An Exploratory Analysis of Traveler Preferences for Airline Website Content

Author: Benckendorff, Pierre

Source: Information Technology & Tourism, Volume 8, Numbers 3-4, 2006 , pp. 149-159(11)

Publisher: Cognizant Communication Corporation

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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.

Keywords: AIRLINE; WEBSITE; INTERNET; PREFERENCES; EXPECTATIONS; ATTITUDES

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/109830506778690867

Publication date: 2006-10-01

More about this publication?

Information Technology & Tourism is the first scientific journal dealing with the exciting relationship between information technology and tourism. Information and communication systems embedded in a global net have profound influence on the tourism and travel industry. Reservation systems, distributed multimedia systems, highly mobile working places, electronic markets, and the dominant position of tourism applications in the Internet are noticeable results of this development. And the tourism industry poses several challenges to the IT field and its methodologies.