Abstract

The rapid global economy and mushrooming aviation transportation had unleasheda soaring number of air travelers worldwide. To stay competitive, airline operators competed for cheaper prices against greater service. A global level of service from an aggressive airline now featured ethnic group differences and cultural diversifications. This research focused on C airlines, profiling its customers into four ethnic groups: Chinese, Caucasian, Japanese, and Korean. Six air travel service questions on a poll sheet surveying 439 passengers led to varying satisfactions among different ethnic groups. The poll findings that yielded the causes behind the worst air travel services included uncomfortable seating and unfavorable catering. The easiest-to-please group was Caucasian, followed by Korean, Chinese, and Japanese trailing a distant hardest-to-please.

Key words: Service satisfaction, cabin, ethnic groups.