An exploratory analysis of traveller preferences for airline website content

Abstract

Structural changes in the aviation sector have accelerated customer acceptance of the Internet as a suitable medium for booking airline travel. This research explores the preferences of airline travelers for various content attributes on airline websites. The study was conducted by surveying 903 respondents from Australia and New Zealand using an online questionnaire. The results indicate that airline website attributes can be organized into at least seven factors. Of these, basic "look and book" features are viewed as most important by customers. The article groups website attributes into basic factors, pivotal factors, and supplementary factors based on their likely impact on customer satisfaction. The results provide an indication of the website features most likely to attract and retain airline customers.