Cultural Identity and Sustainability in Airline Service Quality: Thai Airways Case Study

This study examines how cultural identity and environmental sustainability can be integrated into airline service quality in the specific context of Thai Airways. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was administered to international passengers who had flown with the airline within the previous six months; 596 usable questionnaires were obtained from 650 distributed at Suvarnabhumi Airport between January and March 2024. The instrument combined SERVQUAL, sustainability perception, cultural service value, satisfaction, loyalty, and travel-characteristic measures. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used as the principal analytical procedures. The model showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.962, TLI = 0.958, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.038), while scale reliability ranged from 0.78 to 0.94. Service expectations were associated with satisfaction both directly and indirectly through service quality, with a reported total effect of 0.610. Behavioral patterns also showed significant relationships with satisfaction, and visible environmental initiatives were the strongest sustainability-related predictor of service perceptions. The findings indicate that service quality in a national carrier is best understood as an integrated configuration of core service performance, culturally distinctive delivery, and credible sustainability practices rather than as independent service attributes. This integrated perspective provides the empirical basis for the proposed SSQ framework.