To understand customer expectations we have to be aware of the way in which the customer judges and evaluates the quality of the airline service encounter. According to Gronroos (1982) this is determined by three dimensions: (1) the technical, (2) the functional, and (3) image.

The technical component is associated with 'what' the customer will receive at the conclusion of a service encounter in a tangible form. For example, it may be the ticket to board, the airline meal, and the use of the CRS to achieve a booking or whether the flight arrives on time.

The functional dimension refers to 'how' the customer will receive it, which includes the way the service provider behaves and interacts as part of the service provision. For example, the flight service should involve politeness, reassurance, appropriate behaviour and dress, and adequate speed of response to passenger needs. The functional and service dimensions in combinations form the customer's experience of the service quality.

The image is made up of the way attitudes have been developed through different marketing communication programmes. This leads to the expectation of a particular service quality in conjunction with the influence of previous experience and evaluation. The reputation or image of an airline is more difficult to communicate if the airline is small or the traveller flies infrequently.

Gronroos was a key figure in the development of the idea that the consumer judges the level of the service gap between expected and perceived service (see Gilbert and Joshi,...