Research Journal of Economics & Business Studies - RJEBS - The ...

Customer Experience Management – Determinants of Air Flying Experience With
Reference To Lcc’s
Sathish Arumbi Saravanan,Associate Professor,
VIT Business School,VIT University
ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper is to study the Customers’ Air Flying Experience flying through the Low Cost
Air Lines in India. This paper examines some of the issues concerned with the conspicuous marketing
activity as airlines are actively engaged in the development of branding strategies to integrate their
services, establish identities, create and engage delightful experiences and brand images. This study
looked into factors like website and information, flight booking agent, sales office, service providers in
the airport, gate management, and cabin on board services, internal/external environment of the airport
and location of the airport with a five point likert scale. In many ways current marketing activity of
airlines is following traditional and well-tried methods which reflect decisions regarding the
product/service provision of routes, seat allocation and types, in-flight and terminal support services,
the price structure, distribution channels and promotional activities. The marketing environment,
however, is becoming more competitive and leverages on the experiences that are derived by the
customers.
Keywords: Customer experience, air flying experience, low cost carriers (LCC’s)
INTRODUCTION
The aviation industry in India is one of those sectors that saw a constant pace of growth among the
other industries in the world over the past many years. The open sky policy of the government has
helped a lot of overseas players entering the aviation market in India. From then, it has only been
growing in terms of players and the number of aircrafts. The Indian aviation industry is one of the
fastest growing aviation industries in the world with private airlines accounting for more than 75 per
cent of the sector of the domestic aviation market (as of 2006). The market witnessed around 150
million travelers passing through its airports, and if Indians begin to travel with the same pace and
frequency as Westerners, then within few years market shall boom beyond the two billion mark.
Market reports emphasize, by 2020 traffic at Indian airports is expected to reach 450 million, making it
the third-largest aviation market in the world. Domestic passenger numbers are expected to rise from
1.72 billion in 2011 to 2.21 billion in 2016, a 494 million increase reflecting a compounded annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2 per cent. The numbers of passengers travelled by domestic airlines were
53.4 million during the period from January-November 2012.
Airline service quality and the role it plays in a business strategy of differentiation, has assumed
greater importance in recent years. Service Quality is viewed, not only as an important part of
competitive strategy, but a key resource for building competitive advantage over its rivals (Siobhan
Tiernan et al., 2008). Competition among different players in the market place and continuous
expansion gives very choice available to customers and to organizations a limited means of
distinguishing. Airline Industry is not an exception to this phenomenon. The potential is enormous.
The aviation sector in India holds huge potential for growth, the reasons being, it receives great
impetus from the booming tourism industry driven by higher disposable incomes and favourable
demographics.
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
Traditionally airline service quality was assessed with respect to industry and managerial variables
such as flight frequency, load factors, transit times and aircraft type etc. the provision of superior
service quality has been accepted as an important source of customer retention and loyalty, which may
ultimately lead to superior competitive. Within service research, customer experience is treated as
embedded in service quality and is measured by comparing expectations before and predictions after
the experience, or perceptions only, different predetermined service attributes. Consequently service
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