Who is the charter passenger? Characteristics and attitudes of the leastknown passenger

Abstract

Despite the fact that charter flights have become a hybrid model between the low-cost carriers and the network carriers, the charter passenger’s profile presents important differences from those of the passengers of the other two types of airline. This article analyses those differences. The authors use a multinomial logit model and a broad database of almost 40,000 passengers. Their results break with certain stereotypical assumptions, such as that charter passengers are low-income, that they use the services of travel agencies to a greater degree, or that they show a clear bias for travel for vacation purposes. Their profile is of infrequent flyers with a longer waiting time before boarding, although this does not mean that they make more purchases at the airport. Furthermore, they look to travel to more remote destinations, with no intermediate stopovers, which are not usually served by the low-cost carriers, as a result of which they have a greater presence at hub airports.