Question

Velma was preparing to take her first airplane trip in more than 20 years. One of the primary reasons why she has not flown is because she is over 6-feet tall and the closeness of the seats made her extremely uncomfortable. Just prior to making plane reservations, she saw an article in a travel magazine congratulating United Airlines for increasing the room between passenger seats. She did not have time to read the whole article—just the first paragraph. She made her reservations on United Airlines with the expectation that she would not have to feel like she was "shoe horned" into her seat. When she boarded the plane, she was struck with how close the seats appeared. It wasn’t long before she learned that United Airlines had only increased the room for the first six rows. Velma's service expectation levels were shaped by:

a.Explicit service promises and word-of-mouth communications
b.Past experience and word-of mouth communication
c.Implicit and explicit service promises
d.Implicit service promises and predicted service
e. Past experience and explicit service promises

Answer 1

Velma anticipated comfortable seating due to explicit promises from United Airlines combined with her past experiences. However, the service did not meet her heightened expectations, illustrating the importance of airlines adhering to their service promises.

Step-by-step explanation:

Velma's service expectation levels were shaped by e. past experience and explicit service promises. When she saw the article praising United Airlines for increasing the room between passenger seats, she formed an expectation based on that explicit promise. However, her past experiences with discomfort due to her height might also contribute to her expectations of airline seating. It is important for airlines to manage service expectations effectively by ensuring their explicit service promises match the actual service delivered.