Information trust and its outcomes in the airline industry: The type of service providers as a moderator

Abstract

This study investigated information trust and its outcomes in the airline industry. More specifically, it proposed a research framework including information trust (i.e. cognitive trust and affective trust), information costs saved, customer satisfaction, attitude, and intentions to use. In addition, the framework was strengthened by containing the type of service providers as a moderator (i.e. service robots versus human staff). The data was collected from 314 airport customers who received information from service robots and 312 customers who received information from human staff. The results showed that cognitive trust had a significant effect on affective trust, and both cognitive and affective trust significantly influenced information costs saved. The results further revealed that the following relationships were significant: (1) the effect of information costs saved on customer satisfaction; (2) the effects of information costs saved and customer satisfaction on attitude; and (3) the effects of customer satisfaction and attitude on intentions to use. Lastly, the relationship between affective trust and information costs saved was moderated by the type of service providers. This study provided support for the positive influence of information trust on customer perceptions and attitudes in an airport setting in which there is a lack of empirical research. Based on our findings, we provided recommendations for operators and vendors seeking to enhance customer trust and reduce information costs.