Transformative Service Design and Environmental Sustainability Across the Airline Passenger Journey
Presentation Type
Long presentation (faculty/staff) 15-20 minutes
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Faculty
Faculty/Staff Department
Management, Marketing, & Operations
Presentation Description/Abstract
Environmental sustainability in aviation has traditionally focused on technological innovation, operational efficiency, and resource management. Although recent studies examine passengers' environmental perceptions and behavioral intentions, limited attention has been given to integrating sustainability across interconnected service encounters throughout the airline passenger journey.
Drawing on Transformative Service Design (TSD), customer journey literature, and the capability approach, this conceptual study examines how service design can support environmental sustainability while promoting passenger well-being, empowerment, and inclusion. It conceptualizes the airline passenger journey as an interconnected service system in which sustainable choices depend not only on individual environmental intentions but also on opportunities and constraints encountered across pre-flight, airport, in-flight, and post-flight experiences.
The proposed framework links service integration, passenger capabilities, and transformative value creation. It suggests that coordinated service interactions, accessible choices, transparent information, and supportive decision-making can enable environmentally responsible passenger practices. Importantly, it recognizes that environmental objectives and passenger well-being are not necessarily complementary, as sustainability interventions may create tensions involving autonomy, convenience, accessibility, and resource consumption.
The study offers three theoretical contributions: extending sustainability research from isolated service encounters to the interconnected passenger journey; applying a capability-oriented perspective to explain how service systems enable or constrain sustainable choices; and advancing a multi-level understanding of transformative value by examining synergies and tensions between human well-being and environmental sustainability.
The framework provides a foundation for future empirical research and offers practical guidance for designing more inclusive and environmentally responsible airline passenger experiences.
Keywords
Transformative Service Design; Environmental Sustainability; Airline Passenger Journey; Capability Approach; Passenger Well-Being; Transformative Value Creation
Transformative Service Design and Environmental Sustainability Across the Airline Passenger Journey
Environmental sustainability in aviation has traditionally focused on technological innovation, operational efficiency, and resource management. Although recent studies examine passengers' environmental perceptions and behavioral intentions, limited attention has been given to integrating sustainability across interconnected service encounters throughout the airline passenger journey.
Drawing on Transformative Service Design (TSD), customer journey literature, and the capability approach, this conceptual study examines how service design can support environmental sustainability while promoting passenger well-being, empowerment, and inclusion. It conceptualizes the airline passenger journey as an interconnected service system in which sustainable choices depend not only on individual environmental intentions but also on opportunities and constraints encountered across pre-flight, airport, in-flight, and post-flight experiences.
The proposed framework links service integration, passenger capabilities, and transformative value creation. It suggests that coordinated service interactions, accessible choices, transparent information, and supportive decision-making can enable environmentally responsible passenger practices. Importantly, it recognizes that environmental objectives and passenger well-being are not necessarily complementary, as sustainability interventions may create tensions involving autonomy, convenience, accessibility, and resource consumption.
The study offers three theoretical contributions: extending sustainability research from isolated service encounters to the interconnected passenger journey; applying a capability-oriented perspective to explain how service systems enable or constrain sustainable choices; and advancing a multi-level understanding of transformative value by examining synergies and tensions between human well-being and environmental sustainability.
The framework provides a foundation for future empirical research and offers practical guidance for designing more inclusive and environmentally responsible airline passenger experiences.