An analysis of the critical factors that influence the purchase decisions for business travel within the aviation industry

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is the understanding of practices being implemented today by organisations in connection with Business Travel. The researcher explores the various aspects that influence the purchase decisions for business travel. The aim is to improve, from a marketing perspective, the product offering in the interest of both the organisations and the airlines. In order to gain this acumen. The author used a qualitative method of data collection for this study. This consisted of semi-structured interviews of the Management of eight large organisations in Malta. These interviews were subsequently transcribed and thematically coded in order to facilitate the analysis. The data collected was analysed and critically compared to the literature. The literature supplied consists both authoritative writers from the Marketing field and experts in Aviation Industry. This study sheds light on why the aviation industry has suffered such a decrease in the Business Class sector and the evolution of Business Travel. The research provides evidence that there are four main areas of particular concern, mainly the absence of properly structured travel policies in some organisations, deficiencies in tailored strategic marketing towards organisations, disassociation from the on board product attributes and lack in the value proposition. To the author's knowledge this was the first research of this kind in Malta and hopes she has successfully put together a solid foundation for future studies in this area.