Online service attitudes, site attitudes and site involvement in the South African domestic airline industry - a gender perspective

The airline industry experienced rapid growth and airlines are competing for new customers. The industry is experiencing a change in customer behaviour as customers are becoming less loyal and harder to satisfy. The online environment is also changing the way airline tickets are bought and it is vital for airlines to manage their online environment in order to create positive online experiences and atmospherics to satisfy and retain these customers. The aim of this study is to determine if gender differences exist with regard to online service attitudes, site attitudes and site involvement when purchasing airline tickets on the airlines' website. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from respondents who have bought an airline ticket on a domestic airline website in South African within a six months period prior to the study being conducted. Respondents were selected by means of convenience sampling. A total of 250 questionnaires were analysed and the results indicate that significant differences exist based on gender, with females rating each construct significantly more positive than males. Findings from this research may guide airlines in improving their online service and environment and improving online airline purchases for both males and females by embracing these differences.