EXTENDING THE SERVPERF FRAMEWORK TO AI-ENABLED AIRLINE SERVICES: THE ROLE OF DIGITAL TANGIBILITY IN PASSENGER SATISFACTION

Abstract

This study aims to investigate how passenger evaluations of AI-enabled airline services impact their overall satisfaction, utilizing an adapted SERVPERF framework in the AI context. The study focuses on Thai adults who have used at least one AI-enabled service in Thailand within the past 12 months, resulting in a final sample of 326 respondents. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess six service quality dimensions: Tangibles, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy, and Security. The findings revealed that the six dimensions jointly explain 53.9% of the variance in customer satisfaction (R² = 0.539), and the overall model was statistically significant (p < 0.001). However, only Tangibles (β = 0.628, p < 0.001) was found to have a significant positive influence on satisfaction. The other five dimensions were not statistically significant. Theoretically, this study extends service quality literature by proposing the Re-conceptualization of Tangibles into Digital Tangibility (such as User Experience: UX, or User Interface: UI), identifying it as the primary satisfaction driver for digital-native users. Managerially, the findings guide airlines to prioritize investment in the Digital Tangibility and user interface of AI-enabled features, as the perceived visual and interactive quality most strongly drives passenger satisfaction.