The Impact of Age on Passenger's Satisfaction Level Based on Airport

Accessibility at Allama Iqbal International Airport

Moawiz Uzair F2017001017

Minahil Ali F2017001056
Mattin Sharif F2017001008
Syeda Mumaeza F2017001088
Minahil Fatima Tariq F2017001063
Tasmeer Wattoo F2017001022
Arsalan Asghar F2017001101
Ali Mustafa F2017001029
Hussnain Mir F2017001035
M. Zain Chaudhary F2017001025
Arshman Khan F2017001077
Nazar Hussain F2017001083
Abdul Rehman Khan F2017001001

Submitted To:
Dr. Ahmad Aizaz
Institute of Aviation Studies
University of Management and Technology, Lahore
July 6, 2021
 Table of Contents
Table of Contents...........................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgment..........................................................................................................iii
Abstract.........................................................................................................................iv
1. Introduction..........................................................................................................1
2. Literature Review.................................................................................................2
3. Research Methodology.........................................................................................2
3.1. Research design selected and why this design was chosen..........................2
3.2. Population, sample and sampling details......................................................2
3.3. Variables and Measures used and why these measures were chosen...........2
3.4. Procedures Used to Collect Data..................................................................3
3.5. Minimizing Chances of Error.......................................................................3
3.6. Audience Selection.......................................................................................3
3.7. Strengths of research.....................................................................................3
3.8. Limitation of research...................................................................................4
4. Result & Data Analysis........................................................................................4
4.1. Part 1 – Demographic & Descriptive Analysis.............................................4
4.2. Hypothesis Testing.......................................................................................6
4.3. Correlation Testing.......................................................................................6
5. Conclusion............................................................................................................7
6. Recommendations................................................................................................7
7. References............................................................................................................7
8. Appendices...........................................................................................................8
8.1. Primary Data.................................................................................................8
8.2. Coding Scheme.............................................................................................9
8.3. Questionnaire................................................................................................9
8.3.1. Demographics............................................................................................9
8.3.2. Survey Questionnaire..............................................................................10

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 Acknowledgment
We are extremely grateful to Mr. Dr. Ahmad Aizaz (Course Instructor, Aviation
Research Method) on the accomplishment of this study. ARM is one of the most practical
subjects we have studied. Although we have done several projects before this, but the fact is
we were unaware of the technical and complicated process behind an actual research work.
Being an Aviation Student, it was quite different for us to use analytical tools but it has
broadened our view for future.
It is the background knowledge and understanding of research tools that we are able
present this paper. It was the course outline and proceedings of course that clarifies the main
concept of research in our mind that leads to presentation of this project.
We would like to express our special regards and thanks to Mr. Dr. Ahmad Aizaz for
investing time on us. We would also like to thanks him for his special appreciation,
motivation, advices, comments and suggestions.

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 Abstract
The purpose of this study is to contribute in current aviation practices by investigating
the satisfaction level of passengers with respect to various services at airport. This is
quantitative study based on primary data collected from departing passengers by using a
mixture of random and convenience sampling. The study sample size was 1067 respondents,
based on 95% confidence level and 3% margin of error. The responses were conducted
considering 11 variables however the study is focused on the Impact of Age on Passenger's
Satisfaction Level Based on Airport Accessibility at Allama Iqbal International Airport.

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 1. Introduction
Airport industry is rapidly changing to respond to the changes needed by the
passengers. The whole passenger air travel experience revolves around airport services and
in-flight services. However, many passengers are unaware of the fact that the management of
airline and airport are exclusively separate. This passenger assumed assumptions force
airlines to select airports, which provide significantly higher value of services to them. Thus,
this situation is putting immense pressure on the airport managers to provide best level of
services in the most efficient and effective manner.
As passengers became more sophisticated and demanding, airports came to believe
that they could influence airline routing decisions by a “pull” strategy of directing marketing
efforts to the end users, offering enhanced services or the promise of exceptional levels of
customer satisfaction. As a result, by the 1990s, many airports directed greater attention and
investments on marketing activities in an effort to survive in an increasingly competitive
marketplace. Like many service industries, the airport industry turned to service quality as a
strategy for achieving competitive advantage.
Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) manages the airport services at Allama
Iqbal International Airport (AIIAP) and is well aware that passenger satisfaction is an
increasingly important domain and can affect the reputation and long-term profitability of the
airport. Today passenger satisfaction is an essential benchmark standard for every airport
providing airline services for domestic and international travel.
Previously, airport researchers showed their high reliance on the internal data (e.g.,
number of complaints, wait time or check in time) which was not informed by direct
passenger to measure service quality. Although internal data is useful for benchmarking
various processes, but at the same time suspicious because these measures are derived from
the management rather than the passengers, thus lacking a true passenger perspective. The
results may be a misguided effort to improve service quality in a way that are unimportant to
the passenger.
Passenger satisfaction occurs when airport service quality fulfills or exceeds the
passenger expectation. Airport receives traffic belonging to different demographic sets.
Therefore, passengers will have different perception with the same situation. Thus, the
subject of this research is “Whether age has an effect on satisfaction levels of passengers
based on airport accessibility.” The aim of the study is to hypothetically test “Age of
Passengers affects airport accessibility satisfaction level” or alternatively reject the null
hypothesis which states that “Age of passenger does not affect airport accessibility
satisfaction level.”
The results will provide manager at AIIAP with information and suggestion to
construct efficient strategies. The findings will help Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to
focus on areas according to the expectations and experience of the passenger. This will not
only enhance passenger experience but promote tourism and business in the country.

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 2. Literature Review
In this literature review we consider that airport facilitates plays and important role in
the satisfaction of the customer, as customers is the major source of the revenue for airport,
their satisfaction is very important, At the airport, passenger activities are not only related to
the aviation side but non-aviation areas also play and important role in the satisfaction of the
passengers. Many airport marketers research passenger needs and wants for the purpose of
enhancing non-aviation related revenues from restaurant and retail offerings such as
concessionaries and lounge facilities. [CITATION Dal07 \l 1033 ]
Zaid Ahmad Ansari and Jyoti Agarwal suggested in their study that clean lounges,
signages, medical facilities and other branded retails stores and restaurant positively influence
passenger experience. It’s also found that efficient check-in service procedures positively
influence passenger satisfaction. In the study of Abdulaziz international airport, Jeddah we
found that the attributes mention in satisfying and dissatisfying context were check-in,
security check, signage, accessibility, parking, baggage, staff, shopping, dining options,
cleanliness, adequate seating, Internet kiosk, charging stations, and Wi-Fi. These are the
major parts that have direct impact on the passenger and passengers show much concern on
them. [ CITATION Ans15 \l 1033 ]
3. Research Methodology
3.1. Research design selected and why this design was chosen
This research was conducted using the qualitative research methodology. As a part of
the research, a large-scale survey was carried out in which questionnaires were distributed to
the participants to determine their characteristics and satisfaction levels based on the services
being provided at the airport. This method was chosen to allow participants to self-report and
then examine their responses on different variables and conduct statistical analysis to look for
correlation.
3.2. Population, sample and sampling details
The research focuses on departing passengers of Allama Iqbal International Airport.
Hence, the population included the number of passengers who departed both internationally
and domestically from the airport in the span of one year, which was 4,490,182 passengers.
Based on 95% confidence level and 3% margin of error, the sample size of 1067 passengers
or more was obtained.

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3.3. Variables and Measures used and why these measures were chosen
Being a quantitative study, primary data was collected from passengers who traveled
from Allama Iqbal International Airport. The data was collected through a structured close-
ended questionnaire, developed in English for the convenience of the respondents. The
questionnaire included ten variables based on the airport services. An eleventh variable was
also added to inquire about the overall satisfaction of the passengers from the airport services.
Likert Scale was used to measure the intensity of satisfaction of the passengers. The ratings
that were used were 5 to 1 on which, 5 equals to Highly Satisfied, 4 equals to Satisfied, 3
equals to Neutral, 2 equals to Dissatisfied, and 1 equal to Highly Dissatisfied.
Variables are as following:
i. Airport Accessibility
ii. Visibility of Signage
iii. Car Parking Facility
iv. Availability of Trolleys
v. Staff Courtesy
vi. Airport Security Arrangements
vii. Comfort of Waiting Areas
viii. Sanitary Condition of Restrooms
ix. Variety of Food & Beverages
x. Value of Money at Shops & Cafes
xi. Overall Airport Services

3.4. Procedures Used to Collect Data

For the collection of data, selected employees of PCAA at AIIAP were assigned to get
the questionnaires filled by passengers. The passengers from randomly selected international
and domestic flights were requested to fill-out the survey form. Electronic tablets with built-
in survey form were distributed among the persons, responsible to collect data, to receive the
response in data-base without any other hustle i.e., sharing link to fill form or printed
questionnaire.
3.5. Minimizing Chances of Error
To get reliable result in terms of accuracy, questionnaires were filled out directly by
the selected passengers in the lounge. The responses stored in database separately against
each responded confidential system-generated ID. This process has removed the chance of
error that can be possible in case of manual data entry in case of response collection on
printed questionnaire.
3.6. Audience Selection
For Audience Selection, random 10 days of a month were considered. From those 10
days 3 (random) domestic and 3 international (random) flights were selected. Assigned
employees interacted to get the questionnaire filled with the passengers from the selected
flights through convenience sampling. The willing passengers were asked to fill-up the
survey form in a waiting lounge.

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3.7. Strengths of research
Firstly, the research methodology is internally validated. The random selection of
passengers is well designed and sample is a true representative of population. Secondly,
through this quantitative approach by closed ended questions, using electronic tablets
connected with database, more passenger satisfaction data can be processed and compared at
a faster pace and more accurately. Thirdly, throughout whole process of data collection
passenger privacy was insured to avoid any influence of reactivity effect on the passenger
hence, collecting more honest and reliable feedback.
3.8. Limitation of research
There are several weaknesses of this study. The results obtained from the study are
limited to the services/variables, referred above. The study does not apply to other service
dimension which are not referred in this study. Secondly, non-response biasness was not
checked, passengers can be biased in presence of airport employer, in this study which can
lead to invalidity of the whole study. Thirdly, the results obtained are limited to Allama Iqbal
International Airport (AIIAP). Thus, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other
airports and lastly our research methodology which is a quantitative approach. It tells us
about what and to what extent but fails to answer how and why they are satisfied or
dissatisfied by the services offered at the airport.
4. Result & Data Analysis
This part represents the findings of the study. It has been divided into three sections –
Demographic & Descriptive Analysis, Hypothesis Testing & Correlation Testing. Descriptive
analysis has been performed by using mean, standard deviation and frequency charts whereas
T- test and ANOVA have been used to test the hypothesis. Pearson test was used to
determine the correlation between age and airport accessibility satisfaction levels.
4.1. Part 1 – Demographic & Descriptive Analysis
The
demographics data
collected from the
survey has been 47% Male
represented in Chart 53% Female

1. There was an
unequal proportion
of gender among
our survey
respondents. Males represented 53% whereas Females represented 47% of the respondents.
Chart 2 represents the frequency of respondents in each age group. As shown in the chart, out
Chart 1: Percentage of Gender of Respondents

of the 30 respondents, 5 belonged to 18-24 age range, 9 belonged to 25-35 age range, 8
belonged to both 36-49 age range and 50 and above age range.

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 10 9
8 8
8

Frequency
6 5
4
2
0
18 to 24 25 to 35 36 to 49 50 & above
Age of Respondents

Chart 2: Frequency of Age of Respondents

Chart 3 and Chart 4 represents the frequency of satisfaction levels with airport
accessibility and security respectively. The results indicated that 10% of the respondents were
most satisfied, 37% were satisfied, 3% were neither satisfied nor unsatisfied, 20% were
unsatisfied and 30% were most unsatisfied.
12 11
10 9
8
6
Frequency

6
4 3
2 1
0
Highly Unsatisfied Neutral Satisfied Highly
Unsat. Satisfied

Satisfaction Level

14 Chart 4: Frequency of
12
12 Satisfaction Levels with Airport
10 9 Accessibility
8
Frequecy

6
6
4
2
2 1
0
Highly Unsatisfied Neutral The mean and standard
Satisfied Highly
Unsat. Satisfied
deviation is represented in
Satisfaction Level Table 1. The variables were
measured from 1 = “Most
Unsatisfied”, 2 = “Unsatisfied”,
3 = “Neutral,”, 4 = “Satisfied” 5 = “Most Satisfied”. Airport accessibility received a mean of
2.76 and standard deviation of 1.47.
Chart 3: Frequency of Satisfaction Levels with Airport Security

IV2 (Age) DV1 (Accessibility)

Mean 2.633333333 2.766666667
Standard
Deviation 1.06619961 1.47819399

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 Table 1 Mean & S.D (IV2, DV1)

4.2. Hypothesis Testing

T-Test and ANOVA were two techniques used to test the hypothesis. These tests were
performed to statistically evaluate whether the score of the sample is different from the score
of the population.

The results of the Two Tail T-Test

performed are shown in Table 2.
The T-Value -0.84 lies in the
acceptable region; therefore, it
fails to reject the null hypothesis.
The difference between the means
of the data is not significant due to
which the null hypothesis cannot
be rejected. Similarly, P value of
0.40 also fails to reject the null
hypothesis as it is greater than
0.05.   IV2 DV1
Mean 2.633333333 2.766666667
Variance 1.136781609 2.185057471
Observations 30 30
Pearson Correlation 0.819012541
Hypothesized Mean Difference 0
df 29
t Stat -0.848820885
P(T<=t) one-tail 0.201466757
t Critical one-tail 1.699127027
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.402933515
t Critical two-tail 2.045229642  
Table 2: T - Test Results

The results of 1-way ANOVA are shown in Table 3. ANOVA fails to reject the null
hypothesis as the F value of 0.16 is less than the F critical value of 4.00. Similarly, the P
value obtained is 0.69 which is greater than 0.05 due to which the null hypothesis cannot be
rejected.

Source of
Variation SS Df MS F P-value F crit
0.160553 0.690119
Between Groups 0.266666667 1 0.266666667 6 5 4.006873
Within Groups 96.33333333 58 1.66091954
Total 96.6 59        
Table 3: 1-way ANOVA

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4.3. Correlation Testing
The results of the Pearson Test are shown in Table 4. Pearson Coefficient (r) of 0.91
indicates a strong positive relationship between the two variables which are age of passengers
and airport accessibility satisfaction levels. The P value of 0.4 indicates that out of 100%,
there are 40% chances of error which in turn means that the result is not significant.

Pearson Coefficient (r) 0.819012541

Table 4: Pearson P Value 0.4 Correlation

5. Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to critically analyze if the age of Passengers affects
airport accessibility satisfaction level. Passengers are becoming more sophisticated and
demanding with the passage of time. In order to maintain the competitive advantage, airports
are striving hard to provide the passengers with best airport services. This strategy is also
infusing the airline to replan their destinations. Passenger satisfaction occurs when airport
service quality fulfills or exceeds the passenger expectation. Airport receives traffic
belonging to different demographic sets. Therefore, passengers will have different perception
with the same situation.
Out of the total respondents, 53% were male and 47% were female. 83% respondents
were the age of 25 years or more. According to the data collected and tests performed, the
null hypothesis cannot be rejected which indicates that there is no relationship between the
age of respondents and airport accessibility satisfaction levels. Therefore, the hypothesis
“Age of Passengers affects airport accessibility satisfaction level” cannot be confirmed and is
rejected.
6. Recommendations
i. In this research we consider departing passenger, considering the arrival passenger
will increase our sample size which lead to the high accuracy of the result of survey.
ii. Face-to-face interviews can also be conducted as it involves the researcher
approaching the respondents personally. Researchers may ask the respondent a series
of questions and note their responses to learn the reasons of they level of satisfaction.
iii. This study was conducted focusing on departing passengers of AIIAP. To understand
the overall satisfaction level of passengers, surveying passengers of other airports will
provide more accurate results to understand the improvements required.
iv. The in-depth investigations should be made to understand the profiles of the
passengers. It will help in better understanding of passenger’s behavior and
expectations.
7. References

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Ansari, Z. A. (2015). A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PASSENGER’S
SATISFACTION. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management,
United Kingdom, 213-220.
Fodness, D. (2007). Passengers' expectations of airport service quality. Journal of Services
Marketing 21(7):492-506, 492-496.

8. Appendices
8.1. Primary Data

Independent
  Variables Dependent Variables
Gende Age Airport Accessibility Airport Security
  r Group Satisfaction Satisfaction
Respondent
s IV1 IV2 DV1 DV2
1 1 2 1 2
2 1 2 2 3
3 1 2 1 2
4 2 2 2 1
5 1 1 1 3
6 2 3 2 2
7 2 3 4 3
8 1 2 3 3
9 1 4 5 5
10 2 4 4 2
11 1 4 4 4
12 1 3 4 3
13 2 3 4 2
14 2 2 1 3
15 1 3 1 4
16 2 1 1 3
17 2 3 4 2
18 1 4 5 3
19 1 1 2 4
20 1 2 2 3
21 2 2 1 2
22 2 4 5 3
23 1 4 4 4
24 2 3 4 3
25 1 3 4 4

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 26 2 1 2 5
27 2 1 1 4
28 1 4 4 3
29 1 2 1 2
30 2 4 4 2

8.2. Coding Scheme

IV 1 : Gender IV 2 : Age
Male 1 18 to 24 1
Female 2 25 to 35 2
Others 3 36 to 49 3
50 & above 4

DV 1 : Accessibility DV2: Security Arrangements

Highly Unsatisfied 1 Highly Unsatisfied 1
Unsatisfied 2 Unsatisfied 2
Neutral 3 Neutral 3
Satisfied 4 Satisfied 4
Highly Satisfied 5 Highly Satisfied 5

8.3. Questionnaire
1.1.1. Demographics
i. Gender
o Male
o Female
o Other
ii. Age
o 18-24 years
o 25-35 years
o 36-49 years
o 50 years and above
iii. Purpose of Trip
o Work
o Study
o Medical Treatment
o Leisure
iv. Have you previously travelled from Allama Iqbal Intl. Airport?
o Yes
o No (Skip Q 5 Demographics)

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 v. When did you travel last time?
o Within last six months
o Within 6 -11 months
o 12 months or more
vi. How long did it take you to reach airport?
o Less than 30 minutes
o 30 – 60 minutes
o More than 60 minutes
vii. How did you reach the airport?
o Private Transport (branch to Q 8 demographics, Q 1,2 Survey)
o Public Transport (branch Q 3, Survey)

viii. Why did you use your own transport?

o No access to public transport
o It takes a lot of time to reach airport
o Stops far away from terminal building
o Public transport is not secure
o Any other reason

1.1.2. Survey Questionnaire

The survey Questionnaire is being examined on Likert-Scale
1. Highly Dissatisfied 2. Dissatisfied 3. Neutral 4. Satisfied 5. Highly Satisfied

i. How satisfied are you with the availability of parking space in car parking area?
1 2 3 4 5
ii. How satisfied are you with the rate of car parking facility?
1 2 3 4 5
iii. How satisfied are you with drop off point?
1 2 3 4 5
iv. How satisfied are you with accessibility to the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
v. How satisfied are you with the visibility of signage at the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
vi. How satisfied are you with the availability of trolleys at airport?
1 2 3 4 5
vii. How satisfied are you with the courtesy of airport staff?
1 2 3 4 5
viii. How satisfied are you with the ambience of the waiting areas?
1 2 3 4 5
ix. How satisfied are you with the comfort level of seats in the waiting area?
1 2 3 4 5
x. How satisfied are you with the sanitary conditions of the washrooms?
1 2 3 4 5
xi. How satisfied are you with the quality of food, available at the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
xii. How satisfied are you with the pricing of food at the airport?

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 1 2 3 4 5
xiii. How satisfied are you with the variety of food at the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
xiv. How satisfied are you with the security arrangements at the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
xv. How satisfied are you with the improvements in the overall cleanliness of the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
xvi. How satisfied are you with the improvements in security arrangements at the airport?
1 2 3 4 5
xvii. How satisfied are you with the overall services of the airport?
1 2 3 4 5

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