The Influence of Airlines Services to the Satisfaction of Passengers

INTRODUCTION

People nowadays do really love to travel. Travelling must be comfortable and relax that is why
they have standard regarding to what kind of transportation they will use. The increasing number
of tourists showed that it has a great potential in travel businesses, especially for the airline
companies. With wide business opportunities in the field of air transport offered, the number of
airline companies that offer low-cost carrier also increase. This changes the perception about
traveling by plane that it was a luxurious way of travel in the last century but it has become one
of the common form to travel today. Some airlines here in the Philippines which offer services
such as cheaper price, well-trained staffs, international flights, and also a good quality of food
service are Cebu Pacific, Airaisa Zest, PAL Express, Tigerair Philippines and Philippine Airline.
According to Archana and Subha, "Excellent passenger satisfaction is one of the greatest assets
for air businesses in today’s competitive environment, the on board experience is still something
special forthe customer, if the passenger is not satisfied with the quality of service, they will
reconsider the buying decision for further flights and will probably switch to another airline. The
research related to service quality and customer satisfaction in the airline industry has been
growing in interest because thedelivery of high service quality is essential for airlines’ survival
and competitiveness. This study will generate qualitative research and used descriptive design by
gathering information thorugh survey questionaires that has close ended question for the
respondents. This study will use systematic sampling to gain information from the selective
respondents regarding to the influence of airline service to the satisfaction of the passengers. The
30 respondents of this study are the grade 11 student of World Citi Colleges where 5 of each
strand will be the respondents as they represent the perception of their strand. This study aims to
determine if airline service has a influence to the passenger's satisfaction. Future passenger will
definitely consider and build standard in terms of service they'll get in airlines. This study also
aims to determine what kind of service does passenger look for and make them satisfy.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study will generate qualitative research and used descriptive design by gathering
information thorugh survey questionaires that has close ended question for the respondents. This
study will use systematic sampling to gain information from the selective respondents regarding
to the influence of airline service to the satisfaction of the passengers. The 30 respondents of this
study are the grade 11 student of World Citi Colleges where 5 of each strand will be the
respondents as they represent the perception of their strand.

SCOPE AND DELIMINATION

This study aims to determine if airline service has a influence to the passenger's satisfaction.
Future passenger will definitely consider and build standard in terms of service they'll get in
airlines. This study also aims to determine what kind of service does passenger look for and
make them satisfy.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

FOREIGN STUDY

(1) Understanding and maintaining quality are the main concerns of business today.
Providing quality is not a concern of manufacturing companies alone. The delivery of high-
quality service becomes a marketing requirement among air carriers as a result of competitive
pressure (Ostrowski et al., 1993). Chang and Yeh (2002) argue that quality in airline service is
difficult to describe and measure due to its heterogeneity, intangibility, and inseparability, and
only the customer can truly define service quality in the airline industry (Butler and Keller,
1992).

(2) Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction Service quality is generally viewed as a
multidimensional concept because customers evaluate a variety of dimensions on a company’s
products or services. Service quality is the result of the comparison that customers make between
their expectations about a service and their perceptions of the actual service Vol 8, No 2, 2016
ISSN: 1309-8047 (Online) performance (Zeithmal, 1988; Gronroos, 1988; Parasuraman,
Zeithaml and Berry 1985, 1988; Mersha, 1992). Customer satisfaction, on the other hand, is
defined as an emotional feeling by the consumers after experiencing a certain service which in
turn leads to an individual overall attitude towards purchasing of service (Oliver, 1981). It is a
person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a product’s perceived
performance or outcome with their expectations (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Satisfaction is the
consumer’s fulfillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product
of service itself, provided (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption- related
fulfillment, including levels of under- or over-fulfillment (Oliver, 1997).

(3)After conducting 493 surveys, Raghda Climis stated that such factors may have a
significant impact on customer satisfaction in north Cyprus. Using a survey of 382 passengers,
Kos et al. (2017) examines customer satisfaction and its antecedents and consequences in the
context of the airline industry. The relationships among airline tangibles, quality of personnel,
satisfaction with the airline, the intention to repurchase, and the intention to recommend the
airline were examined. The findings indicate that tangibles and personnel quality positively
affect satisfaction, and satisfaction positively influences intentions to both repurchase and
recommend. The key contribution is to test the moderating effect of the airline type: a low-cost
vs. a full-service carrier. The results reveal a significant moderating effect of airline type on two
relationships: personnel quality – satisfaction – and repurchase intention. Specifically, the
positive effect of the quality of personnel on satisfaction is weaker for the low-cost versus full-
service airline. On the other hand, the positive effect of satisfaction on repurchase intent is
stronger for the low-cost airline. The study also discusses implications for airline carriers. In
addition, Ganjihal (2016) conducted a study on 450 participants about customer satisfaction in
airlines industry using a case study of the British airways. The author’s finding was similar to
other studies which indicated that customer satisfaction is directly related to the service quality
provided by any airline company. Gambo (2016) introduced SERVQUAL model which
concentrated on measuring the passenger’s satisfaction in five dimensions such as
responsiveness, reliability, in-flight service, check in process, and baggage handling service.
However, after conducting a survey on 400 samples, it was observed that those factors are the
most significant factors that affect the customer satisfaction in Nigeria. Furthermore, Elias,
Mohamed and Arridha (2015) investigated the online services provided by airline industry in
Malaysia on 213 travelers in relation to customer satisfaction. The research has considered
several online services such as responsiveness, quality of information, trust, and tangibility. This
study has showed that whenever such quality services are provided by an airline company, the
customer will become more loyal to it. Similarly, Alotaibi (2015) in his study has emphasized
that the focus on customer satisfaction in airlines industry provides the airline companies with
great competitive advantages. Alotaibi also suggested that the airlines companies should make
use of “AIRQUAL” scale on 500 respondents which is considered to be a tool used to measure
the customer satisfaction for any airline company. Moreover, according to Khan and Khan
(2014), the quality of service in the airlines industry in Pakistan has a significant influence on
customer Literature Review After conducting 493 surveys, Raghda Climis stated that such
factors may have a significant impact on customer satisfaction in north Cyprus. Using a survey
of 382
(4) The aviation sector has become the most important segment in the economic development
of a nation. It plays a vital role in moving people or products from one place to another, be it
domestic or international, especially when the distances involved are far. In a highly competitive
environment the provision of high quality services to passengers is the core competitive
advantage for an airline’s profitability and sustained growth. Since the air transportation market
has become more challenging, many airlines have turned to focus on airline service quality to
increase service satisfaction since service quality conditions influences a firm’s competitive
advantage by retaining customer patronage and with this comes market share (Archana and
Subha, 2012). Therefore delivering quality airline services to passengers is essential for airline
survival, since passengers are becoming increasingly sensitive to quality
(5) Customer loyalty can be defined as “a deeply held commitment to re-buy or re patronize a
preferred product/service consistently in the future, thereby causing repetitive same-brand
purchasing despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause
switching behavior” (Oliver, 1997). Chin (2002) stated that an attractive frequent flier program
(FFP) could actually contribute to increased loyalty from the repeat business of an increased
number of customers and numerous studies have revealed that customer satisfaction positively
affects loyalty (Mohsan et al., 2011; Fornell, 1992; Anderson and Jacobsen, 2000). Therefore
airline companies need to review and re-examine their strategies in order to sustain customer
loyalty.

LOCAL LITERATURE

(1)

LOCAL STUDY
(1) According to Kotler, P. J., & Armstrong, G. M. (2010), customer satisfaction is related to
the product’s perceived performance relative to a buyer’s expectations. Besides, customer
satisfaction is a key for a company to building profitable relationships with consumers so
that they will loyalty to their brand. This is because satisfied customer will repurchase the
product again, have a positive word-of mouth to others. In addition, satisfied customer will
pay less attention to competing brands and advertising.
(2) According to Alexandris, K. (2002), service quality gives a meaning of global
judgement or attitude relating to the superiority of a service. Besides, service quality is
determined by the differences between customer’s expectations of services provider’s
performance and their evaluation of the services they received. Therefore, service quality
is often conceptualised as the comparison of service expectations with actual performance
perceptions. Based on Chang, Y. W. (2012), service quality is defined as the ability of the
organization to meet or exceed customer expectations. Service quality can be measured in
terms of the extent to which performance as perceived by the customer meets or exceeds
agree level of services. Service quality is very important in satisfying a customer and
positive word-of-mouth, so that the satisfy customer can help to promote to others about a
company. Lastly, customers assess service quality by comparing the service level they
receive which against both the service level that they would have preferred and the service
level that they are willing to accept. In a dynamic framework, customer satisfactions which
follow a specific service encounter depend on pre-existing or contemporaneous attitudes
about service quality (Tan, 2001). According to Van der Wal et al. (2002) who have the
same view as Tan, K. C. (2001) stated that service quality is the difference between what a
customer expects and what is provided.
(3) According to Brady and Robertson (2001), they believe service quality is antecedent to
satisfaction argues that since service quality is a cognitive evaluation, a positive service
quality perception can lead to satisfaction which may in turn lead to favourable
behavioural intensions. Service quality and customer satisfaction are inarguably the two
concepts that are at the crux of the marketing theory and practice. In today’s competitive
world, delivery in high quality service plays a very important role in order to increase
customer satisfaction. There are studies and publications which shows that the relationship
between customer satisfaction and retention not to be this straight forward. Refer to
Johnston, R. (2001) has proven that the relationship between customer satisfaction and
retention is very weak. But, a research done by Sureshchandar et al. (2002) indicated that it
is closed related between service quality and customer satisfaction.
(4) According to Alexandris, K. (2002), service quality gives a meaning of global judgement
or attitude relating to the superiority of a service. Besides, service quality is determined by
the differences between customer’s expectations of services provider’s performance and
their evaluation of the services they received. Therefore, service quality is often
conceptualised as the comparison of service expectations with actual performance
perceptions. Based on Chang, Y. W. (2012), service quality is defined as the ability of the
organization to meet or exceed customer expectations. Service quality can be measured in
 terms of the extent to which performance as perceived by the customer meets or exceeds
agree level of services. Service quality is very important in satisfying a customer and
positive word-of-mouth, so that the satisfy customer can help to promote to others about a
company. Lastly, customers assess service quality by comparing the service level they
receive which against both the service level that they would have preferred and the service
level that they are willing to accept. In a dynamic framework, customer satisfactions which
follow a specific service encounter depend on pre-existing or contemporaneous attitudes
about service quality (Tan, 2001). According to Van der Wal et al. (2002) who have the
same view as Tan, K. C. (2001) stated that service quality is the difference between what a
customer expects and what is provided
(5) According to Zeithaml et al., (2002), dimension in SERVQUAL can lead to the four
factors that will affect the customer satisfaction of Air Asia. These factors include product
features, personnel performance, service quality, environment, location and price. The
researcher has chosen five factors in studying the customer satisfaction. The five factors
include online purchasing flight ticket, check-in counter service, flight attendant, aircraft
condition and food service. This is because these are the five main parts in determining the
customer satisfaction. Today, many people will just online to purchase the flight ticket. So,
here will show the quality of the Air Asia too. If the system is very lag and the procedure
for buying flight ticket is very slow, this will decrease the customer satisfaction. Besides, it
will also give customer an imagination that during the flight time, the service that Air Asia
gives is also not up to standard