Quality Management Step by Step in the Aviation Service Supply Process:


1995, commented that “because service provision is complex, it is not simply a matter of meeting expressed needs but also of identifying unexpressed needs, setting priorities, allocating resources, publicly explaining and reviewing what has been done”. Service organisations are accountable to citizens, communities as well as to customers and service users. There are many things that service organisations must be concerned with, not just service quality, such as: improving access to existing services; fairness and equity in service delivery; providing effective services within political and resource constraints. Therefore, the definition of service quality is broader and its measurement is more complex and difficult.

The SERVQUAL method also has many applications in the field of passenger transport services, although it is not applied exactly as described above. According to the manual "Measuring customer satisfaction and service quality" of the US Transportation Research Board, published in 1999, the ten (10) factors that determine service quality include:

Reliability: consistency of service


Accountability: the willingness and enthusiasm of service staff.

This factor also includes punctuality of service.


Competence: staff have the required knowledge and skills to provide the service. Accessibility: passengers can access or find information easily.

Courtesy: the level of respect, courtesy, thoughtfulness and friendliness of all staff in contact with passengers or customers.

Customer communication: communicating with customers in a language they can understand and listening to them. This means that the company must adapt its language to different customer groups: using complex language for the highly educated customer group and simple, colloquial language for the less educated customer group, etc.


Safety: passengers do not feel anxious about danger, risk or suspicion.

Customer understanding: the entire company makes efforts to understand customer needs.

Tangibles: include the physical and technical environment.

Thus, in essence, the identification of factors affecting the quality of passenger transport services is relatively consistent with the SERVQUAL method, but at a more detailed level, although there is a certain overlap between these 10 factors. The SkyTrax questionnaire (presented below) reflects these 10 factors, but at a much higher level of detail because aviation services are very complex and are made up of many detailed stages. Obviously, these 10 factors are only suggestive for aviation service researchers when designing questionnaires.

When using the SERVQUAL method, customers are often asked to give their expectation score (E) on the above 22 statements, then give their perceived service score (P). The difference in PE score is used in the analysis to show where the company needs to focus its efforts to improve quality. As defined above, customer satisfaction or perceived service quality is the difference between customers' expectations of the service and the perceived service when customers have experienced the service (PE). However, studies show that in the transportation industry in general and air transportation in particular, customer satisfaction surveys often do not measure the expectation score (E) and perceived service score (P) separately, but often measure perceived service quality as a composite index combining both expectations and perceived service. The reason is due to criticism from scholars of the model using PE to measure service quality. The first criticism is that measuring expectations is difficult and can cause many problems. Furthermore, the usefulness of using expectations in measuring quality remains questionable (Cronin and Taylor, 1992) [11].


1.2.2. Aviation service quality management

Essentially, measures of aviation service quality management are derived from customer satisfaction survey data. Research has shown that there are two approaches to measuring satisfaction: satisfaction with each step of the service delivery process and satisfaction according to functional and technical quality.

1.2.2.1. Quality management at each step in the aviation service provision process:

Process-based service quality management is dividing the service delivery process into steps, starting from when the customer has the first transaction with the service provider until the service is completed, in order to continuously improve the quality of each step in the entire service delivery process. The service delivery process can be very broad, from when the customer first contacts the business to seek information until the service is completed and the organization maintains relationships with customers through after-sales services and updated marketing materials. For an airline, the service delivery process begins when passengers learn about flight information through agents, ticket offices, websites, and continues even after the passenger has completed the flight through frequent flyer programs (FFP) and updated information about the airline's promotional programs.

However, within the framework of this thesis, the thesis will not study the aviation supply process on a broad scale as above. The thesis will focus on the service supply process including two groups: ground services and in-flight services. Ground services start from the time the customer books a ticket (ie has decided to use the airline's services), checks in at the airport, waits to board the plane and leaves the plane. In-flight services include all services performed on the aircraft cabin during the flight. When implementing aviation quality management based on the above process, information will be collected on customer quality assessments at each step of the aviation service supply process. The following section will


A detailed description of the set of information in the questionnaire of SkyTrax, a world-famous company for ranking airlines. All information is measured on a Likert scale, with satisfaction from 1-5 in which 5 is the highest level of satisfaction and 1 is the lowest level of satisfaction.

1.2.2.1.1. Group of information on evaluating the quality of ground services 1.2.2.1.1.1. Group of information on ticket purchase/booking services

1. The friendly and informative nature of the Corporation's website.

This index evaluates the level of passenger satisfaction with the website design, the completeness of information, the level of connection of the home page with other pages, and the convenience of use.

2. Online booking system: this system allows customers to book directly online without having to go directly to VNA ticket offices or through agents.

This indicator assesses the level of passenger satisfaction with online booking and online payment capabilities. This system is not yet applied at VNA.

3. Services at the ticket office

This is a composite indicator that evaluates the level of passenger satisfaction with waiting time at the ticket office, the attitude of ticket office staff, the time it takes ticket sellers to process information on the machine, and some services while customers wait for their turn to be served.

1.2.2.1.1.2 Check-in service information group

1. Waiting time at check-in counter

This criterion is measured using a Likert scale, with satisfaction ranging from 1-5, where 5 is the highest level of satisfaction.

2. Quality of check-in service

Customers will be asked to rate the time it takes to complete the procedure. This criterion is measured on a Likert scale, with satisfaction ranging from 1-5, where 5 is the highest level of satisfaction.

3. Friendliness of ground staff


This criterion assesses the proficiency of check-in staff, their friendliness towards passengers and their work performance. This indicator is measured on a Likert scale, with satisfaction ranging from 1-5, where 5 is the highest level of satisfaction.

4. Foreign language ability of ground staff

1.2.2.1.1.3 Airport service information group

1. Transfer/connection service

This criterion assesses the level of assistance the airline provides to connecting/transferring passengers in providing guidance on the time and location of the next flight.

2. Quality of service to

This criterion assesses the level of passenger satisfaction with the assistance provided when the passenger arrives at the station, the guidance of the staff, and the exits.

3. Waiting time for baggage claim

This criterion assesses the level of passenger satisfaction with the time from completing immigration procedures (for international passengers), or from arriving at the airport to getting luggage.

4. Ability to resolve problems that arise when flights are delayed

This criterion measures the level of passenger satisfaction with the airline's handling of flight delays or cancellations. This includes notifying customers of change times, serving meals at the airport when flights are delayed, or taking passengers to hotels or providing compensation in the event of a flight cancellation.

5. The following criteria group is used to evaluate the satisfaction level of business class passengers; VIP and Lotus customers who have used VNA's lounge services.

5.1 Locations of restaurants at the airport

This criterion assesses the level of passenger satisfaction with the location of airport restaurants.

5.2 Convenient seating during busy times


This criterion assesses passenger satisfaction with the convenience and adequacy of seats at peak times of the day.

5.3 Cleanliness level

5.4. Restaurant lighting and atmosphere

5.5 Variety of hot/cold drinks

5.6 Food variety

5.7 Abundance of books, newspapers and magazines.

5.8 Work area/work facilities

5.9 Internet/wifi access

5.10 Toilet, shower

5.11 Relaxation and rest areas

5.12 TV and other entertainment options

5.13 Smoking area

5.14 Friendliness of the staff

5.15 Employee Performance

5.16 Boarding time announcement system

1.2.2.1.1.4 Boarding service evaluation information group

1.Boarding time notification system 2.Assistance during boarding process

1.2.2.1.2 Information group for evaluating the quality of air services

1. Cabin comfort

2. Cabin cleanliness level

3. Level of hygiene in the toilet

4. Light and air in the cabin

5. Cabin temperature

6. Magazines and newspapers on the plane

7. Sound and image of the movie

8. The richness of movies

9. Richness of audio programs


10. Meal quality

11. Richness of meals 12. Richness of drinks

13. Group of criteria to evaluate the quality of flight attendants

13.1 Friendliness of flight attendants

13.2. Foreign language skills

13.3 Level of concern for passengers

13.4 Fast food service

13.5 Problem solving skills

13.6 Always be there on time

13.7 Uniform standards

13.8 General employee attitude

1.2.2.2. Technical quality management and functional quality in aviation service quality

As discussed above, from the customer's perspective, service quality is a composite concept consisting of two dimensions: final service quality and production process quality or in other words: technical quality and functional quality or production process. Functional quality implies how the service is performed. This includes how easy it is to access the service provider; how the employees perform the service (Anonymous, 2002). Technical quality includes the tangible aspects of the service.

With the above classification, technical quality in aviation services is quite important. Technical quality in passenger transport services includes: the quality of tangible material factors during the booking process, at the airport and the quality of tangible factors on the aircraft as follows:

Airline ticket office system

1.2.2.2.1 Technical quality assessment information group


Reservation



The company's dealer system

Online Reservation System

Ticket counter at the airport

International Terminal

Check-in equipment (desk/luggage belts etc.)

Guidance and notification system

Domestic terminal

Telescopic tube

Check-in equipment (Counters, baggage conveyors…)

Baggage handling equipment

Guidance and notification system

Airport lounge

The comfort and convenience of waiting seats

Restaurant

Amount of food and drinks available

Books and newspapers

Business area

Internet/WiFi Devices

Toilet

TV and other entertainment

Smoking area

Information announcement system (display) and boarding call

In-flight facilities

Boarding aids (lifts, wheelchairs)

System from airport to plane (bus, tube) and from plane to airport

fly

Aircraft type

Newness of the aircraft

Seat comfort

Air conditioning system

Lighting system

Number of toilets

In-flight entertainment

Books and newspapers to read on the plane

Food and drinks on the plane

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Quality Management Step by Step in the Aviation Service Supply Process:

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