Qantas again beats Virgin on performance in cyclone-hit March

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 higher than 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 for customers and thanks to the dedication of our people, we’ve again finished the month as the most on-time major domestic airline,” said a Qantas spokesperson.

“For the year to date we’ve delivered results in-line with the long-term average or better, despite some challenging weather at times in March, including Tropical Cyclone Narelle which affected operations across three states and territories.

“We’re continuing efforts to further improve our on reliability and ensure we get more customers away on time.”

Virgin Australia pointed once again to its low cancellation rate as a measure of success, with the airline having a stated policy of prioritising flight completion over on-time performance.

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“Virgin Australia has recorded the lowest cancellation rate among the major Australian airlines for the past six months, reflecting our continued focus on delivering a stable and reliable schedule,” said Virgin Australia general manager, integrated operations centre, Danny Norman.

“That momentum has continued in April, with Virgin Australia maintaining strong operational performance through one of the busiest travel periods of the year – the Easter school holidays (2 – 20 April).

“During this time, the airline achieved a 99.1 per cent completion rate and an 80.9 per cent 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 (per cent)

• All airlines – 77.0
• Qantas and QantasLink – 80.1
• Virgin Australia and VARA – 77.7
• Hinterland – 84.3
• QantasLink – 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
• Rex – 66.9

On-time departures (per cent)

• All airlines – 78.2
• Qantas and QantasLink – 81.9
• Virgin Australia and VARA – 78.7
• Hinterland – 88.6
• QantasLink – 82.6
• Long-term average – 81.6
• Qantas – 80.7
• Virgin Australia – 78.8
• Skytrans – 73.0
• Virgin Australia Regional Airlines – 71.7
• Rex – 70.7
• Jetstar – 70.1

Cancellations (per cent)

• 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
• QantasLink – 3.8
• Long-term average – 2.2
• Qantas – 2.1
• Jetstar – 2.0
• Virgin Australia – 1.7
• Hinterland – 1.3