factors?
• What recommendations could be given to managers of Russian airlines based on
the results obtained?
6

The paper consists of three main parts. The first chapter presents theoretical framework and describes the market landscape, challenges for airline companies and potential solution. This chapter also provides the current research on ancillary revenue and formulated research gap. The second chapter presents theoretical framework and the research methodology with the stated hypothesis. The third chapter shows empirical part, namely PLS-SEM model used and final results obtained from the analysis in WarpPLS 7.0 software: rejected and approved hypotheses. This chapter discusses the results of the analysis and practical contributions for airline managers.
This work contributes to the holistic understanding of what factors should be taken into special consideration when making decisions regarding the development of ancillary revenue opportunities in Russian market from the position of consumers, since they are the end users of services and directly affect the growth of these revenues. In addition, the work helps to understand the key areas for applying innovations and technologies and the subsequent transformation of operating models in this case.