AN EVALUATION OF SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FACTORS IN NIGERIAN AVIATION

1.1 Introduction

Airport service quality can play a key role in forming the first and last impressions of quality in the destination (Martin-Cejas, 2006) and can contribute to destination re-visitation (Hong et al., 2020; Prentice & Kadan, 2019). Service quality has therefore become a key area of interest to airports and other stakeholders, and many airports and regulators now have their own airport service quality monitoring programmes.

According to Maishamu & Kadiri (2012), the airline industry is central to all economies in the world, considering the current movement towards globalization. The industry is considered a major economic force, both in terms of its direct impact and its multiplier effects on other sectors of the economy. It is also the fastest means of transportation across the world (Maishamu & Kadiri, 2012).

Many airports have become complex and commercial businesses that compete at various levels (Halpern, 2018a). This includes competing for passengers that are needed to fill the aircraft of the airport's airline customers but also whose spending has become a vital source of income at airports (ACI, 2019a).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Over the years, aviation industry had been growing rapidly. The growth of the airline industry, due to its role in supporting the world trade, international investments and tourism activities, is regarded to as the center of globalization for other industries (Hanlon, 2000). Airports face several challenges when serving passengers, for instance, as a result of terminal congestion, exposure to local disruptions and external events, the involvement of multiple staff and service providers, and fragmented passenger segments that have diverse expectations regarding service quality.

Despite efforts to standardized several key processes at airports such as at check-in, bag drop, security screening, passport control and departure gates, it means that, unlike in manufacturing, where companies strive for ´zero-defect´ production, it is almost impossible to avoid defects in service delivery. Instead, service failures are inevitable at airports, and while failures with some service attributes may have little impact on overall satisfaction, the impact of others may be significant and subsequently affect behavioural intentions such as airport reuse and/or recommendation.

The importance of service quality to airports and an understanding of the attributes that contribute to it, maintaining service quality at airports is a challenge for several reasons. Prior to Covid-19, many airports were getting busier and experiencing pressure on their ability to maintain and improve standards. For instance, the world's airports served 9.1 billion passengers in 2019 (ACI, 2020a), and this was expected to more than double by 2040 based on a projected growth rate of 4.1% per annum (ACI, 2019b). Global passenger traffic at airports has declined dramatically during Covid-19, and forecasts are expected to be revised downwards. However, as traffic begins to recover, new safety and hygiene measures, including the ongoing need for social distancing, mean that airports will still experience pressure on their ability to maintain and improve standards, albeit while serving relatively fewer passengers.

Demand for airports is typically uneven (Halpern, 2011) and consequently there are often temporal variations in the delivery of service quality and how it is perceived by passengers. Airports are also exposed to local disruptions and external events such as adverse weather conditions that can affect service quality. Despite the use of technologies to standardize many of the key processes at airports, service encounters still often involve people who can affect how services are delivered.

Also, airport operators are not the only providers of services at an airport – some are offered by partners such as airlines, handling agents, concessionaires, security companies and governmental agencies (Halpern & Graham, 2013), and different providers may have conflicting objectives and views on how service quality should be delivered. This is noted by Meyer (2017) in the context of the airport-airline relationship because he claims that airports and airlines currently operate as separate entities, resulting in alternative views of the passenger journey which is hindering industry progression in terms of service quality and innovation. Another issue is that airports cater to increasingly fragmented passenger segments (Halpern, 2018b).

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Evaluation of Significant Customer Satisfaction Factors in Nigerian Aviation.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that many airports have become complex and commercial businesses that compete at various levels (Halpern, 2018a). This includes competing for passengers that are needed to fill the aircraft of the airport's airline customers but also whose spending has become a vital source of income at airports (ACI, 2019a).

Perng et al. (2010) found that customers' satisfaction with security officers was influential on passenger satisfaction. In a similar study; police officers' controlling passports being effective, the security personnel's being polite, the security checks' being sensitive, the police officers' being courteous and helpful, security check layovers' being low, passport controls' being fast all have important effect on passenger satisfaction (Tuncer & Gavcar, 2014).

The demand for air transport services in the country has been on the increase within the past three decades. There has been growth in passenger, aircraft and freight traffic as a result of physical and economic development of cities in different parts of the country. The main point of this research is therefore to assess the Evaluation of Significant Customer Satisfaction Factors in Nigerian Aviation.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to evaluate the Significant Customer Satisfaction Factors in Nigerian Aviation. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To determine whether airline operator in the Nigerian aviation industry areas of service prioritizes their customers;
2. To assess the Airlines operators in line with customers' satisfaction determinants;
3. To evaluate the determinants of customer satisfaction in Nigeria; and
4. To identify services provided by the airline operators to customers in the Nigerian aviation industry.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Does the Airline operator in the Nigerian aviation industry areas of service prioritize their customers?
• Does the Airlines operator work in line with customers satisfaction?
• What are the determinants of customer satisfaction in Nigeria?
• What are the services provided by the airline operators to customers in the Nigerian aviation industry?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: Passengers' satisfaction level does not differ significantly according to their gender and level of education
• H1: Passengers' satisfaction level differs significantly according to their gender and level of education

Hypothesis Two

• H0: An Airline operator in the Nigerian aviation industry areas of service does not prioritize their customers.
• H1: An Airline operator in the Nigerian aviation industry areas of service prioritizes their customers.

1.7 Significance of Study

The relevance of this research entails that, an efficient air transportation system and shipping modes helps in quality improvement of the air transport system and also elevate international and domestic trade, business and economic process of a nation. This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of this research is focused on the Evaluation of Significant Customer Satisfaction Factors in Nigerian Aviation.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
3. Lack of Initial Cooperation from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.

1.10 Definition of Terms

Customer Satisfaction:

Meeting or exceeding customer expectations

Impact:

It is defined as an encroachment between two bodies.