IJMSSSR00541

International Journal of Management Studies and Social Science Research
Determining the Factors Affecting Passenger Satisfaction Regarding Pandemic Measures

During COVID-19
Assoc. Prof. Dr. AyseYILDIZ
Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Department of Management, Ankara/TURKEY

ORCID: 0000-0003-1165-3965
IJMSSSR 2021
VOLUME 3
ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER ISSN: 2582 - 0265
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected almost all industries. Airline companies are at the
forefront of these industries, with the effect of the restrictions imposed by the governments. Passengers’
satisfaction with determining factors on it has become more crucial than ever to survive and compete in this
sector. For this reason, in this study, it is aimed to determine the factors affecting passenger satisfaction by using
customer satisfaction survey data of San Francisco Airlines (SFO), one of the airline companies in the USA. These
factors are divided into three groups. In the first group, there are questions regarding the age, income level which
are socio-demographic characteristics of the passengers. The second group includes passenger flying-related
information such as the frequency of their flights, whether they have made international flights and their purposes
of the flights. The third group consists of the evaluation questions related to the measures taken by the company
for the pandemic. Logistic regression analysis has been carried out since the general satisfaction levels of the
customers have been determined as Likert scale (satisfied, very satisfied etc.) depending on these factors. The
results of the analysis revealed that socio-demographic characteristics and flight behaviors were not effective in
the general evaluation of the company. On the other hand, an inverse but non-significant relationship was found
between social distance and general satisfaction. Communication was determined as the most important factor.
Thus, airline companies can focus on this factor and increase the satisfaction levels of passengers and their
probability of survival.
Keywords: COVID-19, Ordinal Logistic Regression, Epidemic Measures, Passenger Satisfaction

1. Introduction
Customer satisfaction has become a more vital issue today as a part of customer focus strategies in the field of
marketing. Ensuring the satisfaction of customers, especially in the service sector, is the crucial factor of survival,
increasing market share and profitability for many service businesses.
Airlines are one of the leading sectors operating in the service sector. This sector also consists of companies that
require high financial power and human resources in intense competition environment. Customer satisfaction,
namely passenger or traveler satisfaction is at the forefront of the competitive weapons used by these companies,
as in other service sectors.
Ensuring customer satisfaction will only be possible with the correct determination of customers’ requests and
expectations. For this reason, it is seen that a number of studies have been carried out to determine the factors
that may affect customer satisfaction of airline companies. These studies carried out prior to 2020 in this area
adopted an approach associating customer expectations with service quality to evaluate the customer satisfaction.
The pandemic case, emerged in early of 2020, however, has changed this approach by replacing the factors which
are connected with hygiene and the environmental conditions.
That is why the survey including these kinds of questions conducted by one of the USA airline companies in 2020
was employed in the study to determine the priorities and requirements of the passengers. These questions can be
divided into three categories based on content of the information acquired: the first category includes questions
concerningsocio-demographic characteristics of the passengers, the second categoryis related to the flight
information of them and the third one is composed of the questions about evaluation of the measurements taken
by the company regarding COVID-19 pandemic.
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With this content, this study consists of six main parts. The following part reviews the literature regarding
customer satisfaction of airlines. The third part provides the theoretical knowledge of the method applied. The
fourth part is devoted to the methodology, including participants and variables used. The analysis results are
presented together with their comments in the fifth part. In the final part, the overall evaluation is made with
some recommendations for future studies.
This study is different in terms of numerous dimensions. The first one is that the time period which COVID-19
pandemic case is. The second difference is the method applied which are relational and causal method rather than
SEM-based method. The other difference is that the questions concerning pandemic related. Another one is the
data which is obtained as a secondary data collection approach rather than self-gathered as a primary data. This
approach is preferred not only because of ease of access but also the continuing data set which can be gathered in
the future time thus it can possible to compare the years to see the changes all the dimensions of customer
satisfaction. Also, ordinal logistic regression technique was carried out which is more appropriate than the other
methods like linear regression analysis for Likert-type statements demonstrating ordinal scale.
2. Literature Review
It is seen that numerous different studies have been carried out for years to evaluate passenger satisfaction for
airline companies and to determine the factors affecting this satisfaction. When the modelling used in the studies
is examined, it might realize that SERVQUAL based-model, developed by Parasuraman et al. (1988), being related
the dimensions of service quality and passenger expectations, has been implemented predominantly as customer
satisfaction. In the analysis of the data entailed through the questionnaire, it was observed that the Structural
Equation Modelling (SEM) method has been applied extensively. Thus, through the findings obtained from the
studies the companies may ensure the customer satisfaction. Some of these studies are introduced in the next
section.
Aksoy et al. (2003)made study to reveal the differences between Turkish and foreign airline passengers concerning
their demographic profiles, behavioral characteristics, service dimensions evaluated by passengers with satisfaction
levels. They found that the differences have significant and valuable to understand their passengers thus this
information can use to improve their marketing strategies.
The study made by Park et al. Wu (2004) investigated the effect of airline service quality on passengers’ decision-
making process based on Path analysis for Korean international air passengers. Their results reveal that service
value, passenger satisfaction and airline image are the most influencing factors in this process.
Pakdil & Aydın (2007) conducted a research using SERVQUAL scores weighted based on loadings obtained from
Factory Analysis. Their analysis results indicated that responsiveness dimension is the most significant while
availability is the least crucial factor in measuring airline service quality.
In 2008, the research carried out by Clemes et al. (2008)to implement which dimensions of the service quality
have positive or negative impaction on international airline passengers. The research reveals that safety and
security are the most defining dimensions.
Anderson et al. (2008) examined in their study the relative importance of core and peripheral components for
customers and also determined moderated elements which are demographic and situational characteristics to build
the relationship between service components and overall satisfaction. The study found that both core and
peripheral attributes positively affect the overall customer satisfaction and also both demographic and situational
characteristics are the moderators for overall satisfaction.
In Turkey, Atalık & Arslan (2009) conducted a survey to obtain information whether airline companies are able to
fulfill the expectations of customer. They also asked the customers questions regarding determinants of airline
choice and satisfaction level with loyalty towards airline. Multiple and logistic regression methods are used to get
the analysis results.
The findings of the study made by Adams et al. (2012) indicate that market concentrations moderate the
relationship between satisfaction and profitability while market power has no moderating role for US airlines. It is
also found in the study that airlines operating in concentrated markets have fewer incentives to satisfy customers
than the airlines operating in more competitive markets. The other result gained that some nonlinear relationship
observed between customer service variables and customer satisfaction.
Chen (2018) made study in Thailand examined the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer
loyalty along with by adding service quality and price as mediator variables. The result indicates that service quality
and price are the mediator to connect customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
Keiningham et al. (2014) have focused on the relationship between customer satisfaction with market share and
incidents either minor or major in the U.S. airline industry. They used SEM model and found that minor incidents
are more strongly (negatively) related to market share and only minor incidents are significantly related to
customer satisfaction.
Hussain et al. (2015) built their study for Dubai’s airline passengers on for two main objectives. The first one was
to identify the determinants of airline service quality and then the second one was to measure the relationship
between the corporate image, customer expectations with customer complaints and passengers’ satisfaction which
is a leading factor for brand loyalty. Their findings conclude that superior service quality, good corporate image,
and perceived value are the vital determinants for satisfaction of the passengers.
Park et al. (2019)conducted the research for Korean airline industry to find out the determinants including
positive and negative emotion words along with risky and monetary values of the customer satisfaction to take
into account the differences between low-cost carrier (LLC) and full-service carrier (FSC) services by applying
SEM method. The findings of the study reveal that customers’ experiences with airline services are the most
effective determinant and negative emotions are obstacles for satisfaction. Also, they indicate that there is no
supportive result between monetary value and the customer satisfaction for LLC customers but there is
relationship between them for FSC customer.
Yas et al. (2019) reviewed studies including author, date, country, title, research problem, research model, research
method along with research results starting from 1993 to 2015 not only for airline but also the other service firms
concerning customer satisfaction. This study may also give information related to customer satisfaction because all
the service characteristics are similar each other and most based service quality.
Khudhair et al. (2019) made study to find out the relationship between airline service quality in terms of preflight,
in-flight and post-flight determinants and customer satisfaction by considering quality seeker as moderating factor.
Based on the results, the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction is lower for high-quality
seeker, higher for low-quality seeker, and moderate for middle-income earners as expected.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to reconsider the situation of airline companies and to
determine the determinants of passenger satisfaction differently. In this context, limited numbers of studies have
been produced to help airline companies overcome this difficult process by offering some proposals and new
policies.
Hayadi et al. (2021) executed a study to determine how airline companies can compete and which factors they
should focus on by applying different classification methods such as KNN, logistic regression, Gaussian NB,
decision trees and Random Forest. As a result of the study, an accuracy value of 99% was obtained from Random
Forest algorithm and In-flight Wi-Fi factor is found the most significant factor for customer satisfaction.
A study was conducted by Lamb et al. (2020) to determine the factors that affect the flight requests of passengers
during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a survey study including questions about the demographic
characteristics of passengers, personality measures, emotional states and travel purposes. They determined that
wearing a mask and precautions to prevent infection are effective factors in people's perception of flight.
In order to examine the behavioral changes of passengers after COVID-19 in order to ensure the continuation of
their air travel, a questionnaire was applied to the passengers of Korean airlines by Song & Choi (2020).
Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed by considering five factors, namely the prevalence of COVID-19,
requirements for self-isolation, circumstances at the destination, social atmosphere with regards to overseas travel,
and the level of preventative measures employed in the aviation service sector These five factors were found to be
effective in continuing the airline flights.
Hasan et al. (2020) followed a similar approach to pre-COVID-19 studies and examined the effects of service
quality and brand image on customer satisfaction for New Delphi airlines. They also used Confirmatory Factor
and SEM model for analysis. As a result of the analysis, they found that the brand images of the low-cost airlines
had an impact on customer satisfaction, which resulted in customer loyalty.
Moon et al.(2021)conducted a very specific study examining the effects of self-check-in kiosk and non-contact
management on customer satisfaction and loyalty. They stated that this approach would be seen as an innovative
approach and would be effective on customer satisfaction and loyalty.
The study conducted by Pratomo et al.(2020)to determine the effect of trust, service quality, and customer value
factors on customer satisfaction revealed that all three factors were significant.
The study carried out by Monmousseau et al. (2020) examined the effects of restrictive measures applied during
COVID-19 on passengers. For this, the relationship between USA airline companies and passengers was
examined in terms of cancel quality with quantity, refund quality with quantity, empathy and sentiment gap by
using social media, and as a result, the prominent factors for each airline company were determined.
As these studies indicate that the outbreak of COVID-19 has led to the questioning of the validity and reliability
of the findings obtained from all previous researches in this field. The aim of our study is to identify the
determinants of customer satisfaction during COVID-19pandemic period applying ordinal logistic regression.
Thus, this study might provide some clauses for airline managers to improve customer satisfaction and get
through this very difficult situation with the least possible damage.
3. Method
Ordinal logistic regression, often just called ordinal regression, is used to predict an ordinal dependent variable
with possibility of occurring. Those values can be ranked but real distance between categories is unknown. This
method can be thought of combining multiple linear regressions with binomial logistic method. Carrying out
ordinal regression provides outcomes to determine which variables (if any) have statistically effect on dependent
variable. The other outcome enables the users how well ordinal regression model predicts dependent variable.
The proportional odds model, which is one of the different ordinal logistic regression models, was used in the
study. In the proportional odds model, comparisons are made according to the number of categories of the
dependent variable. For example, if there are three categories (1: low, 2: moderate, 3: high), category 1 versus
category 2.3, category 1 and 2 versus category 3.Observing a particular score or less for any event is modelled by
calculating following odds as shown detailed equations 1-3.
prob (score of 1)
θ1 = (1)
prob (score greater than 1)
prob (score of 1 or 2)
θ2 = (2)
prob (score of 1,2 or 3)
θ3 = (3)
Theseequations can be formulated as illustrated in Equation 4.
prob (score of ≤ j)
θj = (score>𝑗)
(4)
prob
The logistic regression is based on the cumulative approach. This cumulative approach can be implied for
cumulative probabilities by modifying binary logistic regression model to incorporate the ordinal nature of a
dependent variable. Thus, the cumulative probabilities of the event or all events ordered can be formed in a single
model. Model for cumulative probabilities can be formulated as in Equation 5 ((Nouris, 2021)
exp j−(β1x1 +⋯…….+β1xk)
γ(j)= p (Y ≤) = (5)
1+exp [β1x1 +⋯….+β1xk)]

Thekeyassumption in ordinalregression is proportionaloddsor paralel linesassumption. Based on

proportionaloddsassumption, β1, β2……. βkarethesameforeachvalue of j as demonstrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Proportional Odds
Figure 1illustratesthattheeffects of anyexplanatoryvariablesareconsistentorproportionalacrossdifferentthresholds.

Thisassumptionensuresthatexplanatoryvariableshavethesameeffect on theoddsregardless of thethreshold.
Inordinalregressionthereareseparateinterceptterms at eachthreshold, butthere is onlyonesinglelogit (logodds)
fortheeffect of eachexplanatoryvariable(Institute for Digital Research & Education, 2021).
4. METHODOLOGY
4.1. Dataset
Participants
The data used in the study obtained through open data which is on
https://www.flysfo.com/media/customer-survey-data considering that it would be a time-consuming
process to reach the participants even online during the COVID-19 period. The data includes survey questions
conducted by SFO Airline Company to determine passenger satisfaction. The reason for this approach is that the
COVID-19 process affects all people and companies in the same way. Thus, it is thought that the data of an
international airline company operating in the USA reflects the general situation. It is also possible to reach the
data gathered for the same company in different periods through this dataset. For example, questions to
determine SFO’s customer requests, needs and expectations can be examined for 2018. When the questions of
this period are examined, it is seen that besides of the socio-demographic characteristics of the passengers, there
were other questions regarding rate of firm performance including restaurants, retail shops and concessions,
parking, information boots, parking facilities etc. which are focused on the physical attributes. In addition, specific
questions concerning passengers’ experience including airport amenities, boarding areas /gates /terminals,
signage, security /customs etc. were included in the survey. However, there is no doubt that content of the
questions in the satisfaction survey has been completely changed with the COVID-19 incident that has emerged
since earlier of the 2020. This study is conducted to determine the factors affecting passenger satisfaction during
this period. With the scope of this study, the variables were determined as follows.
Dependent Variable
In the study dependent variable was determined as overall evaluation of SFO regarding traveler’s health during
COVID-19 case. This evaluation is scored as the following way:
3: Sufficient
4: Good
5: Excellent

A few passengers state the evaluation as 1 and 2. Therefore, these cases have been eliminated from survey. Then,
the remaining responses are coded as an average, good and excellent.
Independent Variables
When the literature is reviewed, it is seen that there are numerous factors affecting passenger satisfaction for
airline companies. In order to take these factors systematically, the independent variables were divided into three
groups based on demographic characteristics such as age, income, gender and flying attributes of participants through
SFO in 2019 and in 2020 and the finally rating questions with Likert scale related to evaluation of SFO for epidemic
measures taken to minimize the effect of the virus. Rating measures are pointed out as follows:
1. Strict social distancing guidelines and enforcement

2. Having hand sanitizer readily available
3. Ensuring everyone is wearing a mask
4. Signs about SFO’s enhances cleaning protocols
5. Installing plexiglass barriers where needed
6. Clear communication and signs regarding SFO’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts
All the details of these variables are illustrated in Appendix 1 part.
4.2. Research Model
After the creation of the dataset, the designed model reflecting the relationship between the dependent and
independent variables is illustrated in Figure2. As can be seen from the Figure 1, there are three different groups
with related components.
Figure 2: The Components of Overall Satisfaction with Epidemic Measures
Thus, it is aimed to reveal the causality relationship between the dependent variables and sub-components of each
independent variable. Based on the developed model, the related hypotheses can be expressed as follows:
Hypothesis 1: Socio-demographic characteristics of the passengers have effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H1a: The age of the passengers has an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H1b: The gender of the passengers has an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H1c: The income of the passengers has an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
Hypothesis 2: The flight experiences of the passengers have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H2a: The number of flights made by passengers since April 2019 has an impact on the overall satisfaction level.
H2b: The international flight status of the passengers in 2020 has an effect on overall satisfaction level.
H2c: The purposes of the flights of the passengers in 2019 have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.

Hypothesis 3: The measures taken by Airline Company within the scope of COVID-19 have effect on the overall
satisfaction level of the passengers.
H3a: Measures taken for social-distancing have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H3b: Measures taken for sanitizer have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H3c: Measures taken for mask have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H3d: Measures taken for signs have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
H3e: Measures taken for barrier have an effect on the overall satisfaction level.
The first hypothesis was developed based on the idea that the satisfaction of the passengers is always affected by
their socio-demographic characteristics.
The second hypothesis includes the determinants that may affect the results of the third hypothesis. For example,
the satisfaction of a person travelling with this airline for the first time in his /her life should not be expected to
the same as the response of a passenger who has had more than one experience.
Particularly, the third hypothesis is crucial to demonstrate how the company is successful to fulfill the customer
satisfaction related to the measures taken within the scope of COVID-19. The result obtained here can provide
important clues for decision makers as it will reveal which satisfaction dimensions the company should focus on.
5. Findings
In the analysis of the study, it was preferred to focus on the crucial data for decision makers instead of including
all the categories of these variables determined vital. For this reason, categories with very low percentages in the
dataset were eliminated.
Because, unlike other normal periods, this is the period in which it is necessary to give priorities the wishes and
opinions of the majority. Thus, airline companies will increase their chances of survival and competitiveness by
earning more returns for each dollar spent and by making more efficient use of their resources. While there is
information about 1187 passengers related different variables in the original dataset, it was determined that only
456 participants’ information are appropriate for the purpose and scope of the study. This approach differs from
the approach taken by Eboli & Mazzula (2009). The authors conducted the analysis both with insignificant
variables called extended model and with only significant variables called reduced model. It is found the similar
result regarding frequency of observations judgments expresses for the different aspects of the factors which is
quite small (Eboli & Mazzula;(2009).
In the study, descriptive, relational and causal analyzes were examined separately on the basis of groups with
components indicating the socio-demographic characteristics of the passengers, flight information and the degree
of satisfaction with the measures taken within the scope of COVID-19. Thus, the effect of each group was
evaluated separately.
5.1. Descriptive Statistics
The first group of descriptive analyzes includes information indicating the socio-demographic characteristics of
the passengers as gender, age and income level. The results of this information are shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Socio-demographic Attributes of Passengers
No Variables (Attributes) Categories Frequency (%)Frequency

Male 228 0,50
1 Gender
Female 228 0,50
18-24 110 24,1
25-44 148 32,2
3 Age
45-54 68 14,9
55 andover 131 28,7
Under $50,000 139 30,5
4 Income
$50,001-$100,000 137 30,0
$100,001-$150,000 83 18.2
$150,000 andover 97 21,3
Total 456
According to the results demonstrated in Table 1, there are equal proportions of male and female participants.
Since the number of passengers under the age of 18 is very low in the table, information about this is not
included. Among the other age ranges, the people between the ages of 25-44, called as young and middle age, are
predominated. In terms of income variable, the participants with up to 50,000 and those with an income between
50 000 and 100 000 dollars have a share of around 30%. When all incomes are evaluated together, approximately
60% of the participants have an income of less than 100 000 dollars, while approximately 40% of them have an
income of more than 100 000.
In the second group of the descriptive analysis which is the flight attributes of the passengers including the
number of flights they have made since April 2020, whether they have made international flights in 2019 and their
trip purpose in 2019. Table 2 presents information related to flying attributes of participants.
Table 2: Flying Attributes of Participants
No Attributes Categories Frequency % Frequency

1 291 63,8
2 93 20,4
Number of FlightsSince 3andover 72 15,8
1
April 2020
International Flight in Yes 300 65,8

2
2019 No 156 34,2
Businesss 67 14,7
Vacation 98 21,5
Visitingfriends 291 63,8
3 Trip Purposein 2019
Total 456
Accordingly, after the emergence of COVID-19 in April 2020, it is seen that 63.4% of participants travelling with
this airline company once and only about 15% of those travelling three or more.
The rate of international travelers was found to be 65.8%, which can be considered quite high for this 2019
period. When the travel purposes of the participants are examined, the rate of those who travel for business
purposes is only 14% indicating that people have been doing their business through online platforms instead of
going on business trips. The rate of those who travel for sightseeing is 21.5% which is rather high for this period.
In the last group of the descriptive analysis, the results of the evaluation of the measures taken by the company
such as social distance, sanitizer within the scope of COVID-19 measures were obtained.
Table 3: Evaluation of SFO based on the Measures taken by SFO
No Variables (Evaluations) Categories FrequencyFrequecny (%)

Average 181 39,7
1 SocialDistance Good 165 36,2
Perfect 110 24,1
Average 82 18,0
2 Sanitizer
Good 175 38,4

Perfect 199 43,6
Average 102 22,4

3 Mask Good 124 27,2
Perfect 230 50,4
Average 41 9,0
4 Signs Good 117 25,7
Perfect 298 65,4
Average 77 16,9
Barrier Good 150 32,9
5
Perfect 229 50,2
Average 47 10,3
Good 141 30,9
Communication Perfect 268 58,8
6
Average 29 6,4
Good 206 45,2
Overall
Perfect 221 48,5
Based on the results, the satisfaction levels of the passengers are high on the basis of each category, except for
social distance. Among these, it is seen that the degree of satisfaction with the measures taken for the mask is
slightly higher.
5.2. The Correlational Analysis
Before examining the causal relation between the independent variables and dependent variable, it is crucial to
check these correlational relations. The reason for this is that examining causality may unnecessary if there is no
this kind of relations between the variables. These relations between the dependent variable which is overall
satisfaction evaluation and the independent variables are analyzed based on the three groups aswe did in
descriptive analysis.
The first group which are socio-demographic characteristics of the passengers are correlated overall satisfaction
evaluation by using Kendalls tau b correlation method. The correlation coefficient value with p value expressing
its statistical significance is shown in Table1 on the Appendix 2. The obtained correlation result reveals a
significant relationship only between age and overall satisfaction level (r=.175, p=.000).
The relation between the passengers’ flights which is the second group and overall satisfaction evaluation was
analyzed by Kendalls tau b correlation method. The obtained outputs are illustrated in Table2 on Appendix 2.
According to the results, there is no any significant relationship between the overall satisfaction level and the
number of flights since April (r= .01, p=.697), international trip status (r=.032, p=.481, and the purpose of the
flight (r=-.001, p=.989).
The third group includes correlations between sub-satisfaction and overall satisfaction evaluations. Based on in
Table 3 on Appendix 2 results, that there are significant correlational relations between the overall satisfaction
level with all other sub-satisfaction evaluations except social distance measure (p>.05). These results may actually
be interpreted in two ways. First of all, it may be carelessness of the passengers in ensuring social distance. The
second reason may be that they are not used to social distance rules, so they have difficulty in complying with it
and moreover, the don’t like obeying this rule.

5.3. Causality Analysis - Ordinal Logistics Regression Analysis
Reviewing the literature, very few studies on customer satisfaction is seen to have been made applying the ordinal
regression method. The expressions used for the evaluation of the customer satisfaction related to service quality
with different dimensions, however, are evaluated with Likert-type scales which are ordinal measurements. For
analyzes that require continuous scale, such as Pearson correlation or multiple regression, a transformation of data
is required Eboli & Mazzula (2009). Considering that to evaluate the customer satisfaction the data generally are
categorical and ordinal data, one of the purposes of this study is to explain the process of using this method for
this kind of data. Thus, performing more appropriate analyzes compatible with the dataset enables decision
makers to make accurate decisions.
The other aim of this study was to obtain evaluation results for COVID-19 process rather than evaluations for
service features and quality, which were given importance in the past. For this reason, in order to concentrate on
the degree of satisfaction regarding measures taken, the analysis was performed with only related variables.
Although the ordinal regression model is appropriate analysis for ordinal data, it is required to fulfill some
requirements and the assumptions of the method. The results regarding the model evaluation are demonstrated on
Appendix 3. As seen from the Appendix 3 in Table 1, model fitting values are statistically significant (χ2456=249,
p>.05).Table 2 demonstrates the “goodness of fit table” containing the Deviance and Pearson chi-square tests.
The result analysis suggest that data fits the model based on Pearson chi square (χ 2456= 470, p>.05) and deviance
test (χ2456= 331, p>.05). Pseude R2 values, which are thought to express the extent to which the change in the
dependent variable is explained by the independent variables, albeit partially, remained within acceptable limits,
taking values in the range of 0.309-0.508.
Also, it should be checked whether the dataset satisfies the assumption of parallelism. The null hypothesis of this
assumption states that the slopes of the categories of the dependent variables are equal; in other words, the effect
of the all the variables on the dependent variable is the same regardless of the category of the variable. For the
ordinal regression analysis, the data we have should be in an appropriate to ensure the acceptance of this
hypothesis. The test results obtained for this assumption are shown in Table 4 on Appendix 3. Accordingly, it can
be stated that there are statistically significant results supporting the null hypothesis (χ 2456= 16, p>.05).
After the model evaluation criteria are satisfied the parallel assumption is met and for the dataset, the next step is
to get and evaluate the ordinal logistic regression analysis outputs. Table 4 illustrates analysis results. All the
independent variables are categorical and ordinal, it is required to determine reference (indicator or baseline)
category. In the study, all the last category of the independent variables is determined as reference category and
based on these categories the interpretations are made accordingly.
Table 4: Ordinal Logistic Regression Results
Estimate Std. Error Wald df Sig. Exp (b)

Threshold [Overall = 3] -6,859 ,480 204,3 1 ,000 ,001
[Overall = 4] -2,574 ,301 73,18 1 ,000 ,076
Location [Age=2] -,787 ,312 6,368 1 ,012 ,455
[Age=3] -,872 ,293 8,864 1 ,003 ,418
[Age=4] -,821 ,359 5,214 1 ,022 ,440
[Age=5] 0a . . 0 . 1
[Sanitizer=3] -2,153 ,364 34,89 1 ,000 ,116
[Sanitizer=4] -1,265 ,271 21,72 1 ,000 ,282
[Sanitizer=5] 0a . . 0 . 1
[Mask=3] -1,422 ,303 22,10 1 ,000 ,241
[Mask=4] -,771 ,286 7,285 1 ,007 ,463
[Mask=5] 0a . . 0 . 1

[Signs=3] -1,177 ,424 7,696 1 ,006 ,308

[Signs=4] -,375 ,279 1,800 1 ,180 ,688
[Signs=5] 0a . . 0 . 1
[Barrier=3] -1,040 ,383 7,380 1 ,007 ,354
[Barrier=4] -,275 ,280 ,970 1 ,325 ,759
[Barrier=5] 0a . . 0 . 1
[Communication=3] -1,005 ,431 5,426 1 ,020 ,366
[Communication=4] -,601 ,280 4,600 1 ,032 ,548
[Communication=5] 0a . . 0 . 1 .
In the Table 4, thresholds (cut points) indicate where the latent variables must be cut to make the three groups
that we observe the data. Note that this latent variable is continuous.
Since these values are only used for groupings in the analysis, they are not interpreted. The independent variables
are in the part called Location. In the analysis, the last category which is social distancing was accepted as the
indicator for categorical and ordinal variables. Estimates values in this section also express the changes in the
probability values that express which group will be included in the dependent variable as a result of the changes in
the independent variable.
Analysis results reveal that those with low satisfaction ratings in the ratings of measures taken under COVID-19
will be less likely to have a high overall satisfaction rating (the odds will be lower). This is a result in line with
expectations. The more important result obtained from the ordinal logistic regression analysis is the exponential
beta coefficients. Exp b represents odds ratio suggest that an odds ratio <1 means that when a higher category is
passed in the independent variable, the probability of moving to a higher group in the dependent variable also
increases.
According to the result obtained, since the odds ratio value for age is lower than 1, the probability of being in the
upper group in the general satisfaction level increases as the age progresses. The exp (beta) coefficient related to
this also tells us that there will be an increase of 0.4 times in the general evaluation satisfaction level as the age
progress.
For sanitizer, mask and communication measures, which were found as significant factors, it was determined that
as the satisfaction levels increased, the general satisfaction level could increase up to 0.5 times. The results
obtained mean that increasing the satisfaction levels for mask and communication will increase the overall
satisfaction level. These results are in agreement with the results set by Lamb et al. (2020).
6. Conclusion and Recommendation
In this study, it was aimed to determine the factors affecting the customer satisfaction of the airline company
during COVID-19 pandemic by using the ordinal logistic regression method. The determinants of the study were
determined regarding the measures taken for the pandemic, which reflects the characteristics of the period. In this
respect, it differs from previous studies in this field that associate customer satisfaction with service quality. It was
not until the earlier 2020 that there were no studies conducted to evaluate customer satisfaction with pandemic
measures.
The results of the analysis revealed that the socio-demographic characteristics and flight information were not
significant contrary to the results of previous studies, while the evaluations regarding the measures taken were
important. Moreover, some remarkable points were identified in these findings. For example, the degree of
satisfaction with social distance is inversely related to the degree of general satisfaction. In other words, while the
degree of satisfaction with social distance increases, the general satisfaction degree decreases. However, this
relationship was not statistically significant. The effect of the banner and sign on the general satisfaction level was
not found statistically significant. However, while sanitizer, mask and communication factors were determined as
effective factors at each level, it was observed that the communication effect coefficient of these components was
relatively higher. Among all the factors determining passenger satisfaction, the mask was found to be the most
influential factor.

Since this study focuses on the factors affecting customer satisfaction during the COVID-19 period, the model
was developed in this way. However, this study can be extended in many ways. In a study, socio-demographic
characteristics can be considered as a mediating variable and the analysis can be performed again.
In addition, since customer satisfaction is considered as inputs affecting market share and profitability, a new
study can be carried out by determining the other variables as the main factors and the dependent variables as
market share and profitability. In another study, the effect of the overall satisfaction measurement effect on the
market share and/or profitability of the firm can be investigated. In addition, studies that can be carried out within
this expanded scope can be used with data from different periods to make periodic comparisons.
When the dataset of this study is desired to be carried out about a certain country and/or a certain airline, that is,
analyzes can be carried out by creating a sample from the passengers traveling with this company over a specified
population. Thus, it is possible to develop a support system that will directly assist the decision makers in their
decisions.
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APPENDIX 1
Dependent Variable
How do you rate SFO’s overall response to protecting traveler’s health during COVID-19Pandemic?
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent
Independent Variables
Socio-DemographicAttributes
Q1: Age
1: Under 18
2: 18-24
3: 25-34
5: 54-54
6: 55 andolder
----------------------------------------------------------
Q2: Gender
1: Male
2: Female
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q3: Income
1: Under $50,000
2: $50,000- $100, 000
3: 100,001-$150,000
4: Over $150,000
FlyingAttributes
Q1: About how manytimeshaveyouflownout of SFO since April 2020?
# of Fligths: 1, 2 and 3 andover
Q2: Didyouflytoanyinternationaldestinationsfrom SFO in 2019?
1: No
2: Yes
Q3: Purpose of Flying in 2019
1:Business
2:Vacation
3:VisitingFriends
Evaluation of EpidemicMeasures of SFO
Q5: Theairport has takenstepstohelpprotecttraveler’shealthduring COVID-19. Please rate SFO on each of thefollowing:
 Strictsocialdistancingguidelinesandenforcement
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent
 Havinghandsanitizerreadilyavailable
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent
 Ensuringeveryone is wearing a mask
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent
 SignsaboutSFO’senhancedcleainingprotocols
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent
 Installingplexiglassbarrierswhereneeded
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent
 ClearcommunicationandsignsregardingSFO’s COVID-19 mitigationefforts
3: Average
4: Good
5: Excellent

APPENDIX 2
Table 1: The Correlation between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Overall Satisfaction
Variables Categories Average (%) Good (%) Excellent (%)

Man 8.3 41.7 50.0
Gender Female 4.4 48.9 46.7
r = -.10, p=.833
18-24 6.4 57.3 36.4
25-44 8.8 48 43.2
Age 45-55 4.4 45.6 50
55 andover 4.6 32.1 63.4
r=.175, p=.00
Under 50,000 7.1 40.0 52.9
50,000-10000 5.8 51.8 42.3
Income 100,001-150,000 9.6 41.0 49.4
150,000 andover 3.1 47.4 49.5
r=-.008, p=.844
Table 2: The Correlation between Flying Attributes and Overall Satisfaction

1 7.5 43.8 48.6
2 5.4 49.5 45.2
3 0 48.6 51.4
Number of Flights 4 0 53.3 47
Since April 2020 5 22.2 22.2 55.6
6 0 45.5 54.6
r=.01, p=.697
Yes 6 47.2 46.8

No 7.1 41.7 51.3
International Flights
r= .032,
in 2019
p=.481
Business 4.5 44.8 50.7

Vacation 13.3 37.8 49
VisitFriends 4.5 47.9 47.6
Trip purpose in 2019
r =-.001, p=.989

Table 3: The Correlation between Sub-Satisfaction and Overall Satisfaction

Average 6.1 44.8 49.2
SocialDistancing
Good 6.7 47.9 45.5
Excellent 6.3 42.3 51.4

r=.04 p=.912
Average 20.7 68.3 11

Sanitizer
Good 4.5 63.1 32.4
Excellent 2,0 20.1 77.9

r=.456,p=.000
Average 15.7 63,7 20,6

Mask
Good 6.4 64,0 29,6
Excellent 2.2 27 70,9

r=.378, p=.000
Average 24.4 68.3 7.3

Signs
Good 7.6 66.9 25.4
Excellent 3.4 33.6 63,1

r=.320, p=.000
Average 23.4 61 15.6

Barrier
Good 3.3 62.7 34
Excellent 2.6 28.4 69

r=.423, p=.000
Average 25.5 61.7 12.8

Communicat
ion Good 7.8 66.0 26.2
Excellent 2.2 31.6 66.2

r=.356, p=.000

APPENDIX 3
Table 1: Model Fitting Information
Model -2 Log Likelihood Chi-Square df Sig.

Intercept Only 653,924
Final 404,574 249,349 13 ,000
Link function: Logit.
Table 2: Goodness-of-Fit
Chi-Square df Sig.
Pearson 470,441 441 ,160
Deviance 331,915 441 1,000
Table 3: Pseudo R-Square
Cox and Snell ,421

Nagelkerke ,508
McFadden ,309
Table 4:Test of Parallel Linesa
Model -2 Log Likelihood Chi-Square df Sig.

Null Hypothesis 404,574
General 388,249 16,325 13 ,232
The null hypothesis states that the location parameters (slope coefficients) are the same
across response categories.
a. Link function: Logit.

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International Journal of Management Studies and Social Science Research

Determining the Factors Affecting Passenger Satisfaction Regarding Pandemic Measures

Assoc. Prof. Dr. AyseYILDIZ

Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Department of Management, Ankara/TURKEY

Keywords: COVID-19, Ordinal Logistic Regression, Epidemic Measures, Passenger Satisfaction

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effective in continuing the airline flights.

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Thekeyassumption in ordinalregression is proportionaloddsor paralel linesassumption. Based on

Figure 1: Proportional Odds

Figure 1illustratesthattheeffects of anyexplanatoryvariablesareconsistentorproportionalacrossdifferentthresholds.

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1. Strict social distancing guidelines and enforcement

4.2. Research Model

Figure 2: The Components of Overall Satisfaction with Epidemic Measures

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5.1. Descriptive Statistics

Table 1: Socio-demographic Attributes of Passengers

No Variables (Attributes) Categories Frequency (%)Frequency

Table 2: Flying Attributes of Participants

No Attributes Categories Frequency % Frequency

International Flight in Yes 300 65,8

Table 3: Evaluation of SFO based on the Measures taken by SFO

No Variables (Evaluations) Categories FrequencyFrequecny (%)

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Perfect 199 43,6

Average 102 22,4

5.2. The Correlational Analysis

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5.3. Causality Analysis - Ordinal Logistics Regression Analysis

Table 4: Ordinal Logistic Regression Results

Estimate Std. Error Wald df Sig. Exp (b)

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[Signs=3] -1,177 ,424 7,696 1 ,006 ,308

6. Conclusion and Recommendation

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Table 1: The Correlation between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Overall Satisfaction

Variables Categories Average (%) Good (%) Excellent (%)

Table 2: The Correlation between Flying Attributes and Overall Satisfaction

Variables Categories Average (%) Good (%) Excellent (%)

Yes 6 47.2 46.8

Business 4.5 44.8 50.7

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Table 3: The Correlation between Sub-Satisfaction and Overall Satisfaction

Variables Categories Average (%) Good (%) Excellent (%)

Excellent 6.3 42.3 51.4

Average 20.7 68.3 11

Excellent 2,0 20.1 77.9

Average 15.7 63,7 20,6

Excellent 2.2 27 70,9

Average 24.4 68.3 7.3

Excellent 3.4 33.6 63,1

Average 23.4 61 15.6

Excellent 2.6 28.4 69

Average 25.5 61.7 12.8

Excellent 2.2 31.6 66.2

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Table 1: Model Fitting Information

Model -2 Log Likelihood Chi-Square df Sig.

Table 3: Pseudo R-Square

Cox and Snell ,421

Table 4:Test of Parallel Linesa