Determinants of Service Quality in the Commercial Airline Industry:

Abstract

The study examines issues related to service quality in the commercial airline industry. The results of an empirical study of commercial airline travelers (both business and leisure), utilizing data collected on two air carriers, are presented. The results indicate that current levels of service quality are low. Tangible aspects (i.e., legroom) of the air travel experience received the lowest evaluation, while those elements related to human interaction received the highest. Significant differences were found to exist between business and leisure travelers' perceptions of service quality and between travelers on different airlines. Airline passengers were also found to possess low level of customer loyalty to the airlines they had recently flown on.