A Study on the Changes in Safety Perception of Air Passengers in the Living with COVID-19 Era: The Case of South Korea

Abstract

Due to changes brought upon by covid in society, the aviation industry has also entered a new phase that is different from the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, this study aims to enhance our understanding of people's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and their perception regarding aviation safety. Specifically, the study investigates whether in-flight services focusing on sanitation and preventative measures against the virus alleviated negative emotions such as fear and anxiety among passengers, and how this affected their risk perception and group efficacy through cognitive value. To achieve the purpose of the study, an online survey was conducted in December 2021 of passengers with experience boarding aircraft after the COVID-19 outbreak, and 211 valid responses out of 308 were used for analysis. The analysis of the data revealed that in-flight services had a positive effect on cognitive value, which in turn had a positive effect on risk perception and collective efficacy among air passengers. The overall evaluation of in-flight services indicated that passengers now place a greater emphasis on hygiene and quarantine measures. Furthermore, there has been a notable promotion of passengers' efforts and attitudes towards not only ensuring their own safety but also the safety of others and society, which has resulted in a significant improvement in responsible behavior. Key Words: cognitive value, group-efficacy, collective efficacy, safety perception, inflight service, airline service quality