Jetstar has outstripped Qantas in on-time performance for February as the low-cost carrier lifts its reliability.
Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary saw 74.3 per cent on-time departures, 76.1 per cent on-time arrivals, and 2.6 per cent cancellations for February, compared to Qantas mainline services, which saw 71.7 per cent on-time departures, 69.9 per cent on-time arrivals, and 4.3 per cent cancellations.
According to Jetstar’s figures, over the past two months, more than 84 per cent of flights have arrived within 30 minutes of schedule, and 94 per cent within the hour.
The airline last year embarked on a major push to improve its reliability, including hiring more than 1,000 new frontline team members such as pilots and cabin crew, and bringing forward check-in and boarding times. Additionally, it currently operates 11 new-generation Airbus A321neo LR aircraft with seven more on order, reducing the risk of delays due to mechanical faults.
“There is always more work to do and we’re continuing to look for ways to make our operations even stronger, including having more aircraft on standby in case things don’t go to plan and another seven new A321neo LR aircraft arriving by the end of the year,” said Jetstar’s chief operating officer, Matt Franzi.
“Our fleet and domestic network are bigger than ever which makes the work of our teams across the country more complicated, and I want to thank them for all of their hard work to make each day smoother than the last.”
Daniel Dihen, head of Qantas’ Operations Centre, congratulated Jetstar on its improvement and said Qantas’ February performance had been impacted by the Network Aviation strikes in WA.
“It is fantastic for the whole team at Jetstar to see the significant improvement in their operation and be the best performing major airline this month,” he said.
“[Qantas] had to cancel almost 550 flights because of seven 24-hour strikes, accounting for more than half of our total cancellations for the month. We also moved three Qantas Boeing 737s to Western Australia to help reaccommodate customers and mining charter flying, which also impacted on time performance across our broader network.
“All strike action has now been called off and the schedule has returned to normal. We thank customers for their patience.”
The Fair Work Commission handed down an adverse bargaining declaration on 15 March, putting an end to the industrial action at Network Aviation.
