Proposing improvement strategies for in-flight service in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era with passengers’ requirements

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the aviation industry. In the early days of the pandemic, airlines faced unprecedented challenges due to immigration controls and health risks in various countries, and passengers' in-flight service patterns and flight needs have changed. To meet the needs of passengers, airlines need to be more agile in their responses, strengthening health and safety measures, providing flexible policies, driving digital transformation, improving cabin cleanliness, and improving the quality of food and beverage services to earn passengers' trust and satisfaction. On this basis, it is important to continue to pay attention to the changes in passenger demand and adjust service strategies promptly. This study aims to apply Kano model based on AIRQUAL to investigate passengers' satisfaction with in-flight service items by classifying service elements such as attractive quality, one-way quality, must-be quality, indifference quality, and reverse quality. In addition, the respondents were also classified into passenger groups (long-haul routes, long-haul economy class, and short-haul economy class) to find out the service priorities that different customer groups attach importance to, and gave improvement rankings for service items, and put forward effective improvement suggestions to improve the service quality of airlines and increase industrial competitiveness. The findings show that the good service attitude of flight attendants is the first improvement project of the airline. For passengers on long-haul routes, clearly communicating the loss and hazard compensation plan is an essential service for airlines. Use a HEPA system in air-conditioning, the provision of nursing kits for passengers, the change of in-flight to e-books to reduce paper contact, and the provision of masks and gloves for flight attendants are all attractive qualities, which can be inferred that passengers have paid more attention to health after the outbreak of the epidemic.