Evaluation of after Sales Services in Airline Companies Case study: EgyptAir

Introduction

Grönroos (2007) defines the service as “a process which consists of various activities that always occurs in interactions between the customer and the service employee or the physical resources or the systems of the service provider, which considered as solutions to the customer problems”. Although Kotler et al (2009) defines the service as “Any performance offered by one party to another that is mostly intangible”. Regarding Zeithmal "Service is performance and processes provided by one person to another" (Zeithaml et al,2009) . Additionally Service is actions ended with a relationship" (Lindquist and person 1992)". Also service can be considered "that social act which occurs within the direct contact between the customer and the service representatives" (Norman, 1984). 

Airlines must developed itself and understand passengers needs to meet their expectations as receiving high quality service to the passengers is substantial for airlines survival (Aksoy et al., 2003). Most of airlines focused on the airline service quality to increase passenger’s satisfaction as service quality conditions affect the firm competitive advantage & it’s percentage in the market share (Archana and Subha, 2012). Although the harsh competition in the business sector which look after the price, Airlines which survive should offer a total travel program ex. non-stop flights, accommodation, financial services, leisure programs. Passengers now are looking for more comprehensive services not only cheap tickets (Berry and parasuraman, 1994).  According to (Ishii et al. ,2009) in his research he found that Passengers will not always choose the cheapest flight, but they also consider many attributes before deciding a certain airline for their travel. These factors are not limited to ticketing price (Adiele et al, 2017; Xia et al. 2004), airline safety (Buaphiban et al., 2015), flight availability and scheduling (Sokolovskyy, 2012), and in-flight entertainment and refreshment (Heinitz and Hirschberger, 2017; Naser et al., 2013). The factors could include cabin crew courtesy (Morrow, 2016; Delta Airline, 2016) and certainly, passengers may complement their decisions with additional factors that were not necessarily part of the survey before choosing the airline, such as the airline aesthetics (Hess et al., 2010).

 

Problem of the Research

In spite of the importance of Aftersales services department in most industries and its direct effect on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty it seems that there is a lack in studying this subject within identifying its role and analyzing its services, also managements still pay only limited attention for this department. The study proposes an integrated framework for the after sales department performance.

Importance of the Research

 The importance of the study lies in the importance of realizing EgyptAir managers' the importance of the after-sales services and its direct effect on gaining customer satisfaction, loyalty and maximizing profitability on the other hand.

Objectives of the research

The main aim of this study is evaluating the Aftersales services in EgyptAir airlines, in additionally the effect of the quality of provided services on customer satisfaction.

Literature Review

Airlines must develop the services which have a focus from the passengers by doing more effort to understand the passengers’ expectations (park, Robertson, & Wu, 2004). (Ghotbabadi et al, 2015) express that "satisfied customers” leads to increasing in advertising through telling others about their experience". (Chen & Chang , 2005) determined that airline service experience is a series of services in which each service consists of a chain of processes and each process contains preflight & inflight services (sub processes), he also suggested  that both should be evaluated separately.

According to Sandeep he express "Service exchanges are these contracts where contracting parties accomplish their contractual obligations during a period of time (Sandeep Kayastha , 2011).

So If the E-ticket is considered as a contract between the airline company and the passenger, the services provided in that contract can be classified into 3 stages

 

 

1. Preflight or (ground) services
2. Inflight services
3. After sales services

Preflight services

Pre-flight services includes a group of personal activities that consider an integral side in the journey as it contain various facilities for passengers to be entertained, rest, relax, or catch up with work in addition to the personal care (De Jager and Dahari,2012).  Preflight services are services offered to the passenger before departure either in the airline company or the airport or anywhere except the aircraft like ticketing services, baggage services, travel information or serving the aircrafts inside the airport (Farahat,2001).

As service industry resumes expanding, airlines is looking forward to computerize procedures so as to minimize costs and increase profit. Therefore Airports started to use self-service technology to reduce cost and increase revenue (Curran, 2003). Nowadays Self- services pervade all the regions in the air-travel journey. These services start before arriving at the airport and remain during the departure & in-flight services, also in the airport transfer points.

Figure (1) represents the self-service opportunities during the steps of the journey.

 

Figure (1): End to End Passenger Air-travel Process

Source: (GSM Association and IATA, 2011).

 

Airport Services

Cairo International Airport is the hub for the national carrier “EgyptAir”. And consider one of the major airports, It is located 15km north-east of the city in a special position between Africa, Middle East and Europe. The airport managed by the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports & Air Navigation (Cairo International Airport, 2017).

Fodness & Murray (2007) implement an experimental survey of passenger expectations regarding airport services and resulted multidimensional expectations and focused on 3 key dimensions: interaction, function & diversion.

Lubbe, Douglas & Zambellis  (2011)  clarify  that  the  effective  measure of  airport processes and services is the passengers opinion, therefore analyzing passengers’ expectations regarding airport services is highly important.

Many studies have conducted on airport services, some authors analyze the experience of travelers, others research the operational efficiency and profitability of the airport while others research and evaluate the quality of the airport services. All air carriers aim to expand their operations at efficiently running airports with a view to reducing their costs and increasing the quality of passenger services (Oum, Yu, & Fu, 2003).

Inflight services

These services are the most important services for the passengers during his travel, As through this services passengers can judge the service quality of an airline (Gad, 2007), And although the In-flight catering is often the most complex operational system (Bata et al., 2006) It can be considered as a common service in most of airlines in different flights, they are differentiate through number of meals and the quantity of each meal (Foster, 1995).

Ng et al. (2011) reported that in-flight services provided by flight representatives influenced customer satisfaction, Recent studies have also covered other topics like aircraft preferences influence in flight selection, surveys to observe passenger attitude, determining of comfort factors, frequent flyer programs etc. (LeBel, 2005), (Saha and Theingi, 2009), (Atalik, 2007). Arabian supply chain (2015) announced that the “International Travel Catering Association” (ITCA) discussed the in-flight catering requirements and standards which determined to be among the top three deciding factors for passengers booking and airlines selection.

 On-time departure and arrival

Since punctuality is considered the most important aspect of service quality, the secret reason to success here is on-time departure & arrival (Tiernan et al., 2008). According to Carlzon (1987) travellers judge punctuality by departure time not by arrival time. And it can be assumed that departure and arrival on time are a key component of an airline's service efficiency (Gilbert and Wong, 2003). But in some cases that are not under the direct control of the airline like the cases of bad weather. In these cases of delay the airline should make an announcement immediately and provide all necessary information and all means of comfort to their passengers.

After sales and after sales managements

Today’s market is more consumer-oriented one in the sense that all the business activities are concerning with satisfaction through meeting the consumer needs by efficient service. After sales services have a significant role in achieving consumer loyalty, as it helps ensure that consumers are happy with their purchases and may seek assistance in the event of any difficulties in installing or repairing equipment (Kumar Mishram, 2014). Knowing the impact of after sales services on satisfaction and post-behavioral intentions is critical for marketing managements as it helps managers to significantly distinguish their product in a way that enhances their relationship with their customers in both short & long term. (Mohamadi, 2011)

For most manufacturing industries after-sales service is widely known as a key source of revenue, profitability and competitive advantage (Gaiardelli, Saccani & Songini, 2007). “After-sales support or technical support” is words included in the literature. “After-sales services” referred to “customer support activities” indicating all activities supporting the product-centered transaction. It is also found as components of “customer service” in the literature, meaning those actions that ensure a product is made available to customers "in its beneficial form for trouble-free use." (Mohamadi, 2011)

In addition, after-sales service is the provided service to the customer after delivering the goods (Vitasek, 2005). Kotler (2003) as cited in Mustofa (2011) opine that “the sales cycle should extend after the delivery of goods and services and follow up a step to ensure customers are satisfied and therefore in turn it will guarantee a regular purchase and other transactions.  

Many researchers conducted that after sales services have a direct effect on profit, Gallagher et al. (2005) refers to after-selling as a means of recovering profits lost as a result of the intense pressure on original equipment sales costs, reflecting at the same time one of the few persistent interactions that consumers have with a company, Additionally ASS can produce more than 3 times the turnover of the original purchase over the life-cycle of a given product and also provides a higher profitability than the sales of the goods. (Alexander et al. ,2002).

According to Levitt (1983) “The selling of a commodity is merely a seller's begging – buyer's relationship where the long-term connection between the two parties is the key to long-term profitability, reinforcing the fact that after-sales services are crucial to a company's productivity and benefit gain”.

And according to the (Business dictionary, 2020) it is "Periodic repair of equipment during and after a warranty period by the supplier ". So we can conclude that After-sales represent a major source of competitive advantages to the company (Armistead and Clark, 1992).

(Brock, 2009) mentioned that " all companies need an effective After sales strategies as creating an efficient after sales strategy Leads to costs reduction, customer service improvement  and sales growth". He also put the mandatory question here is "Is this after sales service is just customer service?" Aren't they the customer service team or the call center?

The problem is often that the companies can’t determine the role of the aftersales. Generally the customer service team is the group that tries to pick up the pieces after the bomb has gone off and patch up the wounded, they usually react even though they may be involved in what described as “post-match debriefings”. They are information prompters and chasers managers who will take over and solve problems on behalf of customers.

Although Aftersales representatives typically have a technical bias and tend to handle the problem directly with the service provides, also they are responsible for ensuring that these issues will not occur again, involving decision-making, contacting sales & logistics teams. And they must have a role in (proper preemptive planning). (Brock, 2009)

 

The importance of Aftersales services and its effect on customer satisfaction:

Because of more awareness of the strategic value of after sales services, Companies start shifting their emphasis to aftermarkets, where they can strive for competitive advantages with their aftersales services offer (Jonke, 2012). The use of such extended services was important for organizations to compete in the market (Vitasek, 2005). Returning customer is the most profitable requiring less marketing effort and building relationship (Hoffman & Bateson, 2010).

(A lot of studies clarify the relationship between after sales service, consumer satisfaction, loyalty, and profitability (Anderson and Mittal, 2000) asIt considers a way of providing advantages to customers and business opportunity to the firm (Saccani et al., 2006).

Based on the above therefore aftersales services directly affects customer satisfaction and customer loyalty figure (2)

 

Figure (2) The Relationship between Aftersales Service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty

Source: Wahjudi et al. / The Impact of After-sales Service Quality / JTI, Vol. 20, No. 1, June 2018, pp. 65–72

After sales services affects the image of the brand  as well as it affected by it (Lewis et al., 2004) as it has a direct effect on customer satisfaction, "The delivery of ASS & installation are necessary for customer satisfaction" (Irini R., 2008). It considers an integral part of customer service and a key determinant of customer satisfaction and it also serves as a competitive tool in any industry (Domingo, 2003). Oliver (1997) has showed that highly pleased customers are much more likely to stay loyal to a company than moderately satisfied customers. When the customer is dissatisfied with the given service or product, he has two choices, one of them is to abandon the specific product and choose from the other available products. The second choice is to suggest alternatives, this customer response is essential to the company in order to enhance its aftersales departments  (Barlow and Moller, 1996), As it create a sustainable customer relationships and significantly contribute to customer satisfaction (Kurata & Nam, 2010).

Relationship after the sale:

Each organization choose its suitable way to get the customers feedback, some prefer comment cards & others prefer free numbers by phone or internet (Sampson, 1998).

Many firms represent their After sale service by a person (service representative) or by (automated means) which offers the services 24 hours a day, example of automated means : Touch Tone phone which contain a main menu & the keypad is used as options like press (1) for English or (2) for Arabic or Internet : but although in utilization of internet the challenge is to enhance the personal experiences, through using the online commerce efficiency it become easily to short change them emotionally, because they are literally ( invisible to you and you invisible to them, So the absence of visual and tactile existence makes it very important to create a feeling of ‘human to human’ relation in the online era.

Making and maintaining valuable customer relationships while utilizing every aspect of customer retention is known as customer relationship management (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). "The relation between the buyer and the seller doesn’t end after the purchasing but the relation outline influences the purchaser’s decision on the next round of purchase." (Levitt, 1983) .

"Because of more complexity of products organizations have to offer greater guarantees." (Ettorre, 1994) With this great guarantee the buyer intends to repeat buying this augmented product which represents a package of values which made him satisfied and decide to enter a bonded relationship" (levitt 1983) . This success of returning the customers is ultimately related to relationship building (Gutek et al., 2002).

Research methodology

The researcher applied the questionnaire to a sample of (460) passengers, and (60) forms were excluded, bringing the total of the valid forms retrieved (400) with a response rate (86.9%).

Collecting Data

 A questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument in this study. The researcher distributes 460 questionnaires to the sample which selected randomly and receives from them 400 questionnaires.

These questionnaire forms were distributed from within 7 months from October 2018 to April 2019.

 

 

Measures

The research utilize the “descriptive analytical approach” where a questionnaire was formed and distributed for a sample of (460) passenger, (60) forms were excluded, bringing the total of the valid forms retrieved (400) with a response rate (86.9%). The statistical analyses of the answers were carried out via SPSS v22.

The survey classified into six sections was used as a tool for collecting data :

• The 1^st section reveals the demographic profile of respondents, the purpose of the trip & the frequency of the travel.
• The 2nd section of the questionnaire evaluated the benefits of the airlines membership.
• The 3rd section of the questionnaire is to evaluate the quality of EgyptAir services.
• The 4th section of the questionnaire evaluated the Aftersales services.
• The 5th section of the questionnaire evaluated the Customer Satisfaction.
• The 6th section of the questionnaire is an open question about the recommended services needs to be improved according to EgyptAir passengers.

The questionnaire items were anchored according to the Five Point Likert Scale, where (1 = Strongly Disagree (SD)), (2 = Disagree (D)), (3 = Neutral (N)), (4 = Agree (A)), and (5= Strongly Agree (SA)).

 

 

Data Validity and Reliability

Data Validity: it explains how well the data obtained covered the actual field of investigation (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2005). Although the different types of validity like; face validity, construct validity, content validity, criterion validity and reliability, It is highly recommended that content validity be applied in this field as it involves evaluation of a new survey instrument to ensure it contains all the necessary items and removes unnecessary items in a specific construction domain (Boudreau et al., 2001).

To validate the data collection instrument used in this research in terms of its readability, structure, and its capacity to test the constructs of the research the researchers distributed the questionnaire to experts in Information and communication technologies and Academic experts in the tourism sector. Then it was revised and optimized to represent the domain experts' comments and suggestions, In addition they showed interacted & interest with the researchers regarding the questionnaire tool which adds to its validity.

Data Reliability: Reliability is related to the degree in which a measurement of a phenomenon produces reliable and accurate results (Carmines and Zeller,1979), Reliability testing is important because it relates to accuracy across sections of measuring instrument (Huck, 2007), But Although reliability is critical for research, it is not adequate unless it is coupled with validity. (Wilson, 2010).

The most widely used internal consistency measure is the Cronbach Alpha coefficient since it is considered the most effective measure of reliability when using Likert scales (Whitley, 2002, Robinson, 2009).

Hinton et al. (2004) suggested 4 cut-off points for reliability that contains excellent reliability “0.90 and above”, high reliability “0.70-0.90”, moderate reliability “0.50-0.70” & low reliability “0.50 and below”. The reliability test was carried out in order to make sure of consistent measurement across various items in the questionnaire. The Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability was determined as shown in the table. The test results that for all sections the Reliability Coefficients were equal (.752) and for all sections the Validity Coefficient was equal (.867) which clarify that the instrument is reliable for being used.

Table (1): Cronbach’s Alpha Value

* Validity coefficient = √ Reliability coefficient

           In order to measure the internal consistency and reliability of study’s constructs. Cronbach’s Alpha (α) measure was used. The scales’ reliabilities were measured & the Cronbach’s Alpha of all scales in Table (3) ranged from .715 to .812 and for total questionnaire items was (.752), this means an acceptable Cronbach’s Alpha value in each sector, And whenever Cronbach’s Alpha value is acceptable if more than (0.7). It is also shown that the validity coefficient is (86.7%) this means the reliability and validity of the study sample.

Data Analysis:

The following section clarifies the results regarding evaluation of Customer Satisfaction about the Provided Services By EgyptAir using the descriptive analysis to get the standard deviations and means of the study constructs along with their items. The items were measured by the usage of Likert-type scale.

First Section:

Part 1.1   Respondents Demographic Characteristics

Figure (3) shows the Gender categories of the sample. The majority (57%) are female, while (43%) of the sample are male.

 

Fig.(3) : Gender categories of the sample

Age Group

Figure (4) shows the age categories of the sample. The majority (54%) are between 29 and 39 years, while (25%) of the sample are between 40 to 50 years, (15%)  between 18:28, A less percentage ( 3%) of the sample was between 51 to 59 years, And (3%) over 60 years.

 

Fig.(4) : Age categories of the sample

Educational Level

Figure (5) shows the Education level of the sample. The majority (57%) had Bachelor Degree, while (24%) of the sample had Master Degree. A less percentage (18%) of the sample had PHD degree and only (1%) had Diploma.

 

Fig.(5) : Educational level of the sample

 

 

Income

Figure (6) shows the average income of the sample. The majority (49%) are average income ranges from 3000 to 5999 EGP, while (22%) of the sample is average income ranges from 6000 to 8999 EGP, (20%) of the sample is average income ranges from 9000 EGP and above. A less percentage (8%) of the sample is average income ranges from 1000 to 2999 EGP and only (1%) of the sample is average income ranges less than 1000 EGP.

 

Fig (6) Income of the sample

Frequancy of travel during the last year

Figure (7) shows that the majority of passengers (82%) travel between 1 to 2 return flights during the last 12 months while (14%) travel between 3 to 5 return flights, (4%) travel between 6 to 10 return flights and Also (4%) travel more than 10 return flights.

 

Fig (7) Frequency of travel

Reason of Fly

Figure (8) shows that the majority of passengers (63%) travelled for Lesiure, (26%) travelled for personel reasons/ commuting and only (11%) for business reasons.

 

Figure (8) Reason of Fly

 

The time was taken to book the ticket before the last trip

Figure (9) shows that the majority of passengers (59%) had long haul while (35%) of passengers had medium haul, and only (6%) had short haul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure (9) The time was taken to book the ticket before the last trip

The way you use to book your last airline ticket

Figure (10) shows that the majority of passengers (42%) have booked their ticket through the airline's website, (18%) have booked their ticket through an online travel agency, (17%) have booked their ticket through contacting a travel agency by phone, (16%) booked their ticket in the travel agency, (5%) brought their ticket at the airport, only (1%) booked their ticket through using frequent flier points and only (1%) through another way

 

Fig (10) The way you use to book your last airline ticket

Airlines often used

Figure (11) shows that the majority of passengers (96%) travel on EgyptAir while (2%) travel on Lufthansa , Only (1%) travel on KLM and only ( 1%) travel on Air France.

 

Fig (11) Airlines often used

 

Frequent flier Membership

Figure (12) shows that the majority of passengers (80%) are not a member in any frequent flier programmers while (14%) are members in EgyptAir plus  , Only (1%) have membership on flying blue, ( 1%) have membership on Miles and more and (4%) are members on other memberships.

 

Fig (12) Membership of frequent flier programs.

 

Second Section: Assessment Of Quality Service Level

Table (2) Benefits gained from the membership of airlines

Table (2) represents the standard deviations and the means of Membership benefits that provided by EgyptAir, The above table clarify the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the membership benefits, it was found that the means fluctuated between (4.05- 3.29) in compare with overall instrument mean of the field (3.54) the point “Ease, accuracy and speed of check in ” ranked 1st with mean & standard deviation (mean=4.05 & standard deviation = 0.757) comparing with overall instrument mean & standard deviation. The point “The devices and equipment used in rendering services are modern and advanced” ranked the last reached a mean (3.29) and the standard deviation was (0.732) in comparing with the mean & standard deviation of the total instrument.

 

Table (3) Reservation transactions

Table (3) shows the standard deviations and the means of Reservation services provided by EgyptAir, The above table clarify the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.74- 3.36) in comparing to the overall instrument mean of the field (3.55) the point “Ease, accuracy, flexibility in online booking" ranked 1st with a standard deviation and mean (standard deviation = 0.744 & mean=3.74) in compare with the overall instrument mean and standard deviation. The point “EgyptAir employees show friendly response in changing reservations” ranked the last point with a mean (3.36) and the standard deviation was (0.772) in comparing with the standard deviation and mean of the overall instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table (4) Airline services

Table (4) represents standard deviations and the means of EgyptAir Airlines services , the above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.63 and 3.21) in comparing to the overall instrument mean for the field (3.44) the point "The quality of catering services in plane is good " ranked 1st with a standard deviation and a mean (mean : 3.63, standard deviation : 0.703) in compare with the total instrument mean and standard deviation. The point " In case of delay the airline immediately makes an announcement & provides all necessary information (length of waiting, possibility to receive food vouchers, stay in a hotel, rebook a flight)" ranked the last point reached a mean (3.21) & standard deviation (0.766) in comparing with the mean and standard deviation of the overall instrument.

 

 

Table (5) Airport services

 

 

Table (5) represents the standard deviations and means of EgyptAir Airport services , The above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.68 and 3.23) in comparing with the overall instrument mean of the field (3.45) the point " Airport staff is courteous and helpful " ranked 1st with a standard deviation and a mean (mean=3.68 standard deviation = 0.761) in comparing with the overall instrument mean & standard deviation. The point "Baggage handling is quick" ranked the last point with a mean (3.23) & standard deviation (0.734) in comparing with standard deviation and the mean of the overall instrument.

Table (6) Scheduling services

Table (6) represents standard deviations and means of EgyptAir Scheduling services , The above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.78 and 3.65) in comparing with the overall instrument mean of the field (3.72) the point " Egypt air offers many non-stop flights " ranked 1st with a standard deviation & a mean (mean=3.78, standard deviation = 0.702) in comparing with the overall instrument mean and standard deviation. The point "Egypt air has convenient flight schedule" ranked the last point with a mean (3.65), standard deviation (0.799) in comparing with the mean and standard deviation of the overall instrument.

 

 

 

Table (6) Personnel services

Table (6) represents the standard deviations and the means of personnel services provided by EgyptAir airlines team , The above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.76 and 3.36) in comparing with the total instrument mean of the field (3.57) the point " Employees’ general attitude is good" ranked 1st with mean & standard deviation (mean=3.76, standard deviation = 0.781) in comparing with the overall instrument mean & standard deviation. The point “Reservations and ticketing transactions are error-free” ranked the last point with a mean (3.36) and standard deviation (0.701) in comparing with the standard deviation & the mean of total instrument.

 

Table (7) Pricing

Table (7) represents the standard deviations and means of Prices offered by EgyptAir airlines, The above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.07 and 2.93) in comparing with the overall instrument mean of the field (3.01) the point " Ticket prices is consistent with given service " ranked 1st with standard deviation & a mean (mean= 3.07, standard deviation = 0.739) in comparing with the overall instrument mean & standard deviation. The point "Low price ticket offerings are available" ranked the last point with a mean (2.93) & standard deviation (0.864) in comparing with the standard deviations & the means of the overall instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

Table (8) Image

Table (8) presents the means and standard deviations of EgyptAir Airlines Image, the above table shows the answers of the study sample to the questions where the means ranged between (3.68 and 3.60) compared with the total instrument mean for the field (3.63) the point " The airline company has a good image  " ranked 1st with a standard deviation & a mean (mean: 3.68, standard deviation: 0.748) in comparing with the overall instrument mean & standard deviation. The point "Egypt air offers different flight classes" ranked the last point with a mean (3.60) and standard deviation (0.722) in comparing with standard deviation & the mean of the overall instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table (9) Cabin staff services

Table (9) represents the standard deviations & the means of Cabin staff service, the above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the services provided by the cabin staff ,where the means ranged between (3.93 and 3.63) in comparing with the overall instrument mean of the field (3.24) the point " Cabin crew can speak foreign languages " ranked 1st with a standard deviation & a mean (mean: 3.93, standard deviation: 0.721) in comparing with the overall instrument mean and the standard deviation. The point "Egypt air cabin-crew gives their passenger’s individual attention" ranked the last point with a mean (3.63) & standard deviation (0.717) in comparing with the mean & standard deviation of the overall instrument.

Table (10) Aftersales services

Table (10) represents the standard deviations and means of Aftersales services offered by EgyptAir airlines , The above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between (3.52 and 3.05) in comparing with the overall instrument mean of the field (3.32) the point " Call centers 24/7 " ranked 1st with standard deviation and mean (mean= 3.52, standard deviation = 0.819) in comparing with the total instrument mean and standard deviation. The point "The speed of handling complaints " ranked the last point with a mean (3.05) & standard deviation (0.793) in comparing with the mean and standard deviation of the total instrument.

Table (11) Customer satisfaction

Table (11) represents the standard deviations and the means of Customer satisfaction of passengers towards EgyptAir, the above table shows the answers of the study sample to the paragraphs related to the reservation ,where the means ranged between ( 3.68 and 3.35 ) in comparing with the total instrument mean of the field (3.50) the point "Overall impression of on-board service quality" ranked 1st with a standard deviation and a mean (mean= 3.68, standard deviation = 0.715) in comparing with the overall instrument mean & standard deviation. The point "My choice of Egypt air as a service provider was a wise one" ranked the last point with a mean (3.35) & the standard deviation was (0.723) in comparing with the standard deviation & the mean of the overall instrument.

Spearman Correlation analyses

Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and services.

Table (12) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and membership benefits .

 

As shown in the table (12), the relationship between passenger satisfaction & membership benefits seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.705** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relation between passenger satisfaction and membership benefits is positive. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, using membership increases. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (01) that there is a statistically significant relation between passenger satisfaction and Membership benefits.

Table (13) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and reservation.

As shown in the table (13), the relationship between passenger satisfaction & Reservation services seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.790** - sig = 0.000). These results have showed that the relation between passenger satisfaction and reservation services is strong positive. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, using the reservation facilities by passengers increases. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (02) that there’s a statistically significant relation between passenger satisfaction and reservation transactions.

Table (14) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Airline services.

As shown in table (14), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and services offered by the Airline seems to be positive. The coefficient value of spearman correlation was set (.769** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relation between passenger satisfaction & Airline services is positive and important. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, using Airline services by passengers increase. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (03) that there’s a statistically significant relation between Airline services in EgyptAir airline and passenger satisfaction.

Table (15) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Airport services.

As shown in the table (15), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and services offered by Airport seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.774** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relation between passenger satisfaction and Airport services is positive. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, using the Airport facilities by passengers increases. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (04) that there’s a statistically significant relation between passenger satisfaction and Airport services.

Table (16) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Scheduling.

As shown in the table (16), the relationship between passenger satisfaction & scheduling seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.772** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relationship between passenger satisfaction and Scheduling is positive. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, using EgyptAir scheduling by passengers increases. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (05) that there’s a statistically significant relation between passenger satisfaction & scheduling.

Table (17) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Personnel.

As shown in the table (17), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and EgyptAir staff seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.798** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relationship between passenger satisfaction and EgyptAir staff is positive. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, the positive Impact towards the staff increases. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (06) that there’s a statistically significant relation between passenger satisfaction and Personnel in EgyptAir.

 

 

Table (18) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Price.

 As shown in the table (18), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and the price seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.763** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relationship between passenger satisfaction and pricing is positive.  This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, the reservation & ticketing increases. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (07) that there’s a statistically significant relation between Pricing and passenger satisfaction

Table (19) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Image.

As shown in the table (19), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and the airline Image seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.754** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relation between passenger satisfaction and the airline’s image is positive. This positive correlation clarifies that while increasing in the passenger satisfaction, the positive Impact towards the airline Image increase. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (08) that there’s a statistically significant relation between the Image and passenger satisfaction.

Table (20) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and Cabin crew services.

As shown in the table (20), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and the cabin crew is strong positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.817** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relationship between passenger satisfaction and Cabin crew is positive and important. This positive correlation clarifies that as the passenger satisfaction increases, the positive impact towards Cabin crew increased and reservations on EgyptAir increased. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (09) that there’s a statistically significant relation between passenger satisfaction & Cabin crew services in EgyptAir.

Table (21) Correlation between Passenger Satisfaction and After sales services.

As shown in the table (21), the relationship between passenger satisfaction and Aftersales services seems to be positive. The coefficient of spearman correlation was set (.719** - sig = 0.000). These results have shown that the relationship between passenger satisfaction and aftersales services is positive.  This positive correlation clarifies that the positive impact towards the after sales services increase, the positive impact towards the airline increased and reservations on EgyptAir increased. This confirms the validity of the hypothesis (10) that there’s a statistically significant relation between Aftersales services in EgyptAir and passenger satisfaction.

• Summary and Conclusion

A total of 400 passengers answered the questionnaire. Totally it was seen that 57% passengers were female and the majority of the respondents (54%) were in youth period between 29 and 39 years old although only (3%) of the respondents in elderly over 60 years.

In Addition 57% of the passengers had university degree and the average income of the majority 49 % ranges from 3000 to 5999 EGP while 20% only of the sample above 9000, Also 82% of the passengers has from 1:2 long haul flights during a year.

Also Most of the passengers (82%) travelled between 1 to 2 return flights during their last year and most of them preferred to book their ticket through the Airline web site and although their different reasons of fly but the Majority (63%) travelled for leisure while the rest percentage are disturbed between who travelled for personal reasons and who travelled for Business reasons

It was seen that the majority preferred EgyptAir Airlines according to its flexibility in online booking, Ease, accuracy and speed of check in, as it offers many nonstop flights, Employees' general attitude is good, the airline company have a good image, Call centers available any time and its competitive advantage in the quality of catering services in plane is good.

In term of Airport services the majority accepted that "The Airport staff is courteous and helpful", "The airport has effective sign system" and that the "Airport has all necessary facilities, clean and up to date".

And regarding aftersales services most of the passengers agree that the Call centers are available 24/7 with efficient employees who provide the passengers with technical and commercial information. 

Also a large percentage have a positive impact on the Cabin staff especially regarding "The Cabin announcements are clear" and " the cabin crew are very helpful".

1.  Recommendations:

By observing the feedback of the passengers it can be concluded that EgyptAir has to take the following points into account:

1. EgyptAir should examine areas where weak evaluations of services quality regarding the membership benefits with Providing more suitable information regarding Frequent flier programs for EgyptAir passengers to affects travellers satisfaction and their intentions to repeat flying with the airline in the future
2. EgyptAir should pay attention to Service recovery , for example In case of the expected service didn’t exist  to passengers and they were not aware of the issue or felt not safe, secure and confident about their chosen provider, then recovery must occurred. Service recovery will resolve interrupted passenger needs and be the main response for them. And this approach should include: employee’s trainings to resolve customer problems, encouraging them to do so by mentioning success stories and communicating best practices (Eccles and Durand, 1998).
3. EgyptAir airlines must work out for the speed of the announcement in cases of delaying the flight, it should provide all essential information about the waiting time, accommodation in a hotel, the possibility to receive food vouchers, Rebook a flight in a quick speed. As service delivery is characterized by two dimensions (reliability and speed) (Michael, 2001). In the case of cancelling the flight, all personnel are involved and needs up to date information to interact promptly and credibly with travelers. It is the fundamental concept underlying a business recovery plan (Parasuraman, et al., 1985).
4. EgyptAir should cope with another travel related partners like car rental, hotels, travel insurance, etc and provide a mileage program to recognize the frequent customers.
5. EgyptAir should developed more new tools to fix the problem of the "waiting time" in the Baggage handling service like more employees or new methods to be easily reached by customers
6. EgyptAir should concentrate with the feedback of their customers, As Airlines must focus resources on service recovery procedures to ensure that the adverse consequences of a service failure are mitigated as efficiently and quickly as possible (Gittell, 2003), Like Contacting consumers after purchasing to ensure they are satisfied with providing repairs, refunds and warranties.
7. EgyptAir should Concerted actions by all the parties who involved in the provision of the services such as front line staff training, offering new equipment like trolleys & more porters, improving the service levels to meet customer expectations in order to improve customer retention levels (Namukasa,2013), But In the same time airline also must be aware not to increase the expectations for their customers when promoting their services while strengthen the education and training systems for their staff to enhance the passengers’ perceptions.
8. EgyptAir need to continuously match the technology with passengers needs to retain a competitive edge, facilitate and promote their daily operations and thus satisfy their passengers for example the  advantages of new check-in methods which include reducing the crowd in the airport halls and speeding up passengers check-in procedures.  As Airports and its processes can cause passengers to be very anxious (Lovelock, 2013)
9. EgyptAir should Survey passengers for understanding how they feel (happiness or fear) when faced with personnel, Equip and employ more efficient manpower to increase and strengthened their installation personnel.
10. EgyptAir should advertise their airline mobile applications on their website, social media. The airline should also train the employees in the use of mobile applications as developing of airline mobile applications contains many features that increase passenger numbers and encourage others to use it.
11.  EgyptAir should coordinate the different airline service components and collecting them in a clear communication strategy to obtain a high degree of passenger satisfaction with the overall service package, including comparative measurements of the definitive service principles to establish rapid troubleshooting capability.
12.  EgyptAir must analyze how customers create their price perception and  put in their consideration that Sometimes introducing offers such as discounts, surprise gift often attract more attention of passengers and unexpectedly can go a long way in building relationships.
13.  EgyptAir is distinguished by its direct flights to many destinations. Hence, the company should enhance this service as a competitive advantage between international airlines and to maximize profitability

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