Users' Perceptions and Emotions Regarding Seaplane Services in Greece: An Analytical Perspective

This study aims to investigate the attitudes and sentiments of transportation service users in Greece towards seaplanes and to assess seaplanes’ qualitative, economic, and environmental advantages and disadvantages compared to traditional ships and airplanes. The findings of this research are crucial for both businesses and the government. Companies can develop effective marketing strategies to promote seaplanes as aviable transportation option, while the government can make informed decisions based on the findings. By using structured questionnaires and conducting exploratory factor analysis, three key factors were identified, explaining 59.22% of the total variance. These factors relate to the contributions of seaplanes to domestic development, their environmental and economic impact, and the comfort and safety they offer. Subsequently, these factors were utilized for further statistical tests. Regarding the likelihood of choosing seaplanes as amode of transport, the analysis revealed that men are more inclined to select seaplanes than women and older age groups are more likely to select seaplanes than younger ones. Residents of Crete show more openness towards seaplanes than those in Attica, and asimilar trend is observed among individuals who travel frequently for leisure, business, or personal reasons. The analysis also indicates that fear has amore decisive influence than feelings of freedom and joy. Individuals without strong emotional responses tend to have amore positive view of seaplanes than those who experience feelings of freedom or joy. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated amoderate, positive correlation between the perception of comfort and safety provided by seaplanes and individuals’ preference for this mode of transport.