Investigating Airline Service Quality from a Business Traveller Perspective through the Integration of the Kano Model and Importance–Satisfaction Analysis

Abstract

This study uses the Kano model and importance–satisfaction analysis (ISA) to assess airline service quality by identifying the prioritised service quality attributes (SQA) for business travellers. The study aims to produce suggestions for airline executives on how to allocate resources in the most effective way to enhance the quality of service and increase customer satisfaction. A conceptual framework divides business travellers into four Clusters based on the behavioural variables of flight length and cabin class. For each Cluster, business traveller expectations for fourteen SQAs were assessed through using the Kano model while integrating the ISA. The empirical phase employs a 38-item questionnaire that was shared on various frequent flyer and business travel forums. Additionally, this study utilises an adapted qualitative questionnaire where four airline managers expressed their perceptions on how they think business travellers perceive the fourteen SQAs. The analysis reveals four categories, namely ‘concentrate here’, ‘keep up the good work’, ‘low priority’, and ‘possible overkill’, exhibiting the importance and satisfaction of the fourteen SQAs. Findings show that resource allocation was adequate on only five attributes out of fourteen. The analysis of the airline manager responses shows differences in their assessment when compared to business travellers for two tangible attributes.