Variations in airline passenger expectation of service quality across the globe

Abstract

This study explores the interdependence between passenger travel experience and service quality in the airline industry for ten geographical regions across the globe. We extract 40,510 passenger reviews and rating information from Skytrax dataset between October 2011 and January 2018. To understand whether and to what extent passenger travel experience varies across geographical regions and their flight classes, we test sentiment score analysis of the reviews and path analysis methods. The results support the hypothesis that the geographical regions shaped by the country of residence of passengers impact travel experience, perception, and evaluation of airline services. North American passengers complain more about their national airline, while East and Southeast Asian passengers are more satisfied with Asian airlines. North American passengers care essentially about the money they pay for their flight and they pay less attention to in-flight services. East Asian passengers care more about in-flight services. Across all geographical regions, seat comfort is the most important factor to evaluate the value for money of the flight. Cabin staff service, however, is the main feature to rate overall flight experience. The results also corroborate that the expectation of passengers is different between the first or business classes and the economy class. Passengers in first or business class are more concerned about seat comfort, food and beverages, and in-flight entertainment. Passengers in economy class are more concerned about the value for money.