Benefit-Sacrifice Trade-offs in UAM Adoption in Seoul: A Trip Purpose-Based Analysis Using the VAM

This study investigates the adoption of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) services within Seoul by analyzing users' perceived benefits and sacrifices, with a particular focus on differences by trip purpose (Commuting vs. Airport Access). The Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) was employed as the theoretical framework, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to assess the relationships among key variables. Findings show that Seoul residents generally perceive UAM benefits to outweigh sacrifices, yet adoption intention was about 27% lower than expected. Airport Access Trips showed higher acceptance due to time-saving advantages, while commuting was hindered by transfer burdens and poor vertiport accessibility. Increasing vertiport numbers did not improve adoption unless accessibility was enhanced. About 18% of users opted out due to first-mile inconvenience. Perceived mobility emerged as the strongest positive driver of adoption, while safety concerns, especially regarding autonomous systems, were major barriers. These results suggest differentiated UAM service strategies for different trip purposes are needed for a successful launch in Seoul.