Abdelrehim Awad

In today’s highly competitive business environment, organizations, particularly in the airline industry, are increasingly adopting electronic customer relationship management (E-CRM) to enhance customer engagement and achieve a competitive edge. This study aims to analyze the impact of E-CRM on the competitive advantage of EgyptAir, focusing on customer satisfaction as a mediating factor. Employing a descriptive and analytical methodology, the paper surveyed 355 EgyptAir customers, utilizing a structured questionnaire to gather data on E-CRM practices, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between E-CRM and competitive advantage, with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.56 and a determination coefficient (R²) of 0.315, indicating that E-CRM accounts for 31.5% of the variance in competitive advantage. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that customer satisfaction significantly mediates this relationship, with E-CRM explaining 43.9% of the variance in customer satisfaction (R² = 0.439) and a direct positive impact of customer satisfaction on competitive advantage (R = 0.38, R² = 0.247). Path analysis using AMOS v.24 confirmed these findings, showing both direct and indirect effects of E-CRM on competitive advantage through customer satisfaction. The model fit indices (CFI = 0.894, RMSEA = 0.000) suggest a robust model. The study underscores the crucial role of E-CRM in fostering customer satisfaction and enhancing competitive advantage in the airline industry, providing valuable insights for airlines aiming to leverage E-CRM for sustainable success.

Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at University of Bisha for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program.