Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Academic Perspective on Social Studies, sa.1, ss.15-33, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
Air
transportation today functions not only as a means of travel but also as a
strategic sector that facilitates social mobility, enhances quality of life,
and fulfils public service obligations. Within this framework, understanding
user perceptions of airline service quality is vital for shaping effective
social policies in the sector. The purpose of this study is to examine and
compare economy-class passenger evaluations of airline service quality, thereby
identifying strengths and weaknesses across different carriers. This study
conducted a content analysis of 1,129 economy-class passenger reviews posted in
2024 on TripAdvisor for four airlines: Delta Airlines (Brand Finance Global
500) and Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and SunExpress (Brand Finance Turkey 100).
Nine service categories were identified: legroom, seat comfort, in-flight
entertainment, customer service, value for money, cleanliness, check-in and
boarding, and food and beverage. Data normality was tested using the
Shapiro-Wilk method, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to identify
inter-airline differences. Findings revealed that Delta Airlines received
significantly higher scores across all categories, while Turkish Airlines
consistently scored lower, with the highest mean in cleanliness (2.117/5).
Correlation analysis showed positive associations between service categories,
emphasizing the holistic nature of passenger experiences. The study recommends
that airlines utilize digital feedback proactively and suggests expanding
future research to include diverse cabin classes, broader service metrics, and
multiple review platforms.