Collective customer-to-customer co-creation practices: Families with children with autism spectrum and airports

Abstract

While research has shown that customer-to-customer (C2C) value co-creation leads to positive outcomes for people with disabilities, these studies have not addressed how collective C2C can improve value outcomes for families with children with autism spectrum (FwAS) in airports. Our focus is on accessible family tourism and travel in a European airport context, using a value co-creation approach to explore this gap in the literature. To achieve this goal, a collaboration was established with Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport and Vueling Airlines to enable 25 FwAS to visit the airport in 2016. The study extends social situation analysis and uses a multi-method approach combining qualitative techniques such as ethnography and post-visit interviews. Collective C2C social practices were identified in which families, as a unit of study, engage with airport sites. These include standard practices (observing the practices of others), enhancing practices (sharing airport experiences and knowledge with others) and atypical social practices, such as deviating social practices. Our findings will enable airport and airline managers to create more inclusive experiences based on the actual needs of FwAS, thus bringing them closer to truly accessible tourism.