Delays, lost luggage or cancelled flights, most people have experienced anger and disappointment towards an airline at some point. Research from Jönköping International Business School at Jönköping University shows that brand hatred in these situations is not only harmful to the airlines.
“Airlines need to get better at understanding their customers,” says Ayesha Manzoor, PhD in Business Administration, who recently defended her thesis at Jönköping International Business School on brand hatred in the airline industry.
The study shows that brand hatred towards airlines is not just about emotions but is a complex phenomenon that involves both emotions, behaviors and thoughts among travelers.
The study examined different types of incidents, such as boarding pass issues, customer service issues, flight delays, baggage mishandling, meal issues, seating issues, staff behavior issues, technical issues, and delayed payments and refunds.
Anger, disappointment and anxiety the most common emotions
Different types of incidents trigger different emotions in travelers, making brand hatred a powerful factor that airlines must learn to manage and possibly prevent. Through data collection from airlines’ social media and quantitative analyses consisting of follow-up interviews with travelers who had experienced incidents, the study showed that different types of negative emotions (including anger, contempt, disappointment, disgust, anxiety, fear and sadness) were frequently expressed by travelers.
“When something happens, there is initially an emotional dimension that customers express in different ways. Three emotions are expressed more often than others in different types of airline incidents. These are anger, disappointment and anxiety,” says Ayesha Manzoor.
When anger was expressed, travelers often displayed aggressive behavior toward the airline. Outrage was shown through expressive complaints, while disappointment led to more constructive complaints.
Dissatisfaction can be turned into comfort
While incidents often give rise to brand hatred, the study also shows that brand hatred can be transformed into comfort and reconciliation. To turn brand hatred into something positive, airlines need to improve how they handle follow-up after these incidents. Staff must be able to see from the customers’ perspective and provide personalized responses to them to avoid brand hatred.
“By training staff in complaint handling, implementing policies that focus on reconciliation, and designing communication strategies that take into account travelers’ feelings, behaviors, and thoughts, brand hatred can be turned into something positive and beneficial for airlines. Customers expect quick responses and a direct solution to their problems. This means that companies need to develop more effective strategies to address brand hatred and rebuild trust,” concludes Ayesha Manzoor.
According to the press release.
