The Effect of Service Encounters at Airports on Visitors' Behavior within the Scope of Social and Environmental Sustainability

The aviation industry, and more specifically airport management and airport marketing, has continuously evolved and progressed from the past to the present. Contrary to what happened in the past, the importance of airport marketing, which has been kept in the background until today, has started to be better understood by managers every day. The fact that resources are scarce and needs are unlimited has made concepts such as sustainability and green marketing become the focal point. For this purpose, a hybrid scale was developed by utilizing scales that were used in different studies at different times, consisting of factors that are closely related to social, environmental sustainability and green marketing concepts such as green image, green trust, green customer satisfaction and green word-of-mouth communication. Within the scope of the research, the data collected from the participants with the questionnaire method were analyzed and interpreted with the relevant factors. A 5-point Likert-type scale was used in the questionnaire. The surveys were conducted face-to-face. As a result of the analyses performed with this hybrid model, it was determined that the model fit values remained within the required values. Since different levels of factor loadings were obtained as a result of the analyzes, the explanation of the relationships between the factors was realized at different levels. A Structural Equation Model was created in the light of the data collected within the scope of the study. The results obtained through this model contribute to the examination and interpretation of the effects of service encounters at airports on the behavior of passengers or visitors within the scope of social and environmental sustainability. At the same time, by focusing on which factors should be at the forefront of airport management and airport green marketing activities, it is very important to eliminate the deficiencies, to reveal the aspects that need to be developed, to question the validity of the rules that apply in basic marketing activities in this application and to determine whether the mentioned factors are valid in practice.