Factors Influencing the Choice of Domestic Airlines in Chandigarh-An Empirical Study

Abstract

The Indian aviation industry is one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the world with private airlines accounting for more than 75 per cent of the domestic aviation market (as of 2006). The industry is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 per cent. The country has 454 airports and airstrips, of which 16 are designated as international airports. All this has resulted into increasing the intensity of competition amongst air carriers in India. Delivering high quality service to passengers is important so that airlines can survive and strengthen their competitiveness. Service quality conditions influence an airline's competitive advantage and with this comes market share and ultimately profitability (Morash and Ozment, 1994). Airlines have responded to the competitive pressures in many ways, one of which has been service quality. It extends to in-fight service, reservation, ticketing, airport service, reliability, employee service, fight availability, passenger satisfaction, pricing (value), and airline image. This paper empirically examines the factors which influence the choice of airline in Chandigarh tri city.