Empirical research on user satisfaction with the transport and the supporting services at Croatian airports

Abstract

Air traffic is a very important traffic branch, since it provides the possibility of fast travelling long distances between countries and contributes to the development of economy, trade and tourism. The number of long-distance travels has been increasing, people have started to travel more and therein, the importance of air traffic has been growing. The Republic of Croatia has to take advantage of its favourable geographical position at the crossroads of West and East Europe, which facilitates the development of air traffic. Airports have major significance for the development of air traffic, and it is of great importance that they provide high quality services, i.e. that their users are satisfied. With the aim of establishing the level of user satisfaction with transportation and the supporting services in Croatian airports, an empirical research via an online survey has been conducted, where the respondents were asked about how often they used the airports in the Republic of Croatia, their supporting services, the importance of the factors influencing the decision-making on buying the ticket for the specific airline and overall satisfaction with the services in Croatian airports. The results of the primary research suggest that the users, when deciding on buying the ticket, put the price and safety first. The users are not entirely satisfied with the price-quality ratio and are not content with the prices of the parking in airports and with the airport facilities that provide hospitality services. Furthermore, it has been established that user satisfaction with transportation and the supporting services can be perceived through three factors: 1) additional services; 2) user satisfaction with additional services; 3) satisfaction with the staff and prices of additional services. The paper also analysed user satisfaction with transportation and the supporting services considering socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The key limitation of the research paper is the impossibility of conducting the research on site, at Croatian airports, where the users have “contact with the service”, especially the supporting services. It is highly plausible that conducting research at the airports would contribute to more representative research findings and recommendations for the management.

Delightful Customer Experience: An Antecedent for Profitability and Sustainable Growth of Airline Businesses

“…Since March 2020, the global aviation industry has experienced a 70% to 95% decline in passenger demand. In addition, [29] conducted an empirical study on the satisfaction of air traffic consumers in Croatia, with the results indicating that customers prioritize price and safety when purchasing tickets. In addition, they stress the importance of focusing on customer satisfaction and quality control, as these two factors are directly related to the number of passengers [29].…”

“…In addition, [29] conducted an empirical study on the satisfaction of air traffic consumers in Croatia, with the results indicating that customers prioritize price and safety when purchasing tickets. In addition, they stress the importance of focusing on customer satisfaction and quality control, as these two factors are directly related to the number of passengers [29]. However, since the emergence of COVID-19, there may be new requirements that affect customer satisfaction.…”

Customer Satisfaction With Services of Low-Cost Carriers at Pula and Zadar Airports

“…A company is divided into strategically important activities in order to understand the behavior of the costs of possible sources of differentiation. 15 The way airlines form their prices is a complicated process, with many different ticket prices, available according to the time of the travel (season, off-season), class, duration and whether the travel includes a Saturday evening in Europe. Moreover, the price depends on the place where it is bought, along with many other factors.…”

“…18 The number of reservations and actual travels can vary, which suggests that airlines have to form their prices according to the price sensitivity of the market to ensure that the sales price and the price of the seat increase the return for every departure. Different strategies of forming prices include: 19 − uniform price, where the same price is charged to all the passengers on the flight − different prices that include market segmenting and offer empty seats at lower prices 15 Krajnović, A., Bolfek, B., Nekić, N.: Low-cost strategija u zračnom prijevozu putnika, Oeconomica Jadertina, 4(2) 2014, pp. 5-6.…”