How AI-Driven Chatbot Agility Capability Drives Customer Loyalty in Airlines: A Dual-Mediating Path of Perceived Usefulness and Customer Satisfaction

As airlines increasingly deploy an AI-Driven Chatbot (ADC) to enhance service efficiency, this study aims to investigate how the agility capability of ADC drives perceived usefulness and satisfaction, ultimately enhancing customer loyalty in a competitive aviation industry. Drawing on a survey of 303 respondents in South Korea, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed for empirical analysis. The structural model examines how the agility capability of airline ADC—modeled as a second-order construct comprising competence, responsiveness, speed, and flexibility—shapes the consumer experience. The findings reveal that agility capability positively influences perceived usefulness, which in turn enhances satisfaction and ultimately fosters customer loyalty. Notably, neither agility capability nor perceived usefulness exerts a direct effect on loyalty; their influence is fully channeled through satisfaction, highlighting satisfaction as the pivotal mechanism that transforms agility capability into customer loyalty. These results offer meaningful insights into customer behavior, contributing to the strategic utilization of ADC for better customer experience.