Passenger satisfaction with airline service quality in Malaysia: A structural equation modeling approach

• Customer satisfaction influenced ‘word-of-mouth’ recommendations.
• Customer satisfaction is widely influenced by empathy.
• Consumers put less emphasis on airline tangibles and terminal tangibles.
• Results enable airline strategic management to improve its airline service quality.

This study aimed to examine the effects of aspects of airline service quality, such as airline tangibles, terminal tangibles, and empathy on levels of customer satisfaction. The relationship between these levels of satisfaction and the general perceptions about service quality were also investigated. An airline passenger survey was conducted among the population of the Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia. A total of 300 respondents who had regularly patronized either Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia over the last six months were selected via convenience sampling method. Empirical results via structural equation modeling (SEM) approach revealed that the relationship between customer satisfaction with airline service quality and ‘word-of-mouth’ recommendations is a consistent one. Furthermore, customer satisfaction is widely influenced by empathy, which is why flight punctuality and good transportation links between city venues and airports are prioritized by providers. Direction for future research is presented.

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