To board or not to board? Understanding the drivers of intention to fly during the COVID-19 crisis

This study sheds light on consumer demand for air travel in the pandemic context by proposing and evaluating a model that combines the personal and third-party beliefs on travel intentions (Theory of Planned Behaviour), as well as the perceived level of threat and familiarity (Protection Motivation Theory). The model is evaluated with a sample of 381 respondents from Portugal, into two groups: travellers vs. non-travellers. Our results provide evidence that for both groups, self-efficacy and social influence are positively associated with the intention to fly. On the other hand, for non-travellers, attitudinal preferences are negatively driven by response cost and level of fear. For the COVID travellers, familiarity positively affects their attitude toward flying. This study contributes to a shift in the paradigm of tourism and can be used by airline companies and tourism operators, deepening the understanding of customer motivation for air travelling during the pandemic.