Ethnographic Study in Air Travel Research

• Published in: Air Travel Industry: Theories, Methods and Recent Issues
• Main Author: Rahman S.M.A.
• Format: Book chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor and Francis 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85162627218&doi=10.4324%2f9781003379461-12&partnerID=40&md5=f3d5498b0f717d21287101a93f0a272b

Ethnographic studies in air travel have become increasingly common over the years. Observation and interaction with air travel users have become more and more common as their input is crucial for the adaptation and sustainability of the aviation industry. As the aviation industry is dynamic, how air travel users feel changes with time and situation. Therefore, the needs and opportunities for ethnographic studies are boundless. While customer data gathered either through online or offline surveys provide much information as to what is happening in the aviation industry, ethnographic research methods provide more meaningful and rich information of end-user experiences and expectations. This chapter explores the pattern of past and current ethnographic research, as well as its future opportunities. Relevant literature was identified using two leading databases, namely Scopus and Web of Science, and one additional database, namely Google Scholar. Based on the thematic analysis, air travellers’ experience can be scrutinized in five areas, namely airport and aircraft design, security, tourism, policy and lifestyle changes. Overall, the future of ethnographic study in the aviation industry is optimistic as airline and airport industry growth depends on customer satisfaction. Correspondingly, more recent ethnographic studies have been seen to focus on sustainability efforts whereby more research in the area of customer satisfaction for a specific target group has been conducted. Thus, acknowledging differences in end-user needs will ensure a more holistic approach in airport and airline customer-oriented design. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Azizul Hassan, Nor Aida Abdul Rahman and Nurhayati Mohd Nur; individual chapters, the contributors.