Structural relationship among airline service failure, perceived betrayal, and relationship dissolution behavior: Focused on the moderating effect of recovery types

The purpose of this study lies in analyzing the influence of severity and controllability of service failure over customers’ perceived betrayal and relationship dissolution behavior. Summary of the research is as follows: First, it was found that the severity and controllability of service failure have a positive influence on customers’ perceived betrayal. Second, customers’ perceived betrayal was found to have a positive influence on customers’ relationship dissolution behaviors (such as customer complaints, retaliatory behavior, demand of damage, customers’ aversion). Simply put, the perceived betrayal caused by service failure may lead to severance of relationship or negative behaviors. Third, regarding the influence of severity and controllability of service failure on the customers’ perceived betrayal, it was found that communication, remedy and explanation were recovering types that mitigate customers’ perceived betrayal. From the results of the research, it can be concluded that airline companies not only need to do their best to establish positive relationships with customers from the perspective of relationship marketing, but also need to establish strategies to minimize relationship dissolution behaviors of complaining customers incurred by service failure.