Qantas has once again surpassed Virgin in terms of punctuality in a month affected by severe weather events.
The latest BITRE data showed 81.9 per cent of Qantas and QantasLink flights took off on time and 80.1 per cent arrived on time in March, compared to 78.7 per cent and 77.7 per cent respectively for Virgin Australia and VARA, although Virgin continued its lead in completion rates at 98.2 per cent.
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On-time performance remained below long-term averages for the month across all major airlines (Hinterland, Jetstar, Qantas, QantasLink, Rex Airlines, Skytrans Australia, Virgin Australia and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines), at 77.0 per cent for on-time arrivals and 78.2 per cent for on-time departures, with cancellations also above the long-term average at 2.7 per cent.
Weather-related cancellations accounted for around a third of Qantas’ overall cancellation rate of 3.2 per cent, with Tropical Cyclone Narelle severely impacting its regional operations.
“We know how much punctuality means to customers and thanks to the dedication of our people, we once again finished the month as the most punctual national airline,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
“So far this year, we have delivered results in line with the long-term average or better, despite some difficult weather conditions at times in March, including Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which affected operations in three states and territories.
“We continue to strive to further improve our reliability and ensure we reach more customers on time.”
Virgin Australia once again pointed to its low cancellation rate as a measure of success, and the airline has a stated policy of prioritizing flight completion over punctuality.
“Virgin Australia has recorded the lowest cancellation rate among major Australian airlines over the past six months, reflecting our continued focus on delivering a stable and reliable schedule,” said Danny Norman, general manager of Virgin Australia’s Integrated Operations Centre.
“That momentum continued into April, with Virgin Australia maintaining strong operational performance during one of the busiest travel periods of the year – the Easter school holidays (April 2-20).
“During this time, the airline achieved a 99.1 percent completion rate and an 80.9 percent on-time departure rate for scheduled domestic flights.
“These results reflect the hard work of our teams during a busy period across the network.”
On-time arrivals (percentage)
- All airlines – 77.0
- Qantas and QantasLink – 80.1
- Virgin Australia and VARA – 77.7
- Indoor – 84.3
- Qantas Link – 82.0
- Long-term average: 80.5
- Virgin Australia – 77.8
- Qantas – 76.5
- Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 73.2
- Jetstar – 72.7
- Skytrans – 69.8
- King – 66.9
On-time departures (percentage)
- All airlines – 78.2
- Qantas and QantasLink – 81.9
- Virgin Australia and VARA – 78.7
- Indoor: 88.6
- Qantas Link – 82.6
- Long-term average – 81.6
- Qantas – 80.7
- Virgin Australia – 78.8
- Skytrans – 73.0
- Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 71.7
- King – 70.7
- Jetstar – 70.1
Cancellations (percentage)
- All airlines – 2.7
- Qantas and QantasLink – 3.2
- Virgin Australia and VARA – 1.8
- Skytrans – 7.3
- Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 4.2
- Rex – 4.0
- Qantas Link – 3.8
- Long term average – 2.2
- Qantas – 2.1
- Jetstar – 2.0
- Virgin Australia – 1.7
- Indoor – 1.3
