In An Era Where Travellers are Spoiled for Choice, What Truly Keeps Them Coming Back to the Same Airline
Keywords:
Flights, SERVQUAL, Price, Satisfaction, Traveller
Abstract
The airline industry is intensely competitive, with companies constantly striving to stand out through their service quality, hospitality, and technological advancements. In this context, especially within service-based industries like airlines, building long-term customer loyalty is critical for sustainable success. This research focuses on understanding how service quality and pricing influence customer satisfaction, which in turn drives loyalty toward AirAsia Malaysia Berhad. Using the SERVQUAL, which includes five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, this study examines the extent to which these factors, along with price, contribute to repeated customer preference and commitment. This study adopted a probability sampling approach, specifically using the simple random sampling technique. A total of 250 respondents were selected at random from across Malaysia using a Google Form survey distributed online. Both of the objectives, service quality (reliability) and price, are accepted for this study. However, other independent variables (tangibility, responsiveness, empathy, and assurance) do not significantly influence satisfaction. The insights gained will help AirAsia strengthen its ability to retain customers by better aligning its services and pricing with customer expectations, ultimately fostering deeper brand quality.
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References
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Tindage, J., Riyadi, S., & Halik, A. (2023). Influence of service quality and information systems on customer satisfaction in Indihome PT. Telkom Sorong with trusted and perceived. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 06(05). https://doi.org/10.47191/jefms/v6-i5-01
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Woldemichael, T. (2024). Effect of service quality on customer satisfaction: the case of Ethiopian Electric Utility in south western region. Journal of Multidisciplinary Cases, (43), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.55529/jmc.43.24.30
Zhang, L., Chen, J., Su, X., & Wu, F. (2023). Civil aviation customer satisfaction automatic evaluation system. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2668484.
Artik, E. and Duygun, A. (2022). The effect of price perception on customer loyalty in airline cargo transportation. Journal of Aviation, 6(2), 126-134. https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1056998
Bilal, S. (2023). Airline management and customer experience: an empirical study from the Indian aviation sector. Journal of Social Responsibility Tourism and Hospitality, (41), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.55529/jsrth.41.1.14
Chanarpas, M. (2022). Customer loyalty in the airline industry: a literature review. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 05(01). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v5-i1-27
Chanpariyavatevong, K., Wipulanusat, W., Champahom, T., Jomnonkwao, S., Chonsalasin, D., & Ratanavaraha, V. (2021). Predicting airline customer loyalty by integrating structural equation modeling and Bayesian networks. Sustainability, 13(13), 7046. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137046
Chen, D., Chen, X., Lin, F., Tang, W., Lio, Y., & Guo, Y. (2014). Cusp catastrophe polynomial model: power and sample size estimation. Open Journal of Statistics, 04(10), 803-813. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojs.2014.410076
Chonsalasin, D., Jomnonkwao, S., & Ratanavaraha, V. (2020). Key determinants of airline loyalty modelling in Thailand. Sustainability, 12(10), 4165. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104165
Fadli, M. and Rachmawati, D. (2023). Pengaruh kualitas pelayanan dan harga tiket terhadap kepuasan penumpang maskapai batik air di bandar udara abdulrachman saleh malang. Student Research Journal, 1(4), 315-331. https://doi.org/10.55606/srjyappi.v1i4.545
Hassan, T. H. and Salem, A. E. (2021). Impact of service quality of low-cost carriers on airline image and consumers’ satisfaction and loyalty during the COVID-19 outbreak. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010083
Hoang, Y., Kumar, V., & Amorim, M. (2021). Exploring quality determinants in airline services: a study of customer experience in Vietnam. International Journal of Organizational Business Excellence, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.21512/ijobex.v2i2.7139
Hutagaol, D. C., & Erdiansyah, R. (2020, May). The Effect of Service Quality, Price, and Customer Satisfaction on Customer Loyalty of AirAsia Customers. In Tarumanagara International Conference on the Applications of Social Sciences and Humanities (TICASH 2019) (pp. 356-362). Atlantis Press.
Iqbal, A., Sufyan, M., Salalm, A., Shaikh, M., & Khan, M. (2023). When satisfaction takes flight: unravelling the impact of passenger satisfaction on passenger loyalty with the moderating role of price sensitivity in the airline industry. Research Journal for Societal Issues, 5(3), 73-95. https://doi.org/10.56976/rjsi.v5i3.138
Josephine, E., Wiranegara, H. W., & Supriatna, Y. (2024). A comparative analysis of factors affecting housing affordability for low-income groups in suburban areas of Jakarta, Indonesia. International Journal on Livable Space, 9(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.25105/livas.v9i1.19647
Khuzaifah, H., Hendrati, I., & Purwanto, S. (2023). The effect of service quality and price perception on repurchase intention through customer satisfaction, Citilink Juanda Airport Surabaya. Jurnal Pamator Jurnal Ilmiah Universitas Trunojoyo, 16(1), 49-63. https://doi.org/10.21107/pamator.v16i1.19061
K?l?ç, S. and Enginkaya, E. (2024). Uncovering airline service quality dimensions from passengers' online reviews: a text mining approach to validate and extend SERVQUAL. Business &Amp; Management Studies: An International Journal, 12(3), 492-504. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v12i3.2406
Lee, H., Lee, Y., & Yoo, D. (2000). The determinants of perceived service quality and its relationship with satisfaction. Journal of Services Marketing, 14(3), 217-231. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040010327220
Ma, X. (2023). Enhancing customer satisfaction in the airline industry: a case study of Delta Airlines. Advances in Economics Management and Political Sciences, 46(1), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/46/20230320
Muchimba, C. and Sinkala, M. (2024). An investigation of the effect of service quality on customer satisfaction: a case of Zanca Bank. AJOCS, 4(3), 178-185. https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v4.i3.1
Narteh, B. (2018). Service quality and customer satisfaction in Ghanaian retail banks: the moderating role of price. The International Journal of Bank Marketing, 36(1), 68-88. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijbm-08-2016-0118
Nguyen, D., Pham, V., Tran, D., & Pham, D. (2020). Impact of service quality, customer satisfaction, and switching costs on customer loyalty. Journal of Asian Finance Economics and Business, 7(8), 395-405. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no8.395
Pahrudin, C., Anggiani, S., Kristaung, R., Jasfar, F., & Arafah, W. (2023). The effect of service quality, price fairness, and corporate image on customer retention mediated by customer satisfaction on low-cost carrier airlines. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 06(01). https://doi.org/10.47191/jefms/v6-i1-09
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. 1988, 64(1), 12-40.
Park, T., Kim, J., & Kim, J. (2021). The impact of perceived hapkido service quality on exercise continuation and recommendation intentions, with a focus on Korean middle and high school students. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202103.0016.v1
Prayag, G., Gannon, M. J., Muskat, B., & Taheri, B. (2020). A serious leisure perspective of culinary tourism co-creation: the influence of prior knowledge, physical environment, and service quality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(7), 2453-2472.
Rady, H. A. (2018). Measuring airline service quality using the RORQUAL model: a study applied to EgyptAir. International Journal of Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality, 12(1), 271-301. https://doi.org/10.21608/ijhth.2018.31517
Rahim, A. (2016). Perceived service quality and customer loyalty: the mediating effect of passenger satisfaction in the Nigerian airline industry. International Journal of Management and Economics, 52(1), 94-117. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2016-0029
Rahmat, K. A., Othman, H., Amer, A., Muhd Feisal Ismail, F. A. & Ibrahim, I. (2023). Green service quality and customer satisfaction for Malaysia airline companies. Russian Law Journal, 11(5s). https://doi.org/10.52783/rlj.v11i5s.942
Ravishankar, B. and Christopher, P. (2023). Examining the impact of service quality on repurchase intent: a study of foreign international airlines. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 11(11), e826. https://doi.org/10.55908/sdgs.v11i11.826
Ravishankar, P. (2023). Service quality impact on repurchase intentions: a pragmatic airline study. tjjpt, 44(3), 2388-2397. https://doi.org/10.52783/tjjpt.v44.i3.718
Revfine. (2021, 11 4). Retrieved from www.revfine.com: https://www.revfine.com/tourism-industry/on 1th June 2025
Riorini, S. and Widayati, C. (2018). Customer satisfaction with low-cost carriers: stimulus and its consequences. Jurnal Manajemen, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.24912/jm.v22i1.318
Roscoe, J.T. (1975) Fundamental Research Statistics for the Behavioural Sciences, 2nd edition. New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston.
Sagala, R. (2019). Pengaruh persepsi kualitas, harga, reputasi perusahaan dan kepuasan pelanggan terhadap pengambilan keputusan pembelian jasa penerbangan lion air pada pt. Vina tour & travel medan. Jurnal Manajemen Dan Bisnis, 205-225. https://doi.org/10.54367/jmb.v17i2.415
Setiawan, E., Wati, S., Wardana, A., & Ikhsan, R. (2020). Building trust through customer satisfaction in the airline industry in Indonesia: service quality and price fairness contribution. Management Science Letters, 1095-1102. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.10.033
Shaliza, Z., Salma, M., & Sihombing, S. (2024). Analisis pengaruh price fairness, service quality, dan trust terhadap customer satisfaction. JIMI, 2(3), 171-184. https://doi.org/10.61404/jimi.v2i3.213
Shrestha, P. (2021). Impact of service quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Management Dynamics, 24(2), 71-80. https://doi.org/10.3126/md.v24i2.50041
Sun, Z., Tang, J., Wang, X., & Xin, Y. (2022). Air China’s customer relationship management: a case study in China’s airline industry, 2345-2354. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-31-2_276
Thapa, S., Devkota, N., & Paudel, U. (2020). Effect of service quality on customer satisfaction of domestic airlines in Nepal. Quest Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 2(2), 240-250. https://doi.org/10.3126/qjmss.v2i2.33285
Tindage, J., Riyadi, S., & Halik, A. (2023). Influence of service quality and information systems on customer satisfaction in Indihome PT. Telkom Sorong with trusted and perceived. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 06(05). https://doi.org/10.47191/jefms/v6-i5-01
Wilfred, V., Prasad, M., & Kumar, J. (2024). Study of service quality, price sensitivity, and passenger satisfaction in India’s airline sector. Innovative Marketing, 20(3), 182-192. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.20(3).2024.15
Woldemichael, T. (2024). Effect of service quality on customer satisfaction: the case of Ethiopian Electric Utility in south western region. Journal of Multidisciplinary Cases, (43), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.55529/jmc.43.24.30
Zhang, L., Chen, J., Su, X., & Wu, F. (2023). Civil aviation customer satisfaction automatic evaluation system. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2668484.
Published
2025-09-12
How to Cite
Horaira, M. H., Mohd Yusof, Y. L. B., & Mat Shafie, I. S. (2025). In An Era Where Travellers are Spoiled for Choice, What Truly Keeps Them Coming Back to the Same Airline. Information Management and Business Review, 17(3(I), 9-21. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v17i3(I).4644
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Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Hanaffiah Horaira, Yuslina Liza Bte Mohd Yusof, Intan Syafinaz Mat Shafie
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