College of Arts & Sciences Research

This proposal represents an in-depth comparative case study highlighting the differences in marketing strategies, employee relations and customer (internal and external) service models between American low cost carrier Southwest Airlines and European low cost carrier Ryanair. Analysis will focus on the differing brand personalities of the two airlines, particularly with regard to customer service and its relationship to customer satisfaction and overall corporate success from the early days of these organizations through 2013.

Using a qualitative toll, the differing business strategies will be examined with regard to their adherence or non-adherence to basic business principles as well as theories of psychology and consumer behavior. The researchers will attempt to identify underlying variables and principles that influence the diverging outcomes for these two airlines, paying particular attention to areas that are counter-intuitive and/or challenge some of the widely accepted business practices and ideologies.

The insights gained from this analysis will provide a greater understanding of both the psychology of the air travel consumer and the relative effectiveness of differing marketing models and promotional practices. Based on its exploratory and analytic nature, this study may have possible implications for stakeholders at both the micro and macro levels, including the customers (both internal and external), the specific airlines studied as well as the wider airline industry, and other industries concerned with similar aspects of consumer behavior.

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