A Bibliometric Analysis of Airport Experience Using VOSviewer

Abstract

Purpose - In the field of marketing, the concept of experience refers to the accumulation of knowledge obtained by consumers as a result of their experiences. These experiences are important in terms of issues such as re-preferring businesses and providing competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to reveal trends by making a bibliometric analysis of the articles on airport experience published in the international literature between 2014-2024.
Design/ methodology/approach - The data set utilized in the study was obtained on April 16, 2024, through the Web of Science (WoS) database, with certain constraints imposed to ensure the integrity of the results. From 2014 to 2024, a selection of publications was made from the following SSCI, SCI, and E-SCI journals, and research area: Transportation, Social Sciences, Other Topics, Social Issues, and Business Economics. The selection process involved a manual review of the publications to identify those that were not relevant to the subject. This process resulted in the identification of 192 publications. Data were analyzed and visualized using VOSviewer (v1.6.16).
Findings - The findings of the research indicate that there has been a balanced increase in the airport experience over the past decade, with the most significant number of publications occurring in 2023. A study of the number of publications in various journals reveals that the “Journal of Air Transport Management” is the most prolific, with a percentage of 25. In terms of citations, Ali et al. (2016) examined the impact of the physical environment of the airport on passenger satisfaction. In the field of reference, the study by Fodness and Murray (2007) has been identified as a significant source of information. This study, which focused on the quality of services provided at airports and the expectations of passengers. A similar phenomenon was observed in the shared network of journals, wherein a cross-disciplinary aggregation was identified. The "Journal of Air Transport Management" emerged as a prominent contributor, followed by journals in the domains of tourism and marketing. The keyword network shows that terms such as airport, service quality, and aviation are used together. In the co-authorship analysis across countries, the US leads in terms of publication volume, while the UK leads in international collaboration. Finally, according to the co-authorship organization network findings, Westminster University leads in terms of publication volume and network strength, while Sejong University leads in terms of academic influence.
Discussion - The analysis results show that, in addition to traditional service quality measurement in the literature, a technology and risk-oriented passenger experience structure has emerged due to the impact of the pandemic. Furthermore, it is observed that prominent journals and institutions are guiding this process with their central roles. In the context of global cooperation, it has been determined that Western and European countries are at the forefront, and that Turkey needs to establish strategic partnerships to increase its visibility in this network, and should focus on global studies rather than local analyses.