Do airport staff helpfulness and communication generate behavioral loyalty in transfer passengers? A conditional mediation analysis. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Antwi, Collins Opoku; Fan, Chong-jun; Nataliia, Ihnatushchenko; Aboagye, Michael Osei; Xu, Hangyu; Azamela, John Coffie
• Is Part Of: Journal of retailing and consumer services. Volume 54(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Transfer passengers -- Airport staff -- Helpfulness & communication -- Behavioral loyalty -- Travel purpose -- Travel frequency; Retail trade -- Periodicals; Service industries -- Periodicals; Customer services -- Periodicals; Commerce de détail -- Périodiques; Service à la clientèle -- Périodiques; Customer services; Retail trade; Periodicals; 658.87
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.102002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0969-6989

Abstract

Abstract: The footloose nature of transfer passengers in the turbulent air transport market landscape has necessitated the need to assess service marketing constructs relevant for airport competitiveness. The current cross-sectional study examined (1) the influence of transfer passengers' perceived airport staff helpfulness and communication (H&C) on their behavioral loyalty, (2) the mediating roles of passenger affective image and satisfaction, and (3) the interaction effects of passenger types (trip purpose & travel frequency) and airport in the direct and indirect airport staff H&C – behavioral loyalty relation. Post-hoc analysis of transfer passengers' perceived airport staff H&C across airports and passenger types was performed. Data was collected from three international airports in China (N = 829). Findings revealed that perceived airport staff H&C has significant positive associations with the three behavioral loyalty variables, and indicated further that these associations are partly explainable via passengers' affective image and satisfaction. Also, the perceived airport staff H&C's direct and indirect relations with behavioral loyalty variables are sensitive to passenger types but not airports. Expectedly, the post-hoc analysis showed that transfer passengers' perceived airport staff H&C is significantly different across passenger types but not airports. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations and directions for future studies have been discussed. Highlights: Perceived airport staff helpfulness & communication (H&C) predicts passenger behavioral loyalty (BL). Passenger affective image and satisfaction mediate the H&C – BL link. Passenger travel purpose moderates only the direct H&C – BL link. Passenger travel frequency moderates both the direct and indirect H&C – BL link. Perception of H&C varies across passenger types (travel purpose & frequency).