Benchmarking customer satisfaction levels of airline companies: An entropy-grey relational analysis approach

The transportation sector plays a critical role in facilitating tourism movements. Airline operators must adapt to the evolving market dynamics and gain a competitive edge by meeting passenger expectations. However, the persistent challenges of delivering excellent service quality and achieving high customer satisfaction levels persist. Assessing service quality and customer satisfaction is crucial for airlines to maintain a competitive advantage. Comparing the service quality levels of airline companies with competitors allows for the identification of the company's strengths and weaknesses. In this way, airlines can enhance their customer-oriented service approach, gain a competitive advantage, and take strategic steps to maintain their leadership position in the industry. Multi-criteria decision-making methods are effective in managing decision making by considering various criteria or factors. Previous research has shown a limited number of studies employing multi-criteria decision-making methods to compare the customer satisfaction levels of airline companies. This study aims to compare the customer satisfaction levels of twenty international full-service airline companies and determine the importance level of the criteria influencing customer satisfaction. In this context, entropy and grey relational analysis methods were used. The study concludes that the most critical factors influencing the customer satisfaction of airline companies include flight comfort, legroom, and food and beverage service.