Country of origin, national loyalty and product choice: The case of international air travel

Addresses the role national loyalty plays in determining international air carrier selection. Based on the literatures in country of origin, consumer ethnocentrism and social identity theory, develops a theoretical model which links social self‐identity with national loyalty and consumer ethnocentrism. Assesses respondent carrier preferences using an ordered probit analysis of a sample of 427 travellers at a large Canadian airport in 1994. The results indicate that national loyalty ranks next to price in terms of influencing the selection of air carrier among the sample of travellers.