An SEM-artificial-neural-network analysis of the relationships between SERVPERF, customer satisfaction and loyalty among low-cost and full-service airline

There is a dearth of studies pertaining to the influence of SERVPERF on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty among low cost and full service airlines. Prior studies have measured service quality using the GAP-5 model with SERVQUAL; however this study offers a new perspective by using the SERVPERF with an SEM artificial-neural-networks predictive analytic approach. This is different from the previous studies as it contributes to application of expert systems and intelligent algorithms in the context of low cost and full service airline. The findings revealed significant influences of SERVPERF dimensions on customer satisfaction towards customer loyalty with 63.1% and 55.6% variance explained. The implications from this research may help CEOs and managers of the air travel and tourism industry players to make better decisions in their resource planning stage, at the same time improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.