Flight prices nosedive for holidaymakers

NOW is the time to score yourself a bargain airfare with discount flight prices this month 13.5 per cent cheaper than last year.

HOLIDAYMAKERS continue to benefit from cheap airfares, as the best discount tickets this month were 13.5 per cheaper than last year, but business travellers are paying more.

The federal government's domestic air fare index shows that business class fares are up 3.6 per cent and full economy fares, used extensively by business travellers, rose 3.1 per cent.

The fares reflect airline comments that the business market has been returning strongly, while leisure travel has been more volatile in a highly competitive environment.

Airlines have been adding significant numbers of leisure seats to the market as Jetstar and Tiger Australia slug it out, The Australian reports.

But there are signs of improvement for the airlines. Although still down on last September, leisure fares were more than 35 per cent higher than the low point reached in May.

On-time performance data, released yesterday, showed Tiger still lagging its competitors, with more than a quarter of flights taking off and arriving late last month.

The figures identified the Sydney-Canberra route as the worst for cancellations, at up to five times the national average.

Airlines cancelled 5.4 per cent of Canberra-Sydney flights and 5 per cent of Sydney-Canberra flights. This was compared with a 1.1 per cent cancellation rate across all reported flights and was appreciably ahead of the next poorly performing route, Cairns-Townsville, at 3.5 per cent.

Regional carrier QantasLink recorded the highest number of cancellations (2.1 per cent) tailed by Virgin Blue (1.4 per cent).

Qantas beat the long-term average to get 86.5 per cent of its planes away on time and landing 86 per cent within 15 minutes of its schedule.

It was followed by stablemate Jetstar (82.4 per cent of on time departures, 82.1 per cent arrivals), and Virgin Blue (81.7 per cent of departures and arrivals).

Rex led the regional carriers in terms of departures, while Skywest was best performing when it came to arrivals.