The Last Seat Illusion: Uncovering the Hidden Psychology Behind Airline Booking Decisions

Abstract

In the highly competitive and perishable-inventory environment of the commercial aviation sector, airlines increasingly deploy digital marketing tactics to stimulate immediate consumer action. This empirical study investigates the mechanisms through which specific digital stimuli-namely, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and scarcity/urgency cues-influence airline booking intentions. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) paradigm and regret theory, the research proposes a dual-pathway model wherein these external stimuli do not drive purchases directly; rather, they operate by amplifying the consumer's internal psychological assessments. Specifically, we examine how FOMO and urgency cues heighten both perceived utilitarian value (the logical assessment of a favorable transaction) and hedonic value (the emotional thrill anticipating the travel experience). Furthermore, this study explores the critical boundary condition of time pressure, postulating that it moderates and intensifies the relationship between these internal value assessments and the final behavioral response. Data were collected from a sample of online airline consumers and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via SPSS and AMOS version 23 to test the hypothesized moderated-mediation framework. The findings aim to provide revenue managers with nuanced, actionable insights into optimizing digital conversion strategies, demonstrating how balancing ethical urgency with perceived value can effectively drive ticket sales without aggressive price cannibalization.