Key characteristics of perceived customer centricity in the passenger airline industry: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The airline industry is operating in a highly competitive and saturated market and is considered to be one of the most dynamic service industries in the world. Maintaining a high level of passenger satisfaction and incorporating customer centricity into an airline's strategy can be the key competitive advantage. Despite the growing interest of scholars and managers in customer centricity, research on this topic in the airline industry has just started. However, it is key to understand how a firm's intentions to become customer-centric finally translate into customer perceptions. For this purpose, the authors developed a perceived customer centricity framework which is tailored to the environment of the passenger airline industry. A systematic literature review was conducted to review and analyze key characteristics and measures of perceived customer centricity in the airline industry. The authors identified 15 distinct key characteristics (measures) in literature and conclude that airlines need to focus on various aspects to truly be customer-centric. Investing in sustainable practices, employee training, modern in-flight experiences, competitive pricing, technological infrastructure, and positive brand associations all contribute to customer centricity. Understanding how these elements are interconnected allows airlines to customize their efforts, meeting current and future passenger needs, and ultimately creating a standout customer-centric culture in the competitive airline industry. By formulating concrete measures this paper establishes a foundation for future perceived customer centricity research, such as surveys, and presents alternative measures to the widely adopted net promoter score (NPS).