Online purchasing tickets for low cost carriers: An application of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model

• We examine determinants of purchasing flights from low-cost carrier websites.
• Intention is mainly influenced by trust, habit, price saving, facilitating condition.
• Trust is influenced by information quality, perceived security and perceived privacy.
• Online purchase is affected by purchase intention, habit and facilitating conditions.

This paper examines determinants of purchasing flights from low-cost carrier (LCC) websites. In doing so an extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model is proposed building on earlier work by Venkatesh, Thong, and Xu (2012). The results, derived from a sample of 1096 Spanish consumers of LCC flights, indicate that key determinants of purchasing are trust, habit, cost saving, ease of use, performance and expended effort, hedonic motivation and social factors. Of these variables, online purchase intentions, habit and ease of use are the most important.