Predicting complaint handling satisfaction among airline passengers: The moderating role of complaint severity

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of procedural justice, distributive justice, and interactional justice on airline passenger satisfaction with complaint handling, examining the moderating role of the severity of complaint (SOC). A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, yielding 405 usable responses for analysis, indicating an effective response rate of 81.0%. Using moderated multiple regression analysis, the initial model found that all three justice dimensions significantly predicted satisfaction. The model confirmed that SOC substantially moderates the effect of procedural justice and interactional justice. Specifically, the positive impact of procedural justice on satisfaction strengthens as the severity of the complaint increases β = 1.082, p < .05). In contrast, the positive effects of interactional justice on satisfaction weaken when complaints are more severe β = -1.491, p < .01). The final model successfully accounted for 85.8% of the variance in satisfaction (R² = .858). These findings reveal the critical, contingent role of complaint severity in the service recovery process.