Presentation
A Tale of Two Airlines: A Comparative Case Study of High-Road versus Low-Road Strategies in Customer Service and Reputation Management
2018 Annual Collegiate Aviation Conference
(2018)
Abstract
Does customer service - good or bad - really matter? Customer surveys from Ryanair and Southwest Airline passengers were examined to determine their perceptions on customer service for the period of 2012-2013. Southwest Airlines (n=149) was rated significantly higher than Ryanair (n=165) in overall rating (p=.0228), seat comfort (p<.0001), cabin/staff service (p<.0001), and value (p=.0004). Additionally, passengers would recommend Southwest Airlines at a higher rate than Ryanair (p=.0006). Open area comments emphasized that customer service and policies had a large impact on the ratings. Specifically, 53% of Ryanair customers complained about inefficient or unwelcome processes and discourteous or unfriendly service compared to 29% for Southwest Airlines. Ryanair customers complained about check-in procedures, open seating policy, and fees ranging from oversized carry-on bags to fees for printing out boarding passes. The largest area of complaint for Southwest customers concerned how customers were treated during flight delays.
Keywords
- Ryanair,
- Southwest,
- customer service,
- low-cost airlines,
- airline customer complaints
Disciplines
Publication Date
September 28, 2018
Location
Irving Texas
Citation Information
Donna L Roberts and John C. Griffith. "A Tale of Two Airlines: A Comparative Case Study of High-Road versus Low-Road Strategies in Customer Service and Reputation Management" 2018 Annual Collegiate Aviation Conference (2018) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john_griffith/36/