A Study on Consumer Awareness and Perception Towards Services of Low-Cost Carriers in Chennai

Abstract

The Civil Aviation Ministry, Government of India reported that the Indian Civil Aviation Industry has grown to become the 3rd largest in the world in terms of domestic traffic and was expected to eventually become the 3rd largest in terms of overall traffic before the pandemic hit. The growth of the Indian civil aviation sector can be contributed to determinants such as open sky policy through promotion of 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the scheduled air transport services adopted by the Government of India, drift in the private investment towards airport infrastructure, economic growth accompanied by the increase in the disposable personal income of middle income class, rise in the low cost carriers to provide affordable services for the domestic passengers and the resilient demand requirements of foreign tourists.  The present study aims to identify the consumer perception about the services provided by selected low-cost carriers such as IndiGo, Spice Jet, Air India, Go First, and Air Asia. The service quality factors such as Implementation of Touch less Technologies, Adoption of Inflight Social Distancing, and Maintenance of Cleanliness procedures were identified. Further, cost effectiveness factors such as Appropriate pricing methods, Awareness on Hidden Costs, and Refund Policy were measured.