Web site quality in the UK airline industry: A longitudinal examination

Web site quality is now considered a critical factor to attract customers' attention and build loyalty. Based on a review of the literature, this study focuses on five dimensions of Web quality — usability, web site design, service quality, information quality, and enjoyment. The aim of this research is to identify the development of Web site quality in four UK airlines based on the research dimensions during the period from 1999 to 2005. For this purpose, the survey utilised the Web archive (www.archive.org) for retrospective analysis (n=120). According to the findings, the four airlines have improved their Web site quality on the four dimensions in quite different ways during the period from 1999 to 2005. One of the main conclusions of this study is that the airlines have specific advantages from their particular mix of Web site attributes. The paper rounds off with conclusions and implications for research and practice.