Recent data indicates a decline in punctuality for Australia's major airlines, including Virgin Australia, with nearly half of its flights delayed or cancelled in the past month, the Australian Financial Review reported, citing new figures published by the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics.
Just over 62% of Qantas's domestic services arrived on time, a significant drop from the long-term average of 81.1%.
Meanwhile, Virgin Australia's on-time performance was even lower at 54.2%, while Jetstar managed 67.8%, positioning it as the most reliable in November.
The overall punctuality for domestic flights was 64.1% in November, a decrease from 66.2% in the same period last year.
Disappointed
Transport Minister Catherine King expressed disappointment at these figures and highlighted the government's ongoing review into the aviation sector, aiming to enhance consumer protection.
“As Australians gear up to travel for Christmas and the holidays, the government will be keeping a close eye on the performance of all our major airlines,” King said in a statement on Thursday morning.
Comparatively, airlines like Delta and United Airlines in the US have a higher on-time performance, with around 90% of flights landing as scheduled.
The US Transport Department is considering new regulations to mandate compensation for passengers in case of delays.
Cancelled flights
Data released on Thursday shows 3.7% of flights in Australia were cancelled in November, with Virgin recording the highest percentage of cancellations at 6.3%.
The airline acknowledges its subpar performance in November and attributes it to factors like aircraft maintenance, crew and air traffic controller shortages.
Qantas cancelled 3.3% of flights last month but said some 70% had departed on time so far in December.
Newcomer Bonza reported 73.9% on-time arrivals, while Rex recorded 70.5%, demonstrating varied performance across the industry.
November flight statistics.
Holiday measures
Australia's flag carrier has put 13 planes on standby and increased the number of staff ready to travel as it prepares for the holiday period.
“A variety of factors meant on-time performance in November was below target levels," Qantas said in a statement.
“November was a challenging month operationally, with major storm activity on both the east and west coasts of the country and air traffic control issues.
“There were also a significant number of engineering-related delays, with safety always coming before schedule."