IMPROVING AIR PASSENGERS’ EXPERIENCE DURING FLIGHT DISRUPTION: THE CASE OF ENFORCING THE DENIED BOARDING REGULATIONS (DBRs) AT CHIOS AIRPORT “OMIROS”

Abstract

Over the past few decades, air travel is no longer considered a luxury, but a commodity, as passengers are faced with the choice of traveling to various destinations at a lower cost and higher safety than ever before. Nevertheless, passengers’ overall experience does not meet their expectations about excellent customer service, as flying results in various problems. This article focuses on the importance of understanding and improving aviation consumers’ experiences of disruption at Chios Airport by investigating the implementation of the regulation known as the Denied Boarding Regulations (DBRs). The results show that passengers are unaware of their legal rights and dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaints concerning the main sources of disruption: flight delay/cancellation denied boarding, and baggage delay, loss, or damage. Furthermore, “refund of flight cost”, “rescheduling/rebooking (free)”, “financial compensation”, “information on legal rights” and “flight status information” are critical factors for delayed or cancelled flights.