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Jetstar has improved its reliability as its eighth Airbus A321neo LR arrives in Melbourne.
While BITRE data showed it still had the highest cancellation rate and lowest on-time performance (OTP) among major airlines in May, the low-cost carrier’s cancellation rate almost halved to 4.2 per cent and OTP increased by five percentage points to 62.4 per cent.
According to CEO Stephanie Tully, the airline’s own data shows that its cancellation rate is currently “around two per cent” for the first three weeks of June, with OTP at over 70 per cent. This follows a significant push for reliability at Jetstar, including adjustments to check-in and boarding times and a massive cabin crew recruitment drive.
“We know we’ve got more work to do but it’s really pleasing to see some of the initiatives we’ve introduced are starting to deliver results,” said Tully.
“Everyone across Jetstar is committed to getting the airline to its best and ensuring customers have a great travel experience with us over the holidays.”
This is a turnaround from April, when BITRE data showed Jetstar to be “considerably worse” for cancellations than other airlines, according to the ACCC, with an 8.1 per cent cancellation rate in April 2023 compared to an industry average of 3.9 per cent. Only 59.7 per cent of Jetstar flights arrived on time and 57.1 per cent departed on time that month.
Chief Operating Officer Matt Franzi at the time acknowledged the airline’s performance “hasn’t been up to scratch” and said Jetstar is hard at work improving punctuality and reliability while keeping airfares as low as possible.
“To improve our performance, we’re recruiting more airport staff, cabin crew and engineering team members and making changes to our check-in, bag drop and boarding times, to bring them in line with other low-cost carriers around the world,” he said.
“Everyone across the airline is committed to getting Jetstar to its best while delivering the lowest possible fares so our customers can fly to more places, more often.”
The news came as Jetstar’s eighth Airbus A321neo LR (NEO) aircraft arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning ahead of the winter school holidays. The plane, VH-OFW, landed in Adelaide on Wednesday before being flown to Jetstar’s Melbourne base.
According to Jetstar, the NEOs deliver 99.8 per cent mechanical reliability, are 50 per cent quieter than similar size Airbus A320/A321s, and burn up to 20 per cent less fuel. Jetstar will receive another 10 A321neo LR aircraft by the end of 2024, bringing its total NEO fleet to 18.
