ABSTRACT Service is an experience, performance or a process. Its quality is difficult to define, measure or control. Quality of service is defined as an interactive experience between customers and service providers. Frontline employees act as part-time marketers who deliver service quality to customers and obtain feedback from them. The airport ground handling service organization involves in a high level of customers contact. This involves numerous interactions between employees and passengers. Increasing employee satisfaction is the most effective strategy to increase the willingness of frontline employees to deliver excellent services to customers. The aim of this study is to identify, from the perspective of frontline employees, some key factors contributing to maintain a high-level service quality climate in service sites. Through employing a qualitative approach mainly based on grounded theory methodology, a series of in-depth interviews were conducted with the staff of the airport handling service company. Six major categories emerged from the analyses which provide insights as to the theoretical aspects of the service quality climate construct.