Perception Of Service Quality In The Airline Industry Marketing Essay

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

The airline industry is and remains a large and growing industry. It facilitates economic growth, world trade, international investment and is a vital component of the leisure/tourism industry. It represents one of the biggest industry worldwide and is expected to generate net profits of US$ 8.9 billion this year, far up from the previous forecast of US$ 2.5 billion, further to the world economic crisis. (IATA, September 2010). Mauritius has also beneficiated from this industry. Indeed, the country has seen its tourism sector expand considerably through the last 30 years, and has even emerged as one of the best performing tourist destinations in Africa through the last decade. The figures obtained from the Central Statistics Office clearly show it: from 103,000 arrivals in 1977, to 989,913 in 2005, and even more in 2008.

This increase is largely due to growth in the number of airlines serving the country in the last decade: Emirates Airlines, Corsair (Since October 2006, L'Express, 29 Jan 2006), Eurofly (Since January 2007 - L'Express, 05 Jan 2007), Virgin Atlantic Airways (From October 2007 to April 2010, L'Express, 02 January 2010), and lately, since the 02nd November 2010, Edelweiss Air, a swiss airline proposing non-stop flights between Mauritius and Zurich (L'Express, 02 November 2010).

Today, Mauritius has even greater ambitions as regards to tourist arrivals; indeed, the government's vision is to attain 1 Million tourists this year (L'Express, 23 February 2010). Although the Central Statistics Office report indicate figures slightly under - 915,000 according to their predictions. To reach this figure, Air Mauritius has engaged into negotiations with China in order to offer a direct flight to Shanghai (L'Express, 10 September 2010), while a new airline will soon be operation in the Mauritian skies: Transaero, which will offer direct flights to Moscow (www.transaero.ru). Emirates Airlines, which is present in Mauritius since 2002, has increased its number of flights to Mauritius - although they were already flying daily to the country - to nine weekly flights (Le Gekko Info ltd, 29 April 2009)

With such an expansion, several questions can be asked: what is the opinion of the customers when it comes to the services offered in that industry? Are they satisfied? Is the service quality offered a determinant factor of their level of satisfaction? And what about the Mauritians? How do they perceive the service quality offered by their national carrier? What is the perception of Air Mauritius customers' as regards to the service quality offered by the airline? To reply to those questions, it is important to understand the dynamics of the industry from the perspective of the customer who is the final arbiter of how much to spend and with which airline. Therefore, an understanding of the factors that influence customer satisfaction is useful in guiding airline directors and managers to design and deliver the right service.

1.2 Objectives and Rationale of the study

1.2.1 Purpose of the research

The purpose of this research is to measure the residents' perception of service quality as well as their expectations, which is an essential information needed by ain airline, if they want to achieve customer satisfaction. Indeed, it has been argued that, because service quality is linked to concepts such as customer satisfaction (Gombeski et al, 1993; Peyrot et ak, 1933), repeat purchase behaviour (John,1992) and recommendations to others (Headley and Millersuch, 1993), the delivery of superior profitability and performance over competitors.

For the purpose of this dissertation, emphasis will be laid on the quality of service offered by the national carrier, Air Mauritius. Passengers having experienced their services' will be interviewed so as to understand their perception of service quality, and the importance they attribute to it.

1.2.2 Research objectives

This aims of this study are: 1) to evaluate the expectations of airline passengers in terms of Service Quality, based on the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL model, 2) the perceptions of these passengers in terms of experienced Service Quality offered by the airline, and 3) determine which of the five dimensions are considered as most important by the passengers. It will also help to critically analyse the gap, if any, which exists between the expectations and the perceptions of airline service quality, through different statistical tests; and determine the level of satisfaction of passengers and how far they are likely to recommend the airline, and use their services again.

1.3. Structure of dissertation

The company Profile

The company profile provides an overview of the national carrier, Air Mauritius limited and its activities. It includes a brief historical review of the company as well as a description of its activities, and some facts and figures.

Literature review

The literature review illustrates all relevant theoretical background of the research. It consists of definitions and concepts linked to the study. The topics have been classified under specific titles, namely:

Research methodology

This section outlines the methodology employed for the research. It includes the problem statement, the research objectives, the data collection forms and methods, the sampling plan for carrying out the field work, the data collection specifications and limitations of the survey

Data Analysis and findings

This section consists of the analysis of the research. The data gathered has been sorted, coded and analysed using the SPSS software. Findings are represented in tables and charts.

Recommendations and conclusion

This section is composed of the recommendations and conclusion of the research. Recommendations are made according to the data processed in the analysis and findings section.

CHAPTER 2

Air Mauritius Limited Company Profile

2.1. History

Air Mauritius was incorporated in June 1967 and started its operations modestly with a Piper-Navajo. Its first flights to Reunion Island were the event which boosted the taking off of a regional identity. From there, with the symbol of the famous Paille-en-Queue, Air Mauritius evolved and has, since then, proposed new routes to link the island to several continents. 43 years later, the national carrier proposes direct flights to several destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as regional destinations such as Madagascar, Rodrigues and of course, Reunion Island.

2.2. Air Mauritius fleet

The national carrier is proud of its young fleet, composed mainly of Airbus aircraft:

2 Airbus A340-300E

The airline acquired these two aircrafts in December 2006. Bearing the names of Le Flamboyant and Le Chamarel, both aircrafts are reconfigured in a two cabin layout of 34 Business Class seats and 266 Economy ones.

4 Airbus A340-300

The four aircrafts pay homage to the fauna of the island and bear the names of endemic birds of Mauritius: Pink Pigeon, Cardinal, Parakeet and Paille-en Queue. They are used principally for long-haul routes and offer the possibility to the airline of direct point to point services to and from Air Mauritius and tourist markets. The A340-300 are configured in a two cabin layout of 34 seats in Business Class and 264 in Economy Class.

2 Airbus A330-200

The national carrier took delivery of a new A330-200 in December 2007, which is named Trochetia after the national endemic flower of Mauritius. A second one named Nenuphar joined the fleet in October 2009. The two aircrafts also have a two cabin configuration offering 24 Business Class seats and 251 Economy seats.

2 Airbus A319-100

These two aircrafts, named Mont Choisy and Blue Bay have a single aisle cabin configuration and operate in two versions:

From/to Reunion Island they operate strictly in Economy Class and offer 132 seats; and

From/to all other destinations, they offer 16 Business Class seats and 108 Economy ones.

2 ATR 72-500

The two aircrafts, named Port Mathurin and Coin de Mire are configured at 72 seats with 29/30 inched seat pitch. They service the inter-island routes namely Rodrigues and Reunion.

2.3 Cargo Services

Besides being the main player for transport of passengers, Air Mauritius is also a key player in the field of cargo where about 36,000 tons are carried yearly. In order to cater for this growing activity, the company has also invested significantly in cargo storage capacities.

CHAPTER 3

Literature review

3.1. Introduction

The services industry is one of the biggest worldwide. Air travel forms part of this industry. Indeed, the whole concept of travel revolves around service. Service has given rise to a lot of debate in literature, as well as quality related to service delivery. This chapter will elaborate on different research made in these fields, which are essential in the airline industry.

3.2. Conceptual Framework

A service is any activity or benefit that one party can offer to another which is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. Its production may or may not be tied to a physical product (Kotler et al, 1996). They are originally intangible and relatively quickly perishable and the buying takes place in an interaction process aimed at creating customer satisfaction but which does not lead to material possession (Kasper, De Vries and Van He, 1999).

Services are defined by 4 main characteristics, known as IHIP characteristics, and have widely been accepted since the 1980.s (Edvardsson et al, 2005; Edgett and Parkinson, 1993; Zeithaml et al,1985):

Intangibility: services cannot be touched, smelled, tasted felt or evaluated before purchase.

Heterogeneity/ Variability/: Unlike products, services are difficult to standardise. There is a degree of variability in the various service providers and customer satisfaction, since all customers have individual needs and level of satisfaction, it is almost impossible to treat all customers alike and give a homogeneous service and satisfaction level.

Inseparability: for a service to actually be delivered, both the customer and the service provider have to be present. This also means that customers are part of the service, and that the customers and employees must understand the service delivery system as they are coproducing the service.

Perishability: As services cannot be stocked or stored for future use, they are highly perishable, i.e, if it is not sold now; it is lost for good as it will be impossible to sell it afterwards.

Taking all these factors into account, it is essential for any service provider to focus on the quality of service they offer, in order to increase their chances to satisfy to the maximum their customers.

Service quality is generally recognised as a critical success factor in a firm's objectives to differentiate itself from its competitors. Indeed, research has shown that good service quality leads to customer satisfaction, existing customer retention and attraction of new ones, reduced costs, enhanced corporate image, positive word of mouth recommendation, and ultimately, enhance profitability. (Berry et al, 1989; Reichler and Sasser, 1990; Rust and Zahorik, 1993; Cronin et al, 2000; Kang and James, 2004; Yoon and Suh, 2004.)

Today, competition is becoming more intense constantly. In order to face it, companies need to pay particular attention to their competitors and, more importantly, to their customers. Airlines are also suffering from such competition. It is vital for them to believe customers as being the core concept of their business; as customer satisfaction is what guarantees their future. With the emergence of several 'Low Cost' airlines worldwide - which focus mainly on providing cheap air tickets to travellers, the other ones don't have any other choice but to focus on their service quality and their value added services to overcome the threat of losing customers.

Maintaining a high level of satisfaction is achievable by ensuring a strong coherence between the services provided and the customer's expectations. Successful service quality strategies are generally characterised by customer segmentation, customised service, guarantees, continuous customer feedback and comprehensive measurement of company performance (Sultan and Simpson, 2000).

Mauritius, being a popular destination, is also concerned by this competition. After a fall last year, the number of tourist arrivals has increased this year - 591,153 from January to June, representing an increase of 7% compared to the same period in 2009 (CSO, August 2010.) - and based on these figures, the forecast of 915,000 tourist arrivals for the year 2010 is maintained, representing an increase of 5% over the figure of 871,356 in 2009. Although these figures are very positive for the development of the tourism industry; and that the island remains a 'tropical paradise' to many; the government's expectations are high with regards to the possibility of increasing the number of tourist arrivals per year to 1 million in the near future and it is essential for Mauritius to remain competitive.

In this view, it is vital for the national carrier, Air Mauritius, to achieve and maintain a good reputation in terms of service quality. Being the official carrier of the island, Air Mauritius faces severe competition - Several well-established international airlines, whose reputation no longer have to be doubted - British Airways, Air France and Emirates Airlines, amongst others - also serve the island. What has to be borne in mind is that, in the service industry, every interaction between a customer and a service provider is a 'moment of truth'. Customers tend to compare their expectations about the service to be provided to the perceptions of the service. Customer dissatisfaction thus results from the difference between those expectations and the perceived service. The more perceived service exceeds the expected service, the higher consumer satisfaction will be, and, inversely, the more perceived service falls short of expected service, the higher the customer dissatisfaction. (Sasser, Olsen and Wyckoff, 1978; Gronroos, 1982; Lehtinen and Lehtinen,1982; Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, 1985, 1988; Brown and Swartz, 1989)

The concept of customer satisfaction has drawn the interest of academics for more than three decades due to the fact that customers are the primary source of most firms' revenue. Churchill and Surprenant (1982) define customer satisfaction as an outcome of purchase and use resulting from buyers' comparison of the rewards and cost of purchase in relation to the anticipated consequences; while Oliver (1997) defines it as " (...) the customer's fulfilment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product of service itself, provided (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfilment, including levels of under - or over - fulfilment..."

The purpose of this proposed study is to provide an understanding of how the different perceptions that customers have of service quality affect their evaluation of the latter. Furthermore, another of this study's aim is to determine whether the level of satisfaction of passengers is directly affected by the service quality offered by the airline - here Air Mauritius. It will also help to determine what could be the ameliorations to bring to the services offered by the national carrier in order to ensure a good level of customer satisfaction.

3.3. Service Quality

What is Service Quality? In one of their publications, Groth and Dye (1999), makes a clear distinction between service and service quality: "A service (contemplated, expected or received) is different from perceptions of quality of service (contemplated, expected or received).... Customer criteria determine the definition of quality and the variables that affect perceptions of quality, ex ante and ex post perceptions of quality expected versus quality perceived as realised may differ, in service delivery and in the perceptions of quality of service , divergence between perceptions and reality is a source of risk; and, the greater the divergence, the greater the risk that ex post perceptions of service quality differ from ex ante expectations". The impact of service quality on customer satisfaction as it comes to the service received/delivered can thus be questioned.

Customer Satisfaction is believed to be, by many organizations, a key element to their success. Though it is an agreed fact, measuring its level can be a hard task to achieve. This is why research on customer satisfaction is often closely linked to the measurement of service quality. (Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Cronin and Taylor, 1992; Bitner and Hubbert, 1994; Taylor and Baker, 1994; Rust and Oliver, 1994; Levesque and McDougall, 1996). Quality is one of the most important purchase decision factors that influence the customers' buying decisions. Furthermore, it can be of strategic importance as its benefits can contribute to market share and return on investment. (Anderson and Zeithaml, 1984; Philips, Chang and Buzzell, 1983). It has also been observed that service quality has an apparent relationship to costs (Crosby, 1979), customer satisfaction (Bolton and Drew, 1991; Boulding et al, 1993.) and customer retention (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990.). However, different schools of thought exist on to whether customer satisfaction is an antecedent or consequence of service quality.

Indeed, it has been argued that service quality is a global assessment about a service category or a particular organisation. (Parasuraman et al, 1988.). Research illustrated situations where the participants were satisfied with a specific event, but did not feel the organization offered overall service quality. (Parasuraman et al, 1985.). Because most evaluations of customer satisfaction relate to that of a specific service, customer satisfaction is viewed as it relates to a specific transaction (Howard and Sheth, 1969; Hunt, 1970.) Hence, incidents of satisfaction over time result in perceptions of service quality. (Parasuraman et al, 1988.). Oliver (1981) stated that satisfaction decays into one's overall attitude. From this perspective, service quality could be viewed as the whole family picture album, while customer satisfaction is just one snapshot. (Andaleeb and Conway, 2006).

Recently, however, Zeithaml and Bitner (2003) have argued that, though the two concepts have things in common, 'Satisfaction is generally viewed as a broader concept… service quality is a component of satisfaction'. Because customer satisfaction is achieved through various sources, Bitner and Hubbert (1994) propose two ways of viewing satisfaction: service-encounter satisfaction (i.e satisfaction in relation to specific services) and overall satisfaction. (Based on several experiences). In other words, satisfaction level based on each service leads to overall satisfaction with the service.

3.4. Airline Service Quality

Research into airline service quality has increased rapidly since its relationship with passenger satisfaction has been established. (Heskett et al,1994). According to Clifford et al (1994), in the pre deregulation era, airline service quality was assessed with respect to industry and managerial variables such as flight frequency, load factors, transit times and aircraft type. (See also Jordan, 1970; Douglas and Miller, 1974). However, after the liberalisation of the airline environment in the U.S, the provision of superior service quality was found to be an important source of customer retention and loyalty, which may, in turn, lead to a superior competitive performance. (Parasuraman et al, 1985,1988, 1991, Zeithaml et al, 1996; Dawkins and Recihheld, 1990; Reichheld and Sasser, 1990, Berry and Parasurman, 1994). According to Parasuraman et al (1991), customer loyalty can be achieved by organisations that display consistency, reliability and fairness in the provision of their service. They further argued that organisations that make realistic promises about service delivery are more likely to capitalise on superior service delivery.

Only a few airlines have been able to distinguish themselves over the years in terms of service quality; this is because of rapid changes in the industry both in terms of changing needs of customers, and definitions of what constitutes the industry itself (Rhoades et al, 1998). Singapore Airlines, British Airways and America Airlines are among those few airlines that have successfully positioned themselves globally as offering excellent service quality (Chan, 2000). Delivering constant service quality is a difficult task for both large and small airline companies. To cater for this problem, many airlines have found one solution which could increase their chances to satisfy customers: code sharing. Code sharing is an agreement between two airlines, where an airline operating a flight allocates some of its seats to another airline, allowing it to sell those seats on its code, although it is not actually operating the flight. However, this type of agreement is dependent upon the fact that both airlines offer similar service levels and have similar market positioning for its success.

For example, Air Mauritius and Air France have a code share agreement on the routes operated by Air France and vice versa (Ministry of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications, 2010). A passenger buying a ticket at the Air Mauritius counter to go to Toulouse, France, can find himself in possession of a ticket Mauritius - Paris - Toulouse with Air Mauritius flight numbers and ticket, while the flights to Paris and Toulouse will actually be Air France operated flights. By signing such agreements, both airlines increase their chances to satisfy their customers as they offer more destinations to passengers; increase their seats availability and, also, Air Mauritius frequent flyers will accumulate frequent flyer points/miles, although they are not actually flying by this airline.

Service quality also contributes significantly towards service differentiation, positioning and branding. Singapore Airlines and British Airways have been widely recognised within the airline industry as its strategic benchmark airlines, as well as industry leaders and innovators in terms of branding as being a strategic competitive advantage. (Chan,2000). Companies that find the most effective ways to implement the best service methods and processes have more chances to be winners in the long term in terms of favourable customer perceptions. Such companies outstand their competitors and are able to build a strong foundation for customer loyalty. Service, both poor and outstanding, has a strong emotional impact on the customer, creating intense feelings about the organisation, its staff and its service, and influencing loyalty to it. (Wirtz and Johnston,2003).Several authors have been able to demonstrate that there is a positive link between customer service improvements and customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and profitability. (Buzzell and Gale,1987; Boulding et al, 1993; Rust and Oliver, 1994).

It has been suggested that the three probable fundamental factors that affect passenger demand in the airline industry are incomes, fares and service levels. (Hanlon, 1999). The core focus of the present research is on service quality aspect (Although it is recognised that cost and price do have an influence on service quality). There are a lot of factors that can influence passenger growth, but it is an undeniable fact that service quality plays a critical role in the success of the airline industry. (Bannford and Xystouri,2005). There is also much evidence that suggest that profitability is linked to service delivery (Bates et al, 2003), as well as the general importance of quality in service organisations. (Gustafsson and Nilsson, 2003; Di Mascio, 2007).

According to Headley and Bowen, different aspects could influence the passenger's perception of service quality, at different times along the consumption process, but generally, the two principal factors are (i) Schedule and (ii) Price (Headley and Bowen, 1997). There are also secondary but important other aspects that can determine the choice of a customer for a particular airline. The principal factors can explain the majority of customer choice of airline services. However, once these basic concerns are met, the larger and more complex set of factors begin to prevail on the customer's perception regarding the quality and satisfaction as regards to a particular service experience, and, ultimately the choice of a particular airline. Examples of these factors can be: safety, seat comfort, in-flight amenities, attitude of ground and in-flight crew... amongst others (Headley and Bowen, 1997).

This paper focuses on understanding service quality and customer satisfaction; as well as the ability of airline companies (here Air Mauritius) to satisfy customers' perceptions of what these can be. The service sector literature has shown much interest in the area of passenger expectations and airline quality (Fodness and Murry, 2007; Gilbert and Wong, 2003).

The originality in the present research is that it is the residents' perceptions and expectations that are put forward. Previous research has focussed on international tourists' perceptions as regards to the service offered by Air Mauritius. (Prayag, 2007)

3.5. Measuring Service Quality and its impacts on customer satisfaction

The tool which will be used is the SERVQUAL model (Parasuraman et al,1985,1988,1991,1994.). This 22-item scale, which was developed to measure service quality, is based on specific dimensions: Tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Although this scale was originally applied in five specific service settings (retail banking, credit card services, repair and maintenance of electrical appliances, long-distance telephone services, and title brokerage), it has also been applied to a wide variety of service environments:

The healthcare sector (Carman,1990; Headley and Miller, 1993; Lam, 1997; Kilbourne et al.,2004);

Banking (Mels et al,1997; Lam,2002);

Fast food (Lee and Ulgado, 1997);

Telecommunications (Van der Wal et al., 2002)

Retail chains (Parasuraman et al., 1994)

Information systems (Jiang et al., 2000); and

Library services (Cook and Thompson, 2000).

The SERVQUAL model will thus help to reach the following objectives:

To measure what are the expectations and perceptions of service quality

To determine the customer's assessment of the importance they grant to the five service quality dimensions of the SERVQUAL, and

To determine if any specific dimensions has a greatest influence on the passengers' overall satisfaction levels and willingness to recommend Air Mauritius to others

In 1994, Bitner and Hubert argued that, although the SERVQUAL items of Parasuraman et al (1988), when measured at the level of the firm's service, appear to be good predicators of service quality, it is also possible that the 22 items scale of SERVQUAL, when measured as a function of multiple experiences with the firm, may be good predicators of overall service satisfaction.

It is clear that, over the years, service quality has been an issue that has engaged researchers in debate over its conceptualization. In 1988, Parasuraman et al developed the SERVQUAL instrument to measure service quality. This was the start for a lot of research in the field, which continues today. Their assessment analyzed the difference between the customer's perceptions and expectations; and their evaluation of the service provided.

The SERVQUAL scale.

According the Parasuraman et al. (1988), customer's perceptions of service quality are influenced by five 'gaps':

Gap 1 : difference between customer expectations and management perceptions of customer expectations

Gap 2: difference between management perceptions of consumer expectations and the translation of these perceptions into service quality specifications.

Gap 3: difference between the services actually delivered by frontline service personnel on a day-to-day basis and the specifications set by management.

Gap 4: difference between service delivery and what is promised in external communications to customers.

Finally, Gap 5 is the difference between customer expectations and perceptions. ( That is, perceived service quality, as described above)

Gap 5 is influenced by gap 1-4, which are all within the control of an organization and therefore need to be analysed to identify any changes that should be implemented to reduce or eliminate gap 5. Parasuraman et al argued that such 'gap analyses' are critical for the identification of discrepancies between the provider's perceptions of service quality and to the customer's perceptions of those dimensions. Engelland et al (2000.) declared that those gap analyses "(...) focus managers' attention on possible causes for each gap and developing strategies to close each gap"

The SERVQUAL instrument is based on Gap 5. On the basis of information obtained from interviews with consumers, Parasuraman et al (1985) concluded that consumers evaluated service quality by comparing expectations with perceptions on ten dimensions:

Tangibles

Reliability

Responsiveness

Communication

Credibility

Security

Competence

Courtesy

Understanding/knowing customers and

Access

These ten dimensions were then reduced to five generic service quality dimensions, as follows:

Tangibles (measured by four items): the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, and personnel;

Reliability (five items): the ability to perform the promised service dependable and accurately

Responsiveness (four items): the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service

Assurance (four items): the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence; and

Empathy (five items): the level of caring and individualised attention the firm provides to its customers.

These five dimensions are thus assessed by a total of 22 items. Each item is measured on the basis of responses to two statements that measure:

The general expectations of customers concerning a service; and

The perceptions of customers regarding the levels of service actually provided by the company within the service category.

Figure 1.0 shows the SERVQUAL gap model.

Figure 1.0 - The SERVQUAL Gap Model (Parasuraman et al, 1988)

SERVQUAL is "a concise multiple-item scale with good reliability and validity that retailers can use to better understand the service expectations and perceptions of consumers and, as a result, improve service" (Parasuraman et al, 1988.). In 1991, the SERVQUAL instrument was refined. The original model consisted of two sections: a 22 item section measuring customers' service expectations; and a corresponding 22-item section measuring consumers' perceptions of a particular company. The revised version consists of a third section, where customers are asked to allocate 100 points to the items representing the five dimensions.

During their review of the model, Parasuraman et al (1991) also reviewed the formulation of some statements by, for example, removing the word "should" from the statement, realising that " the 'should' terminology in this other expectation statements might be contributing to unrealistically high expectation scores" (Parasuraman et al,1991).

The research literature on service quality has identified many models developed by several researchers worldwide. However, the SERVQUAL instrument (Parasuraman et al, 1988), forms the foundation on which all the other works have been built; though, it has been subject to severe criticism as well (See Buttle, 1996). In spite of such reprehension on its efficacy across different service settings, there is a general agreement that the 22 items are reasonable good predicators of service quality as a whole.

Several multi-dimensional constructs have been used to measure airline service quality. For example, Zagat, and aviation research firm, rates airline service on the basis of five criteria: (i) Overall performance, (ii) comfort, (iii) service, (iv) food and (v) website (Rhoades, 2006). The U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) also utilises a multidimensional conception of service quality in its regular reports on airline service quality, which provide data on the following operational measures: (i) flight delays, (ii) mishandled baggage, (iii) oversold flights and (iv) consumer complaints.

For the purpose of this research, the refined SERVQUAL instrument will be applied to the airline industry, where service quality is one crucial element. Indeed, previous researchers have already used this tool (or adapted it) to evaluate service quality in the airline industry. (Fick and Ritchie, 1991; Sultan and Simpson, 2000). The following hypothesis will thus be investigated:

H1: Customers' perception meets their expectations

H2: Customers' perception exceeds their expectations

H3: Customers' perceptions influence customer satisfaction

CHAPTER 4:

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4.1 Problem Statement

Air Mauritius is the national carrier, one of the best ambassadors of the island, or at least, it should be. It is this important for the airline to ensure proper service, and the emphasis should specially be laid on the quality of the service offered. Moreover, before being the ambassador of the country, it is first and foremost, the carrier of the Mauritian citizens. Thus, it is as important to satisfy the needs and even exceed the local people's expectations in terms of service quality. How far is that true? This is one of the main topics which is being evaluated and discussed below.

4.2. Research objectives

The aims and objectives of the study were to determine how far the perceptions passengers have of service delivery on Air Mauritius differ from what they actually expect from an excellent airline. More specifically, the aim was to obtain data from Mauritian residents who have used the airline's services. Another objective was also to discover whether those passengers were likely to travel by Air Mauritius again, and whether they would recommend it to friends, family and relatives. Finally, another aim of this study is to determine the service failures and recommend solutions/changes, which could help the national carrier to improve its image and goodwill to the eyes of the local community.

4.3. Research design

For the purpose of this dissertation, quantitative research was applied. Primary data was used, where passengers who had travelled by Air Mauritius were approached to collect information about the perceptions they had about the quality of service offered by the national carrier. An adapted version of Parasuraman et al's SERVQUAL instrument was used, which helped to compare the expectations of service quality offered by an excellent airline to those perceptions.

4.2 Survey Instrument

This study applies the methodology of the refined SERVQUAL model. The survey instrument was adapted to the airline industry and customised accordingly, inspired from the statements and perceptions proposed by Parasuraman et al. The questionnaire consisted of five sections. The first section included airline service quality expectations and perceptions statements, measuring the five dimensions of service quality mentioned in the original survey instrument, that is, Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy. Based on the model, only 22 items were included on the questionnaire, as they have already proven to be reasonably good predicators of service quality. (Sureshchandar et al,2001, Prayag, 2007).

The second section of the questionnaire comprised of the same statements mentioned in the first one, but with a slight modification to the phrasing. Indeed, in the first part, all statements suggested what an excellent airline 'will' offer, while the second section contained affirmative statements and were specifically applied to the service offered by Air Mauritius. The third section comprised of 5 statements, each representing one of the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL, and where interviewees were requested to allocate a total of 100 points, according to the level of importance they grant to each of them. The fourth part was added in order to determine overall satisfaction of customers as regards to the service offered by the airline, as well as their likeliness to recommend its services and to use the service of the airline again. The final part of the questionnaire dealt with the demographic data, as well as the flying habits and preferences of the customers.

Another modification made to the instrument is the likert scale. Indeed, while in the original questionnaire a seven-point likert-scale was applied, in this adapted SERVQUAL, a five-point one was used. This was done in order to "reduce the frustration level of respondents and increase response rate and quality" as mentioned by several researchers. (Babakus and Mangold, 1992; Krosnick and Fabrigar, 1997; Johns et al, 2004).

4.3. Pilot Test

A pilot study was carried out to validate the questionnaire, which involved distributing it to 25 customers that have travelled Air Mauritius over the last 12 months. Only 11 questionnaires were returned correctly completed, which corresponds to a response rate of 44%. However, feedback obtained from the 11 respondents was very useful and allowed some modifications to be made to the questionnaire. Indeed, it is thanks to this feedback that it was found that respondents considered it easier for them to rate the statements if the rating corresponding to the intermediate points "2", "3" and "4" were defined. Thus, the ratings "not essential", "no opinion" and "essential" were added to the description of section one and the ratings "disagree", "no opinion" and "agree", were added to the description of section two.

Respondents also suggested to include an age range in part five, instead of just mentioning the age; and advised to include a question relating to the cabin class in which they travel, as the experience may be different. All this feedback was taken into account and the necessary amendments were made.

4.3 Sample design and data collection method

In an ideal situation, the best way to obtain the exact measure of service quality offered by Air Mauritius would have been to have a sample of passengers from each flight and each destination of the airline. However, this kind of information is strictly confidential and if would have taken much more time. It was thus decided that the questionnaires would be administered to people having travelled by Air Mauritius, regardless of the destinations and duration of flight. Questionnaires were distributed in 3 travel agencies: Two in Port-Louis and one in Trianon. Employees of these travel agencies were asked to request their clients to fill in the questionnaires and to return them.

Of the 150 distributed, only 65 valid questionnaires were returned. Face to face interviews were also done with passengers at the airport, where a stratified random sampling method was used. Indeed, each 1 passenger out of 3 who was waiting for check-in was interviewed. These interviews allowed the collection of another 45 questionnaires, amounting to a total of 110. Overall, the total response rate of this study is of 36.66 percent, which is coherent with other studies made in the same field, which achieved response rates between 20 percent and 40 percent, using similar data collection methods. (Sultan and Simpson, 2000; Frost and Kumar, 2001). Table 1.0 describes the data collection details:

Place

No of questionnaires distributed

No of questionnaires collected

No of valid questionnaires

IBL Travel Port Louis

50

30

27

IBL Travel Trianon

50

22

20

Le Voyageur Curepipe

50

23

18

Airport

150

55

45

Total

300

130

110

Table 1.0: Data Collection details

All together, data collection lasted 4 weeks, and of all questionnaires received, 15 were unusable due to errors and incomplete responses.

4.4. Limitations of the study

The survey was undertaken during the months of October/November 2010, which is quite a high season for travel agencies. Indeed, it is during these months that a lot of tickets are sold in view of December holidays. This may explain the low response rate from travel agents as, being very busy with their work load, they did not have the required time to approach customers and ask them to participate in the survey.

Although quite straight-forward, the questionnaire is rather long and takes some time to complete. Some people were reluctant to participate due to the time constraint, being interviewed at the airport, while they had a flight to catch.

Another limitation that has to be taken into account is the fact that each trip is not the same. Although one may have been excellent, and the customer's perception of the service delivery was excellent, the same customer may live a completely different experience on another trip. This could be linked to any of the five dimensions explored; that is; tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Other elements could affect their perception, which may not have been taken into account during this research.

CHAPTER 5

Data Analysis and findings

5.1. Introduction

The results obtained from the survey were analysed using the SPSS software version 16.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). Moreover, for a better understanding and interpretation of the data, graphical illustrations, designed on Microsoft Excel 2007, are included and statistical tests were carried out. The results obtained are also illustrated using different tables.

5.2 Demographic Data Results

5.2.1 Gender and age of respondents

The discussion of the research findings begin with a brief demographic profile of the respondents in terms of age and gender. On the total number of respondents, 55.5 percent were female, and 45.5 percent male. 37.3 percent were aged between 18 and 25 years, 26.50 percent between 26 and 30 years, 13.60 percent between 31 and 40 years, 9.10 percent between 41 and 50 years and 14.50 were aged 51 years and more.

Table 1.1: Gender distribution

Table 1.2: Age distribution

5.2.2 Frequency and class of travel

When it comes to frequency of travel, 43 respondents used the airline's services between 1 and 5 times, among which 6 in business class and 37 in economy class. 32 persons travelled between 6 and 9 times, among which 1 in business class and 31 and economy class; and 35 respondents travelled more than 10 times, among which 3 in business and 32 in economy class.

On the overall responses, 10 percent travelled in business class and 90 percent in economy class.

Table 1.3: Frequency and class of travel

5.2.3 Purpose of trip

When it comes to the purpose of trip, of the 110 respondents, 27 travelled for business, 81 for leisure and 2 for other reason. These represent 24.5 percent for business trips, 73.6 percent for leisure trips and 1.8 percent for other reason, which were for study trips as told by the respondents

Table 1.4: Purpose of trip

5.3. Expectations data results

The first part of the questionnaire helps to understand how far respondents consider the five dimensions - Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance and Empathy - to be essential or not. Twenty-two statements, representing the 5 dimensions were listed, and the respondents were asked to rate the statements using a five point likert-scale. The ratings were as follows:

1: Not at all essential

2: Not essential

3: No opinion

4: Essential

5: Absolutely essential.

The results obtained are detailed below.

5.3.1: Tangibles

The first 4 statements were meant to measure tangibles:

The airline will have modern in flight equipment

Employees of an outstanding airline will be well dressed and appear neat

The airline will provide a variety of in-flight meals

The physical facilities of an excellent airline are visually appealing

Table 1.5: Expectations: Tangibles Statement 1

As we can see in the above table, 2 respondents out of 110 considered that modern in flight equipment and clean facilities are not essential, representing 1.8 percent of the total number of responses. Only one respondent had no opinion, representing 0.9 percent, while 33 respondents considered this element as essential, and the remaining 74 absolutely essential, which represent 30.0 and 67.3 percents respectively. No respondent considered this element as "not at all essential".

Table 1.6: Expectations: Tangibles statement 2

The above table describes the results obtained for the second statement. One respondent considered the appearance of the employees as being not at all essential, representing 0.9 percent of the total responses. Only one respondent also considered this feature as not essential, again representing another 0.9 percent of the total responses, while 2 had no option, which equals to 1.8 percent of the total responses. 33 respondents considered it essential; and 73 considered it absolutely essential, representing 30.0 and 66.4 percents respectively.

Table 1.7: Expectations: Tangibles statement 3

Table 1.7 shows the results of the third statement. Out of the 110 responses obtained, 2 respondents consider that variety of in flight meals are not an essential element of service quality. This represents 1.8 percent of the total responses. 10 respondents did not have any opinion, representing 9.1 percent of the total results, while 47 consider meals as being an essential element, and 51 as being absolutely essential, representing 42.7 and 46.4 percents respectively. No respondent considered this element as being not at all essential.

Table 1.8: Expectations: Tangibles statement 4

In table 1.8, we can see the results obtained concerning the physical facilities visual appeal. Here again, no respondent considered this element as being not at all essential. 1 respondent however considered that is not essential; representing only 0.9 percent of the total results obtained. 15 respondents had no opinion on the subject, equalling to 13.6 percent of the total responses, while 58 considered it as an essential element and 36 absolutely essential, representing 52.7 and 32.7 percents respectively.

Overall, it can be said that respondents consider the tangibles dimension as being quite an important one, as proportionally to what is considered essential, the 'not essential' and 'not at all essential' responses are quite low.

5.2.3. Reliability

Reliability is measured using five statements:

An excellent airline will be on time for its schedule.

An excellent airline will provide the promised in flight services such as special meals and entertainment (For example movies)

An excellent airline will provide quick check-in and boarding services

An outstanding airline will be providing assistance services to passengers needing them (For example wheelchair)

An excellent airline will make necessary travel arrangements to passengers in case it cannot provide the promise service to them (For example in case of overbooking)

Table 1.9: Expectations: Reliability statement 1

The above table displays the results for the first statements. Out of the 110 responses obtained, one respondent considered that on time schedule is not at all essential in service quality offered by an excellent airline, representing 0.9 percent of the total results obtained. Two respondents replied that this element is not essential, which equals to 1.8 percent, 7 respondents had no opinion, representing another 6.4 percent, while 25 respondents find it essential and 75 absolutely essential, which equals to 22.7 and 68.2 percent respectively.

Table 1.10: Expectations: Reliability statement 2