Does Gender Matter? Considering Gender of Service in the Airline Industry

Abstract

Airline firms prioritize service features on the basis of customers' demand. While prioritizing these service features, successful positioning strategies are expected to focus on gender specific concerns. Given the fact that previous literature relies heavily on gender neutral strategies in airline industry, this study particularly addresses critical service features prioritized by female and male passengers by ranking airlines based on a multi-criteria decision-making method. Comfortable chair, seat space and leg room, and flexibility in reservation change were discovered as the three most impactful service features for female passengers. Availability of non-stop flight, frequency of flights, and airfare appeared as the other three most impactful service features among male passengers.