Two sides of the aisle: exploring coping, stress and behavioral avoidance among travelers and airline staff after aviation crisis

Purpose This study aims to examine how coping strategies influence posttraumatic stress symptoms and subsequent behavioral outcomes among airline employees and travelers following aviation crises. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the transactional model of stress and coping, survey data were collected from 598 respondents, including airline employees and travelers. The study integrates structural modeling with configurational analysis (fsQCA) of qualitative interview data to examine both net relationships and configurations of conditions associated with behavioral outcomes. Findings Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping enhances employees’ readiness for return-to-work and reduces travelers’ flight avoidance, whereas avoidance coping increases avoidance behavior but shows no impact on work readiness. Social support seeking strengthens employee recovery but has limited influence on traveler behavior. Posttraumatic stress symptoms mediate the relationships between coping strategies and behavioral outcomes. Media exposure weakens adaptive coping effects and amplifies avoidance, while perceived organizational support enhances recovery. Configurational findings reveal asymmetric pathways, showing that flight avoidance may arise even under low stress when avoidance coping and media exposure combine, whereas return-to-work readiness can occur despite high stress when institutional support is present. Practical implications The findings highlight the importance of strengthening organizational support systems and managing media communication to facilitate workforce recovery and restore traveler confidence after aviation crises. Originality/value This study integrates employee and traveler perspectives within a unified coping framework and demonstrates how both individual relationships and stakeholder-specific configurations are associated with post-crisis behavioral responses.