Can you judge a book by its cover? An analysis of travelers’ perceptions of airline logos and airlines’ business models

Jiayu Liu, Christina Starr Beck and Yi Gao

Journal of Air Transport Management, 2024, vol. 115, issue C

Abstract: Airline logos are pivotal components reflecting brand identity. This study investigates whether airlines of the same business model tend to employ similar color schemes in their branding and how travelers associate airline logos with their respective business models. Using a comprehensive survey instrument with diverse logo formats, participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) provided insights to help answer our research questions. Primary color analysis revealed that Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) favor vibrant colors like bright yellow or green, while Full-Service Carriers (FSCs) lean towards darker hues such as deep red or blue. Participants tend to associate bird or wing elements with FSC logos and simplistic or abstract designs with LCC logos. Statistical analyses highlighted the influence of color deficiency on logo perception, particularly among travelers with prior travel or international experiences. Experienced travelers with no color deficiency performed better in picking airlines’ business models simply by viewing their logos. Airlines can use these findings to strategically select colors and design elements, accounting for color deficiency, to enhance brand identity and resonance with their target audience, ultimately increasing market visibility and customer engagement.

Keywords: Airline business model; Logo design; Customer perceptions; Full-service carriers; Low-cost carriers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969699724000085
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:115:y:2024:i:c:s0969699724000085

DOI: 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2024.102543

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Air Transport Management is currently edited by Anne Graham

More articles in Journal of Air Transport Management from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().