Factors Affecting Customer’s Preference Towards E Ticketing Service: The Case Of Ethiopian Air Lines

Abstract

The role of internet in general and websites in particular has changed everything in the business world throughout the past couple of decades. Subsequently, E-Ticketing is an alternative marketing strategy implemented by airline to serve their customers using the Internet. It is basically an online flight ticket purchasing system which is an essential application of online shopping (E-commerce).The study has been carried out in the Ethiopian Airlines aiming to iinvestigate factors affecting E-Ticketing preference of Customers. Data were collected using descriptive research and non-probability sampling technique, and collected using structured questionnaire prepared in English that can be translated into Amharic and Afan Oromo. Data were analyzed using statistical tools such as Frequency, Correlation, and Multiple regressions. Prior to data analysis testing using Cronbach‟s Alpha, and the reliability and validity of data were checked. All the quantitative analyses were done in Statistical Package for Social Sciences.All the three factors had significant relationship with customer preferences towards the E-Ticketing service. The mean score of descriptive statistics of each of the factors influencing customer satisfaction on E-Ticketing service in EAL indicated that E-Ticketing service makes the tickets purchasing process easier, and EAL was the good provider of Ticketing. However the customers complained about the quality and speed of the internet that discourages them to use regularly. Similarly the customers showed good satisfaction regarding the website quality that the system had low breakdown probabilities due to efficient maintenance, and EAL provide online systems as a fast and efficient alternative to traditional sales channels. Generally, the customers were satisfied with the website quality that provided by EAL. Moreover, the customers were happy and agreed on the usefulness of E-Ticketing that they saved cost, time and effort because of easy navigation in purchasing process. Furthermore,the regression model showed that the E-Ticketing service provided by EAL were able to explain the variance explained in the customer preferences at EAL (F (5, 360) = 135.5; p < 0.0001); R2 = 0.87), had a statistically significant contribution. The result of the study showed that 87% of the variation in customer preferences was explained by security levels, followed by usefulness, website is quality. The implications of the research lie in the recognition of the need for EAL to consider a wide range of variables when developing e-ticketing services for customers.