Impact of Aesthetic Image of Cabin Crew on Airline Brand Value and Customer Satisfaction : Moderating Effect of Perceived Competency

With the evolution of the domestic aviation industry and the increase in the number of new airlines, competition is becoming increasingly fiercer. Airlines strive to imprint their brands on customers, and cabin crew, who are in direct contact with customers, play a decisive role in this process. The image of the cabin crew significantly affects the perceptions and preferences of customers, particularly the first impression, which can quickly become a strong standard for brand judgment. Despite the importance of the image of cabin crew, research on this topic remains insufficient. The main results are as follows. The elements that comprise the aesthetic image of the cabin crew include grooming, posture, hospitality, attitude, manners, and speaking style. This aesthetic image significantly impacts airline brand value. The perceived competency of cabin crew was composed of coping ability and expertise as subfactors. Among them, the moderating effect of expertise significantly impacted the relationship between airline brand value and customer satisfaction. The result emphasized the need to manage the aesthetic image and competency of airline cabin crew, which supports aesthetic labor theory. Specifically, this theory suggests that the appearance of employees should be specifically and clearly organized and developed to transform appearance into aesthetic competitiveness for the benefit of the company. This study presents the possibility of interdisciplinary research by combining aesthetics and tourism and exceeded theoretical considerations to derive strategic implications that link airline image branding with customer repurchase from the practical perspective. However, it study has a limitation, i.e., the subjects under investigation are limited. Thus, future research should expand the target to include customers from diverse cultural backgrounds and conduct in-depth comparative analyses between full-service and low-cost carriers.