SERVICE QUALITY AFFECTING BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS OF THAI PASSENGERS TRAVELLING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

            The objectives of this research were to: 1) study the level of passenger satisfaction with the service quality of airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) to study the behavioral intentions of passengers who had travelled during the pandemic, and 3) to study the influence of airline service quality on the behavioral intentions of passengers traveling during the pandemic. The research samples selected by accidental sampling were 424 Thai passengers traveling with commercial airlines on domestic routes during the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. The statistics used to analyze the data were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and regression analysis. The results showed that respondents had their level of satisfaction with the airline's service quality during the COVID-19 pandemic at the highest level. The behavioral intentions of passengers travelling during the COVID-19 outbreak were at a high level, both in terms of word of mouth (WOM) and repurchase. Moreover, it was found that the service quality of airlines had an influence on behavioral intentions of passengers travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the reliability of the airline at the greatest level. Results from this research could be used as a guideline for planning the airline's service quality in the event of pandemic in the future.