Volume List  / Volume 9 (2)

Article

IMPROVING THE PASSENGER FEEDBACK PROCESS IN AIRLINE INDUSTRY

DOI: 10.7708/ijtte.2019.9(2).10


9 / 2 / 255 - 269 Pages

Author(s)

Nikola Vojtek - Holiday Pirates, Belgrade, Serbia -

Bojan Smudja - Holiday Pirates, Belgrade, Serbia -


Abstract

This paper analyses feedback process in airline industry, focus on currently available tools and use findings from both literature review and survey to propose recommendations for improvement. Airlines are using gathered information to align their commercial strategies and improve services and operations. Considering existing feedback mechanisms, the question arises how to improve the overall feedback process in order to obtain more relevant insights from the passengers. Research in this paper was conducted in two phases. In phase one, current feedback processes and tools were analyzed and findings are presented in a form of a literature review. In phase two, survey was commenced in the period Oct 2018 - Feb 2019 and a 200 responses were gathered. Literature review indicated that airlines need to have a reliable way of collecting and analyzing feedback, and that passengers are expecting transparent behavior of airline, personalized and high quality service. Main points of the survey results analysis indicated that frequency of travel is not associated with whether the passenger will leave feedback or not and that membership in loyalty programs is associated with whether the passenger will leave feedback or not.


Download Article

Number of downloads: 1105


References:

Aksoy, S.; Atilgan, E.; Akinci, S. 2003. Airline services marketing by domestic and foreign firms: differences from the customers’ viewpoint, Journal of Air Transport Management 9(6): 343-351. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-6997(03)00034-6.

 

An, M.; Noh, Y. 2009. Airline customer satisfaction and loyalty: impact of in-flight service quality, Service Business 3(3): 293–307. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-009-0068-4.

 

Arif, M.; Gupta, A.; Williams, A. 2013. Customer service in the aviation industry - An exploratory analysis of UAE airports, Journal of Air Transport Management 32: 1-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2013.05.001.

 

Baker, D. A. 2013. Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in the Airline Industry: A Comparison between Legacy Airlines and Low-Cost Airlines, American Journal of Tourism Research 2(1): 67-77. doi: https://doi.org/10.11634/216837861403317.

 

Basfirinci, C.; Mitra, A. 2015. A cross cultural investigation of airlines service quality through integration of Servqual and the Kano model, Journal of Air Transport Management 42: 239-248. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2014.11.005.

 

Bitzan, J.; Peoples, J. 2016. A comparative analysis of cost change for low-cost, full-service, and other carriers in the US airline industry, Research in Transportation Economics 56: 25-41. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2016.07.003.

 

Brochado, A.; Rita, P.; Oliveira, C.; Oliveira, F. 2019. Airline passengers’ perceptions of service quality: themes in online reviews, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 31(2): 855-873. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2017-0572.

 

Chou, C-C.; Liu, L-J.; Huang, S-F.; Yih, J-M.; Han, T-C. 2011. An evaluation of airline service quality using the fuzzy weighted SERVQUAL method, Applied Soft Computing 11(2): 2117-2128. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2010.07.010.

 

Chow, C.K.W. 2015. On-time performance, passenger expectations and satisfaction in the Chinese airline industry, Journal of Air Transport Management 47: 39-47. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2015.04.003.

 

Hannigan, T.J.; Hamilton III, R.D; Mudambi, R. 2015. Competition and competitiveness in the US airline industry, Competitiveness Review 25(2): 134-155. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-11-2014-0036.

 

Hudson, S.; Thal, K. 2013. The Impact of Social Media on the Consumer Decision Process: Implications for Tourism Marketing, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 30(1-2): 156-160. doi: 10.1080/10548408.2013.751276.

 

Hussain, R.; Hasser, A. A.; Hussain, Y. K. 2015. Service quality and customer satisfaction of a UAE-based airline: An empirical investigation, Journal of Air Transport Management 42: 167-175. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2014.10.001.

 

Lim, S.H.; Hong, Y. 2014. Fuel hedging and airline operating costs, Journal of Air Transport Management 36: 33-40. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2013.12.009.

 

Mantecchini, L.; Gualandi, N.; Paganelli, F. 2013. Integration and Concentration Of European Air Transport Market, International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering 3(2): 204 – 219. doi: 10.7708/ijtte.2013.3(2).08.

 

Mimouni-Chaabane, A.; Volle, P. 2010. Perceived benefits of loyalty programs: Scale development and implications for relational strategies, Journal of Business Research 63(1): 32-37. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.01.008.

 

Ostrowski, P. L.; O’Brien, T. V.; Gordon, G. L. 1993. Service Quality and Customer Loyalty in the Commercial Airline Industry, Journal of Travel Research 32(2): 16–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/004728759303200203.

 

Rhoades, D. L.; Waguespack Jr, B. 2008. Twenty years of service quality performance in the US airline industry, Managing Service Quality: An International Journal 18(1): 20-33. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520810842821.

 

Scotti, D.; Volta, N. 2017. Profitability change in the global airline industry, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review 102: 1-12. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2017.03.009.

 

Sengur, F.; Ustaomer, T. C. 2019. Competitiveness Level of The Airline Industry: A Scale Development Study, International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering 9(1): 68 - 80. doi: 10.7708/ijtte.2019.9(1).06.

 

Tripadvisor. 2019. Airlines review section. Available from Internet: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airlines.  

 

Ubogu, A. E. 2013. Determinants Of Passengers’ Choice: A Case Study of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (Nigeria), International Journal for Traffic and Transport Engineering 3(3): 230 – 242. doi: 10.7708/ijtte.2013.3(3).01.

 

Weber, K. 2005. Travelers’ Perceptions of Airline Alliance Benefits and Performance, Journal of Travel Research 43(3): 257–265. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287504272029.

 

Zdanowicz, C.; Grinberg, E. 2018. Passenger dragged off overbooked United flight. CNN, Travel section. Available from Internet: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/10/travel/passenger-removed-united-flight-trnd/index.html (Accessed on 28 Feb 2019).  

Zuidberg, J. 2014. Identifying airline cost economies: An econometric analysis of the factors affecting aircraft operating costs, Journal of Air Transport Management 40: 86-95. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2014.06.007.