An investigation of key factors influencing aircraft comfort experience

Comfort has been an increasingly important issue in air travel. Passenger comfort is clearly a key variable in research on user acceptance of transportation systems, and it is related to passenger’s satisfaction and the willingness to fly again. After realizing its importance in capturing and retaining customers, a growing number of airlines are focusing on comfort. How to improve the experience of passenger comfort has become a major strategic goal for the airline management. This paper regards the passenger comfort in the aircraft cabin during the flight as an experience shaped by interaction between individual and the flight contextual situation. The aim of this study is prioritizing the factors affecting the passenger comfort experience, and sorts these factors into different categories. Firstly, the paper undertakes a systematic literature review to distinguish key critical factors affecting the aircraft passenger comfort, then classifies the factors into five categories by Kano model. At last, the managerial implication is given based on the result. The findings of this research provide important implications for the designers and airline managers and help them better understand the passenger comfort experience. The result can be used as a reference of symmetrically designing the aircraft interior and reasonably allocating the human and material resource.