FLYSAT: An Index of Consumer Satisfaction with Service Offering in the Airline Industry

Abstract

The airline industry has been described as “highly dynamic” and “brutally competitive.” Attaining a high level of consumer satisfaction is thus mandatory for firms in the industry in order to survive, and to maintain or to increase market share. To this end, management needs an adequate measure of consumer satisfaction with services rendered by airlines. This paper proposes an index of service satisfaction that adequately captures the multiplicity trait of services marketing in the airline industry. Termed FLYSAT, the index was based on the concepts of service offering and desired expectation. Results of an empirical test of FLYSAT support its reliability and validity. Potential managerial applications of the index are discussed, and directions for future research are given.