Impact of Cabin Crew Emotional Intelligence on Passenger Experience in Pakistan

Abstract

In the aviation sector of Pakistan, cabin crew emotional intelligence's influence on the satisfaction of the passengers was explored, using both the frequency of the passengers and satisfaction as a mediator. Design used was quantitative and the data collected were from 320 respondents who are airline passengers, which were obtained from a structured questionnaire. The study used a 5-point Likert scale to measure the emotional intelligence, satisfaction of passengers, the frequency of travelling and passenger experience. SmartPLS was used for the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that emotional intelligence was a positive significant factor in the passenger experience and the passenger satisfaction. The level of the passenger experience also was significantly positively influenced by the satisfaction of passengers. Furthermore, the results revealed that emotional intelligence was indirectly related to the passenger experience through the passenger satisfaction, as well. The relationship between passenger satisfaction and passenger experience was also significantly moderated by travelling frequency, but in this instance the moderation effect was relatively small. The results show that the extent of use of emotional intelligence of the cabin crew is related to the satisfaction level of the passengers and the quality of the atmosphere of the trip. The study highlights that Emotional Intelligence has been identified as one of the most important skills of service competence for the airline industry. It recommends that airlines incorporate emotional intelligence in the recruitment, training and evaluation of staff to enhance the quality of services provided to the passenger and his experience. This research adds a new dimension to the literature on aviation services as it presents empirical data from the Pakistani context and elucidates the relationship between emotional intelligence and satisfaction and travel experience differences and their effects on the passengers.