Customer attributions and behavioural responses to service failures in strategic airline alliance settings

Abstract

The paper expands on previous research by examining customer evaluations in settings other than single firm customer-individual service provider settings. Findings of in-depth interviews with frequent flyers provide insights into their attributions and likely behavioral responses to different types of service failures in an airline alliance setting. This highlights potential negative repercussions for an airline resulting from its affiliation with an alliance and its partner airlines. It demonstrates likely problems for airlines in an alliance that can be negatively affected by a service failure of a partner airline, first via a negative evaluation and consequently, by customer dissatisfaction, negative word-of-mouth and ultimately, reduced loyalty.