The interdependence between airline network planning and tourism flows: the case of athens airways seasonal routes 'thessaloniki-mykonos' and 'thessaloniki-santorini'

摘要

This paper examines the degree of interdependence between airline network planning and tourism flows using a theoretical framework based on airline network planning and tourism geography. From an empirical perspective, the case of a Greek new network carrier entering the market in early 2009, namely Athens Airways, is examined focusing on two of its seasonal domestic routes heavily dependent on leisure traffic. The two city-pairs to be studied involve Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, and two of the most popular Greek tourism destinations, namely Mykonos and Santorini. These two routes are not included in any flight schedule of the three network carriers in Greece (i.e. Olympic Air, Aegean Airlines and Athens Airways) during the winter period. Athens Airways launched both routes in July 2009 and suspended them by the end of October 2009 when the summer period schedule officially terminated. The company aims at re-launching the two routes in the beginning of June 2010 and to continue serving them throughout the summer period. It is worth mentioning that the contribution of the travel agents to the development of these seasonal routes is important. The diagrammatic and statistical analysis performed identifies a strong relationship between tourism flows and airline network planning.