Airline e-ticketing service: How e-service quality and customer satisfaction impacted purchase intention

Competition among companies in the airlines industry is intensive due to the pressure to reduce costs and to enhance service to customers. Majority of the airline operators used their websites not only for the purpose of making available the company's information but also to provide online e-ticketing service to their customers. This is one of the methods industry players employ to boost ticket sales. In addition, the online service also improves the way business transactions are conducted. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship of e-service quality and customer satisfaction and to explore the relationship between customer satisfaction and purchase intention of airlines industry e-ticketing service. Convenience survey method was employed and a total of 305 useable questionnaires were utilized for subsequent analysis. Five dimensions of e-service quality were identified namely; ease of use, website design, assurance, responsiveness and personalization. Results from the multiple regression showed that all five e-service quality dimensions significantly contributed to customer satisfaction. Ease of use was identified as the most important contributor to customer satisfaction. Further analysis also revealed that customer satisfaction influenced consumers purchase intention of airline e-tickets.