The role of the airline as a logistics provider in the passenger travel chains involving air transport

Abstract

The article is devoted to the classification of air carrier as a logistics provider. Therefore, in the outsourcing pyramid of logistics providing, the place of the air carrier was determined taking into account its business model: legacy, low-cost, hybrid. Based on this, insourcing pyramid of airline logistics services involving air transport was developed and varieties of 3PL providers were identified: 3–PL, 3PL, 3+PL air carriers. 3–PL air carrier is a logistics provider that provides a range of services within the air supply / travel chain. 3PL air carrier is a logistics provider that provides a range of services in the full supply / travel chain, when booking individual components of such a chain is carried out through the websites of the air carrier and its partners. 3+PL air carrier is a logistics provider that provides a range of services in the full supply / travel chain, when booking such services is carried out integrated through the air carrier's website, and business processes are performed by the air carrier and its partners. It was studied the websites of airlines in order to find out the providing level of modern global passenger airlines operating on legacy, low-cost and hybrid business models and to identify the main trends among air carrier to ensure a complete passenger travel chain. The main feature of the world's air carriers is that most of them provide services at the level of 3PL-provider, and only the world's leading air carriers provide the organization of the passenger travel chain at the level of 3+PL-provider. The generalized scheme of providing for a passenger travel chain involving air transport for the purpose of definition of a role of each type of logistics provider and their collaboration in such chains was constructed. For example, 3–PL, 3PL, 3+PL air carriers can involve 2 PL-companies in the performance of business processes in the passenger chain. At the same time, the air carrier of 4PL-level will involve performers from 2 PL 3-PL, 3PL levels in the processes of the travel chain. On the virtual 5 PL platform, the passenger will independently choose performers from different levels of providing according to their own needs.