Impoliteness in online airline complaints: a Kuwaiti perspective on flight delays and cancellations

Abstract This study examines the impoliteness strategies employed by Kuwaiti passengers who complain about airline delays and cancellations online on TripAdvisor and X. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the study analyzes 50 samples to calculate the frequency of various impoliteness strategies. The study adopts Brown and Levinson (1987. Politeness: Some universals in language usage . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) and Culpeper (2011. Impoliteness: Using language to cause offence . Cambridge University Press) frameworks to identify the most commonly employed strategies and understand the influence of Kuwaiti cultural norms on these choices. The findings show that Negative impoliteness (50.80 %) and Positive impoliteness (31.74 %) are the most prevalent strategies, indicating a preference for direct and explicit expressions of dissatisfaction. Less frequent strategies, such as Sarcasm, Mock Politeness (3.18 %), and Withholding Politeness (1.58 %), suggest that while indirect methods are occasionally used, they are less favored in this context. The research highlights the implicit use of indirect strategies to preserve social harmony while also emphasizing Kuwaiti communication’s cultural focus on assertiveness and accountability. This study gives an explanation for investigating online complaints in the context of Kuwaiti cultural norms and enhances awareness of the cultural impacts on impoliteness strategies. The study suggests that future research might explore the role of demographic factors to examine the evolution of impoliteness strategies in online complaints.