• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.73-79
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• 2016

Purpose - Customer satisfaction has been considered important as a way to retain current customers. Specifically, the retention of current customers through customer satisfaction has been considered important in an industry where competition between companies is fierce. Major Korean airlines have confronted fierce competition with the growth of low cost carriers (LCCs). In order to survive, these airlines need to retain their customers. This research aims to investigate the relationships between customer satisfaction and the customer intention to remain loyal. Moreover, this study examines how the influence of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty is moderated by gender. Research design, data, and methodology - A regression model is developed in which customer satisfaction, gender, and an interaction of satisfaction and gender are predictors and the customer's intention to remain loyal is a dependent variable. To analyze this research model, data were collected from 402 university students taking a marketing class in universities in Seoul, Chung-Cheong province, and Kangwon province. After eliminating data from students who had never flown and data with missing values, a final sample of 201 was analyzed. The hypotheses were tested using SPSS 21.0. Internal reliability was supported by the results of Cronbach's α. Multiple regression was performed. Results - Empirical results showed that customer satisfaction toward the airline's service had a positive influence on the customer intention to remain loyal to the airlines. Moreover, this influence was moderated by gender. More specifically, a male customer's intention to remain loyal was more determined by his satisfaction toward airline service than a female customer's. Conclusions - This research contributes to the aviation service marketing literature by showing how customer satisfaction influences customer intention to remain loyal and how this influence is moderated by gender. More specifically, male customer loyalty is more determined by airline service satisfaction than female customers. These results have manager implications for major Korean airlines in terms of customer satisfaction and gender as ways to enhance customer retention.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.57-69
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate systematic and comprehensive explanation about safety behavior by applying integrated model of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). By showing the interrelationship of effects of factors affecting safety behavior in a single model, comprehensive understanding regarding safety behavior will be possible. Research design, data, and methodology: This study try to integrate the two theory, TPB and SCT, to introduce background factors, such as safety culture, affecting cognitive factors of subjective norm, safety attitude, perceived behavioral control, safety consciousness, which are again affecting behavior intention of the TPB. We composed 73 questionnaire to analyse the relationship among factors affecting safety behavior. The questionnaire were distributed to stewards and stewardesses of KAL, ASIANA, and LCCs. 422 were collected and used for analysis. Factor analysis, regression analysis, and control effect analysis were conducted using SPSS windows version 2.0. Results: The safety culture, safety atmosphere, and safety education/training were turned out to affect subjective norm, safety attitude, perceived behavioral control, safety consciousness. And the cognitive factors also showed to affect safety intention significantly. The results that safety intention affects safety behavior was found. Also there are control effect of cost consciousness and punishment while safety intention affects safety behavior. Conclusions: Safety is the virtue that should be given first priority to in our daily life. To secure safety, everyone in an organization should have high level of safety intention and conduct safety behavior. The study results provide systematic and comprehensive understandings on the relationship among factors affecting cabin crews' safety behavior. The results will help design safety related regulations, education/training, and support employees to engage in safety behavior related activities.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.165-173
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to provide directions to help enter and expand long-distance routes by analyzing the characteristics of AirAsia X's network construction with Malaysia Airlines. To this end, long-distance route data was extracted from the OAG Schedule Analyzer and the network was analyzed on a two-period basis using SNA. Since AirAsia X's entry into long-range routes, Malaysia Airlines has steadily reduced its routes across the entire region. On the other hand, it is analyzed that AirAsia X is building an expanded network by increasing its network in Northeast Asia instead of ultra-long range routes. Studies have shown that LCCs also have potential growth in the long-distance route market of less than 7,000 km. The results of this study may help LCC establish a long-distance market entry and network deployment strategy.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.57-74
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• 2021

Purpose - This study aims to analyze the characteristics of network construction by Norwegian Air and AirAsia X, which are recognized as leading airlines in the long-haul LCC market. Based on this analysis, this study intends to provide implications for networking strategies for Korean LCCs that seek to enter the long-haul market when the aviation market stabilizes again upon the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology - To conduct the network analysis on long-haul low-cost airlines, the Official Airline Guide (OAG) Schedule Analyzer was used to extract long-haul data of Norwegian Air and AirAsia X. To analyze the trend of the long-haul route network, we obtained the data from 3 separate years between 2011 and 2019. The network was analyzed using UCINET 6.0 in order to examine the network structure of long-haul low-cost airlines and the growth trend of each stage. Findings - Analyzing the network of long-haul routes by visualizing the network structure of low-cost carriers showed the following results. In its early years, Norwegian Air's long-haul route network, centering on regional airports in Spain and Sweden, connected European regions, the Middle East, and Africa. As time passed, however, the network expanded and became steadily strong as the airline connected airports in other European countries to North America and Asia. In addition, in 2011, AirAsia X showed links to parts of Europe, such as London and Paris, the Middle East and India, and Australia and Northeast Asia, centering on the Kuala Lumpur Airport. Although the routes in Europe were suspended, the network continued to expand while concentrating on routes of less than approximately 7,000 km. It was found that instead of giving up on ultra-long-haul routes such as Europe, the network was further expanded in Northeast Asia, such as the routes in Korea and Japan centering on China. Originality/value - Until the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Norwegian Air actively expanded long-haul routes, resulting in the number of long-haul routes quintupling since 2011. The unfortunate circumstance, wherein the world aviation market was rendered stagnant due to the outbreak of COVID-19, hit Norwegian Air harder than any other low-cost carriers. However, in the case of AirAsia X, it was found that it did not suffer as much damage as Norwegian Air because it initially withdrew from unprofitable routes over 7,000 km and grew by gradually increasing profitable destinations over shorter distances. When the COVID-19 pandemic ends and the aviation market stabilizes, low-cost carriers around the world, including Korea, that enter the long-haul route market will need to employ strategies to analyze the marketability of potential routes and to launch the routes that yield the highest profits without being bound by distance. For stable growth, it is necessary to take a conservative stance; first, by reviewing the business feasibility of the operating a small number of highly profitable routes, and second, by gradually expanding these routes.