ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION OF APPLICATIONS BY AIRLINES TO PROTECT CONSUMERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PERIOD

Öz

Airline companies have developed specific measures and practices to maintain their commercial activities and protect consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, while some airlines take hygiene measures such as disinfection of airplanes and luggage, others have introduced certain time flexibility on their tickets so that passengers do not lose their flight rights. On the other hand, they informed the passengers through their web pages and had some practices to maintain social distancing and reduce the crowd. In this study, the official websites of the member airlines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) were examined, the practices carried out by the companies to protect consumers from disease and to minimize or compensate for their loss of rights were determined, and these practices were systematically grouped based on the similarities in their purposes. Also, regional differences between airlines’ practices were examined based on the regional classification of IATA. Although the studies in the literature deal with these practices one by one, this study brought them together and classified them systematically for the first time. Thus, in the event of a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases or another similar pandemic, it has become possible to find applications that can be made in the airline passenger transportation sector in a single study to reduce transmission, protect consumers, and compensate for the loss of rights. Continuing flexible ticketing and self-service technology applications during the pandemic will also benefit consumers after the pandemic, and airline companies that continue these applications will make a difference between them and their competitors. Hygiene measures and practices taken during the pandemic are also necessary. While preventing the spread of infectious diseases such as colds provides confidence to its passengers.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Covid-19 pandemic
• airline companies
• precautions
• practices
• protect consumers

COVİD-19 PANDEMİSİ DÖNEMİNDE TÜKETİCİLERİ KORUMAK İÇİN HAVAYOLLARININ YAPTIĞI UYGULAMALARIN ANALİZİ VE SINIFLANDIRILMASI

Öz

Havayolu şirketleri, Covid-19 pandemisi sırasında ticari faaliyetlerini sürdürebilmek ve tüketicileri koruyabilmek için belirli önlem ve uygulamalar geliştirmiştir. Örneğin, bazı havayolları uçakların ve bagajların dezenfektasyonu gibi hijyen önlemleri alırken, bir kısmı da yolcuların uçuş haklarını kaybetmemesi için biletlerine belirli zaman esneklikleri getirmişlerdir. Öteki yandan yolcuları web sayfaları aracılığı ile bilgilendirmişler ve sosyal mesafenin korunması ve kalabalığın azaltılması adına da birtakım uygulamaları olmuştur. Bu çalışmada, Uluslararası Hava Taşımacılığı Birliği’ne (IATA) üye havayollarının resmî web sayfaları incelenmiş, firmaların tüketicileri hastalıktan korumak ve onların hak kayıplarını minimuma indirmek veya telafi etmek için yürüttükleri uygulamalar tespit edilmiş ve bu uygulamalar amaçlarındaki benzerlikler esas alınarak sistematik olarak gruplandırılmıştır. Ayrıca IATA’nın bölgesel sınıflandırması temel alınarak, havayollarının uygulamaları arasındaki bölgesel farklılıklar da incelenmiştir. Literatürdeki çalışmalar bu uygulamaları tek tek ele alsa da bu çalışma, bu kapsamdaki tüm uygulamaları bir araya getirmiş ve sistematik olarak ilk kez sınıflandırmıştır. Böylece, covid-19 vakalarında tekrar hızlı bir artış veya benzeri başka bir pandemi durumunda bulaşı azaltmak, tüketicileri korumak ve hak kayıplarını telafi etmek için havayolu ile yolcu taşımacılığı sektöründe yapılabilecek uygulamaları tek bir çalışmada bulmak mümkün hale gelmiştir. Pandemi döneminde esnek bilet ve self-servis teknoloji uygulamalarının pandemi sonrasında da devam ettirilmesi tüketicilere fayda sağlayacaktır, bu uygulamalara devam eden havayolu firmaları rakip firmalarla aralarında fark yaratacaktır. Pandemi döneminde alınan hijyen önlemleri ve uygulamalarının da önemi büyüktür.Havayolları hijyen önlemlerini uygulamaya devam ettiğinde grip, nezle gibi bulaşıcı hastalıkların yayılımı engellerken; yolcularına güven sağlar.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Covid-19 pandemisi
• havayolu şirketleri
• önlemler
• uygulamalar
• tüketicileri koruma

Kaynakça

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