Embodied cognition and the luxury hospitality experience of in-flight wine in premium cabins

Information from the abstract

This study explores how first- and business-class passengers experience in-flight wine as luxurious, even though flying reduces taste and smell. Drawing on embodied cognition theory, we argue that passengers do not simply judge wine by its quality. They build a sense of luxury by noticing how the airline tries to compensate for sensory limits, by feeling that the service fits their bodily experience, and by responding emotionally. We surveyed 500 premium-cabin passengers and used two analytical approaches: structural equation modeling and necessary condition analysis. The results show two related paths to luxury: a cognitive path, in which the service feels consistent with the passenger's bodily state, and an affective path, in which the service creates positive emotions. For first-class passengers, both paths had to reach a minimum level for luxury to emerge. For business-class passengers, the cognitive path was more important, and positive emotions were less essential. These findings help airlines design in-flight wine service that still feels luxurious despite the sensory challenges of air travel.

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Related topics: Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Customer Service Quality and Loyalty · Aviation Industry Analysis and Trends