SERVICE QUALITY AND ONBOARD EXPERIENCE AS DRIVER OF PASSENGER TRUST SATISFACTION AND BRAND LOVE EVIDENCE FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA’S FULL-SERVICE AIRLINES

Abstract

This study investigates how service quality and onboard experience shape customer loyalty toward full-service airlines (FSCs) in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the emotional dimension of loyalty development, particularly the formation of brand love. Guided by an interpretivist-constructivist approach, data were collected from 16 semi-structured passenger interviews, supported by observation and document analysis. The analysis shows that five service quality dimensions, reliability, tangibles, assurance, responsiveness, and empathy, are key to building customer loyalty. This loyalty develops in stages, starting with trust, moving to satisfaction, and finally evolving into Brand Love. The findings show that reliability and assurance establish trust, tangibles and responsiveness drive satisfaction, and empathy fosters emotional attachment, emerging as the key determinant of long-term loyalty. These insights provide practical guidance for FSCs in enhancing crew empathy, service personalization, and passenger experience design to strengthen relational loyalty.