Qantas ranks among the worst for flight delays
Qantas has seen its on-time performance ranking plunge to one of the worst in the world in May, after previously rating as one of the most punctual airlines.
Qantas has seen its on-time performance ranking plunge to one of the worst in the world in May, after previously rating as one of the most punctual airlines.
Data compiled by aviation analytics firm OAG ranked Qantas 106 out of 128 airlines analysed, with fewer than two-thirds – 63.8 per cent – of 22,082 flights landing or departing on-time. Even worse was the cancellation rate of 6.9 per cent – or more than 1500 flights – which was among the highest of any airline.
Qantas disputes the OAG data but suggested on time performance and cancellations remained poor for all airlines in May.
OAG – before Covid-19 – ranked the airline among the world’s 20 best for punctuality, with more than 85 per cent of flights landing or departing within 15-minutes of schedule. The new figures highlighted the challenges facing Qantas as it navigates a turbulent path to recovery.
During the pandemic, Qantas axed more than 9000 jobs from its workforce of about 30,000, retired its remaining Boeing 747s and mothballed its A380 fleet.
Although the airline is now recruiting and has returned three of its 12 superjumbos to service with two more soon to follow, problems persisted.
Just this week, Qantas found itself at the centre of a social media storm after leaving hundreds of passengers to sleep on the floor of Dallas Fort Worth Airport following flight delays.
Coming after a massive blowout in call waiting times, plane-loads of lost bags and rising rates of cancelled flights, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce on Friday tried to reassure passengers the airline was getting its act together.
“It’s very complex to start an airline back up from scratch,” Mr Joyce told 2GB radio in Sydney.
“We’re starting a new route internationally every ten days and just to wake up an A380 (from storage) is 4000 to 8000-hours of engineering work.”
He insisted better times were ahead, thanks to a doubling of numbers in call centres, more reserve staff for operations and an increase in airport workers.
Mr Joyce said call centre waiting times had been slashed from more than two-hours to just six-minutes, with Qantas achieving a 3-minute average wait time on Thursday. “Before Covid everything was in perfect balance. It ran smoothly and what we saw over Easter was not the aviation industry’s finest hour,” he said.
With customer service issues being addressed, Qantas’s next hurdle could be the travel industry with hundreds of agents irate about a cut in commissions.
Australian Federation of Travel Agents chief executive Dean Long said many airlines had slashed commissions in the pandemic, with Qatar Airways and Air Canada the exceptions.
“It will have an impact but we need to find ways to adapt in this new market,” said Mr Long said on Friday.
Down go international airfares but bad news for domestic
The cost of international air travel is continuing to drop and tickets for some routes are as much as 21 per cent cheaper than they were a year ago.
Pilots’ union says Qatar-Virgin deal a ‘sham’ that will cost jobs
The Australian and International Pilots Association, representing Qantas aircrew, says Qatar is exploiting a loophole and won’t pay any tax here nor be subjected to Australian industrial law.