Australian airlines improve on-time performance in August
A solid month of above-average arrivals and departures.
The overall on-time efficiency of all Australian domestic airlines increased in August, with Virgin Australia achieving the highest on-time performance levels.
All full-service, budget and regional carriers' combined on-time arrivals and departures were higher in August than established long-term performance averages, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE).
August on-time arrivals averaged 87.5% and departures averaged 88.4%, compared with long-term averages of 82.8% for arrivals and 84.2% for departures.
1.5% of all scheduled flights were cancelled last month, a slight increase on the long-term average of 1.4%.
Virgin Australia was again the standout airline in terms of on-time performance, holding the top spot for both arrivals (89.4%) and departures (90.9%) in August.
| Airline | On-time arrivals | On-time departures | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jetstar | 83.6% | 80.4% | 1.4% |
| Qantas | 89.2% | 90.3% | 1.1% |
| Qantas Link | 87.8% | 88.6% | 1.7% |
| Regional Express | 86.6% | 89.4% | 0.5% |
| Virgin Australia | 89.4% | 90.9% | 2.4% |
| Virgin Australia Regional Airlines | 75.9% | 80.7% | 0.7% |
| All Airlines | 87.5% | 88.4% | 1.5% |
Qantas (89.2%) and Jetstar (83.6%) all recorded solid arrivals figures in August.
Regional operators QantasLink (87.8%) and Regional Express (86.6%) posted respectable arrivals performances, while Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (75.9%) lagged in comparison.
Qantas (90.3%) had the second highest on-time departures in August and Jetstar (80.4%).
Regional Express (89.4%) and QantasLink (88.6%) achieved strong on-time departure figures, with Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (80.7%) trailing behind.
Surprisingly, Virgin Australia recorded the highest percentage of cancellations (2.4%) during the month, followed by regional carrier QantasLink (1.7%).
Passengers flying between Cairns-Melbourne in August experienced the lowest percentage of on-time arrivals (72.4%), while those who flew Hamilton Island-Sydney suffered the worst on-time departures percentage (67%).
Cancellations were highest on the Sydney-Melbourne, Canberra-Sydney and Melbourne-Sydney routes at 4.4%.
Over the last 12 months the discount airfare prices across Australia have decreased. Choosing the right time of day to fly can cut costs but early morning and late night flights are likelier to incur cancellations.
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