LAUSR

Abstract Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) are expected to be applied to passenger aircraft; however there is a lack of research which analyzes choice behavior for RPA compared to conventionally piloted aircraft (CPA), in terms of socio-demographic characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to present a model for air travelers’ mode choice behaviors under the assumption that RPAs are introduced to the market. Results show that the fare of RPA should be lowered by a certain amount (i.e., discount factor of RPA) to compete with CPA, and the discount factor should be higher for older, female, and frequent travelers. The results also show that there are still concerns about RPA, and pilot on board is preferred. Through this study, it will be possible to predict the acceptance of newly introduced technology in consideration of socio-demographic characteristics of potential customers.