Self-Connectivity: Barriers to European Success

Making your own connection between flights has already become an important trend in Europe and airports and airlines have shown willingness to respond to this self-connecting demand. Also, the potential for the development of this trend is present. Thus, this research aims to find potential barriers for airports and airlines in support of passenger self-connectivity in Europe. Results identify three barriers related to passenger inconveniences: the missed connection, the baggage transfer and the passenger tax or charge. Also, barriers related to the booking process were identified: finding a favourable combination and the passenger unawareness barrier. Finally, three airport-related barriers were identified: inter-terminal transfers, the dependence on airlines and the geographic location. On the other hand, this research did not identify any barriers specific to airlines.