Impact of flight delays on passenger's purchase intentions: The case of Zanzibar airport

Flight delays are common disruptions in air travel, invoking a wide array of responses and consequences for passengers. The aviation industry seeks to understand these impacts to improve customer satisfaction and retention. By focusing on the Zanzibar Airport, this study investigates how flight delays affect passengers' intentions to repurchase airline services, addressing the interplay between airline management of delays and customer behavior. The primary research questions in this study seek to answer the following: How do flight delays impact passengers' purchase intentions toward airlines? What is the role of passengers' control attributions in shaping their emotional response to delays? How do airline's service recovery efforts affect passenger satisfaction and anger? Leveraging a quantitative approach, this study employs a survey-based design using a Likert scale to collect data on passengers' perceptions of delay attribution, service recovery, anger, satisfaction, and stated repurchase intentions. The survey targeted a diverse group of passengers who traveled at Zanzibar airport, and who have recently experienced delays, capturing broad perspectives and experiences. The study found that, although satisfaction with a service is positively correlated with purchase intentions, it is not a sufficient factor to mitigate the adverse effects of delays. The research validated the important mediating function of anger in the connection between purchase intentions and perceived control over delays. This result is consistent with other studies that show the harmful effects of unpleasant emotions on consumer loyalty. Although efforts to recover services, such as compensation and an apology, had a positive impact on passenger satisfaction, they had less of an impact on reducing anger and restoring purchase intentions. Keywords: Airline Service Recovery, Flight Delay, Purchase Intention, Passenger Satisfaction, Zanzibar Airport.