Malaysian Low Cost Airlines: Key Influencing Factors on Customers' Repeat Purchase Intention

The emergence of Malaysian home grown low cost airlines has converted the previously non customer group into potential customers. Arguably, customers of low cost airlines are presumably different from those on full service airlines. Against this argument, the paper presents empirical evidence on key service attributes of low cost airlines from the customers' perspectives and the key factors influencing their repeat purchase behaviour. A qualitative approach of using semi-structured interview was chosen for data collection. Data collection was conducted in the month of August and September 2009. A total of 20 Malaysian leisure air travelers who have travelled on low cost airlines within destinations in Malaysia were interviewed. The finding revealed that on-time departure and arrival, cleanliness of cabin and washroom and a comfortable seat during the whole journey as the three most crucial and basic service attributes for the domestic customers to continue to travel with Malaysian low cost airlines. Customers’ mood state and the people whom they are travelling with are crucial in influencing how they viewed their total consumption experience of low cost airlines. Price is deemed the most significant influential criteria to repeat purchase intention despite of the strong dissatisfaction towards the low cost airlines' service consumption. It was found that the time effect of customer dissatisfaction with the services of the low cost airlines is non durable. Simply, the characteristics of service is heterogeneity, customers of low cost airlines rationalize that every flight experience is different, even though they may have encountered an unpleasant experience but that does not meant that the subsequent flight experience will be an unpleasant one too.