Cabin services quality perception and an application example in low cost airline companies

Air transport is one of the most important sub-sectors of the tourism industry. With the development of technology, speed, comfort and economy have been provided in the airplanes and it has become the most preferred means of transportation at long distances. At the same time, it has become one of the sectors where competition is intense. Low cost airlines have gained a significant place in the market in recent years and are being implemented by many airlines in many countries as an important business model thanks to their cost advantages. Some traditional airlines even apply this business model to their submarkets. Airline companies are aiming to create a difference and sustainability not only in terms of price but also in increasingly competitive conditions, by increasing the quality of service. Measuring service quality is not easy, but it will help make strategic decisions to managers when measured accurately. Purpose of the study; Is to demonstrate how passengers perceive the service quality they receive in the airplane, and how they perceive the services provided, from a low-cost airline. The data of the study were collected by survey method. It was tried to investigate the effects of demographic differences such as income, education, age on the service quality perception in low cost airline companies and the service quality of the first and biggest low-cost airline company of Turkey was tried to be measured using Servperf Scale. In the study, sampling method was used convenient sampling procedure. The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using SPSS statistical package program. Frequency analysis, factor analysis, independent bivariate T test, one way ANOVA and correlation test results were interpreted by tabulation. According to the results of the study, the dimensions of service quality positively affect each other and the demographic characteristics such as income, age, education status do not change the perception of service quality. The possibility of personalization on in-flight services causes the quality perception of people with different demographic characteristics to be at a similar level.