Abstract:
Customers are increasingly becoming aware of alternative offerings in the market place, and are thus more demanding
in terms of their expectations pertaining to service delivery. As airlines in particular are vulnerable to competitors’
offerings, they should offer passengers high levels of service and ensure that passengers are satisfied with their service
offering in an effort to build long-term relationships. Building long-term relationships is important due to the financial
and social benefits it holds to both the business and its customer. This study investigates whether passenger satisfaction
influences whether or not passengers have formed a long-term relationship with the airline they fly with most often.
Data was collected from South African domestic passengers departing from OR Tambo International Airport in
Johannesburg by means of a convenience sample. Main findings from the study indicate that the majority of dissatisfied
respondents have not formed a long-term relationship with the domestic airline, while satisfied respondents are more
inclined to form a long-term relationship.
