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Qantas has once again bested Virgin Australia for on-time reliability in August, but recorded the worst cancellation rate of any domestic airline.
On-time arrivals, on-time departures and completion rates across the industry as a whole lagged long-term averages in a month that Airservices Australia has noted was better than the same time last year, but “impacted by severe winter weather conditions such as fog and strong winds”.
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The Qantas network (Qantas and QantasLink combined) saw 76.9 per cent on-time arrivals and 78.1 per cent on-time departures, compared to 69.8 per cent and 70.8 per cent respectively for the Virgin Australia network (Virgin Australia and VARA).
QF-designated flights, however, saw a 3.1 per cent cancellation rate to VA’s 1.4 per cent, with Qantas domestic seeing the highest cancellation rate of all at 3.3 per cent. Jetstar, meanwhile, had 75.1 per cent on-time arrivals, 73.9 per cent on-time departures, and 2 per cent cancellations.
Queensland-based regional carrier Hinterland Aviation saw no cancellations at all for August, and also saw on-time arrivals and departures of above 90 per cent.
Across all participating airlines, 74.6 per cent of flights arrived on time and 75.5 per cent departed on time, with 2.4 per cent cancelled, compared to the long-term average of 80.6 per cent on-time arrivals, 81.7 per cent on-time departures and 2.2 per cent cancellations.
Qantas said last month’s result for on-time performance was its best August since COVID-19, despite Sydney’s wettest August in almost 30 years, and that it has initiatives in place to improve reliability and lower cancellation rates.
Virgin Australia also noted that adverse weather had impacted approximately one in 12 domestic flights during the month.
Virgin’s general manager, Integrated Operations Centre, Danny Norman, said the carrier is “pleased to have maintained the lowest domestic cancellation rate of the major Australian airlines in August”.
“On-time performance improved slightly compared to July but continued to be impacted by weather events. In the event of disruption, we will prioritise completing a flight in order to get our guests to their destinations on the desired day of travel wherever possible.
“For the calendar year to date, Virgin Australia maintains an average cancellation rate of below two per cent – the lowest of the major Australian airlines – and departure on-time performance of approximately 79 per cent for domestic flights.
“We are focused on continuous improvement and maintaining a stable and reliable operation for those who choose to fly with us.”
On-time arrivals (per cent)
- Qantas and QantasLink – 76.9
- Virgin Australia and VARA – 69.8
- Hinterland – 90.8
- SmartLynx Australia (formerly Skytrans) – 89.7
- QantasLink – 78.4
- Jetstar – 75.1
- Qantas – 74.4
- Virgin Australia – 69.9
- Rex – 69.4
- Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 60.9
On-time departures (per cent)
- Qantas and QantasLink – 78.1
- Virgin Australia and VARA – 70.8
- Hinterland – 94.5
- SmartLynx Australia (formerly Skytrans) – 92.9
- QantasLink – 78.5
- Qantas – 78.1
- Jetstar – 73.9
- Rex – 71.5
- Virgin Australia – 70.8
- Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 58.3
Cancellations (per cent)
- Qantas and QantasLink – 3.1
- Virgin Australia and VARA – 1.4
- Qantas – 3.3
- QantasLink – 3.0
- Rex – 3.0
- Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 2.5
- Jetstar – 2.0
- SmartLynx Australia (formerly Skytrans) – 1.7
- Virgin Australia – 1.4
- Hinterland – 0.0
