The mediating role of customer satisfaction: evidence from the airline industry

Abstract

Purpose

This study examines the mediating effects of customer satisfaction in the context of the airline industry in the United Arab Emirates through three distinct models. The first model examines the impact of service quality on brand loyalty as mediated by customer satisfaction; the second model investigates the impact of corporate image on brand loyalty as mediated by customer satisfaction; and the final model examines the impact of perceived value on brand loyalty as mediated by customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Three conceptual models are developed based on the existing literature. These models were validated via a quantitative approach, whereby data from 253 questionnaires were analyzed employing regression analysis.

Findings

The results confirm the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the three proposed models, implying that customer satisfaction is vital for an airline to thrive in such a highly competitive market, as well as for it to retain existing passengers, acquire new ones and eventually convert them into brand loyal customers.

Research limitations/implications

Although the research models proposed in this research have been developed based on theoretical grounds, the generalizability of the result is limited to the airline industry.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature by being the first to study the mediating effect of customer satisfaction on corporate image, perceived value and service quality, as well as examining their relationship with brand loyalty in the context of the UAE airline industry.

Citation

Hussain, R. (2016), "The mediating role of customer satisfaction: evidence from the airline industry", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 28 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-01-2015-0001