Journal of the Community Development in Asia
Vol 8, No 3 (2025): September 2025

Assessing the Impact of Service Quality Dimensions on Customer Satisfaction in Budget Airlines

Kok Ban Teoh (National Higher Education Research Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia)
Yee Huei Lok (Universiti Utara Malaysia)
Lidwina Yi Ming Kee (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Xuanting Li (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Yinglan Li (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Yuxin Li (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Zhongkai Liao (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Fahad Neyaz (ISBR Business School)
Anees Jane Ali (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Daisy Mui Hung Kee (Universiti Sains Malaysia)



Article Info

Publish Date
20 Sep 2025

Abstract

In the highly competitive airline industry, budget carriers must focus on customer satisfaction as a critical strategy to sustain loyalty and differentiation. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing customer satisfaction with AirAsia in Malaysia, specifically examining the roles of price, service quality, food service, assurance, and empathy. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data collected from AirAsia passengers, and regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of these variables. The results reveal that empathy, assurance, and food service significantly affect customer satisfaction, with empathy emerging as the strongest predictor (? = 0.480, p 0.01). Assurance also demonstrated a positive influence (? = 0.203, p 0.05), followed by food service (? = 0.178, p 0.1). Together, these variables explained 66.1% of the variance in customer satisfaction (R² = 0.661). In contrast, price (? = 0.059) and service quality (? = 0.069) showed no significant impact. These findings underscore the importance of prioritizing empathetic service, trust-building, and food quality enhancements over pricing strategies alone. The study provides both theoretical insights into customer satisfaction determinants in low-cost aviation and practical guidance for airlines seeking to strengthen customer experiences and maintain competitiveness.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

JCDA

Publisher

Subject

Humanities

Description

JCDA aims to feature narrative, theoretical, and empirically-based research articles. The journal also accepts articles with data taken from reflections as well as experiences (qualitative research) relevant to community development in Asia. As it explores the community development broadly, the ...