Title: The mediating role of customers' emotional attachment in enhancing service excellence and repurchase intentions of low-cost carrier airlines

Authors: Pawan Kumar Chand; Urvashi Tandon; Deepika Jhamb; Amit Mittal

Addresses: Department of Management Studies, Sardar Patel University, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, 175001, India ' Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India ' Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India ' Chitkara Business School, Chitkara University, Punjab, India

Abstract: The low-cost carriers represent the fastest growing segment of the global airlines' industry and are passing through the challenges of sustainability and customer retention. This study highlights and seeks a resolution of the contradiction of low-cost and service excellence. The present research has significantly established an interrelationship among service quality, emotional attachment, and repurchase intentions to understand the Indian air passengers' flying behaviour. The quantitative approach has been followed using a systematic sampling technique. 714 passengers using the low-cost carriers (LCC) were surveyed following questionnaire method. The mediation effect of emotional attachment between service quality and repurchase intentions of customers was tested using the structural equation modelling approach. The findings confirm the partial mediation effect of emotional attachment which will be beneficial for the airlines to comprehend their customers' behaviour towards service quality. These results can also be correlated to other service sectors such as tourism, healthcare, and hospitality.

Keywords: airlines; low-cost carriers; service quality; emotional attachment; repurchase intentions.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2024.135929

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2024 Vol.32 No.1, pp.66 - 84

Received: 24 Sep 2020
Accepted: 31 Dec 2020
Published online: 10 Jan 2024 *

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