Australia’s most ‘punctual and reliable’ airlines revealed—is yours on the list?
- Replies 4
The thrill of travel can quickly be dampened by the frustration of delayed flights.
More than a quarter of all domestic flights are failing to take off and land on schedule, leaving passengers stranded and schedules disrupted.
But which airlines are the worst offenders, and which are the shining stars?
New data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) has revealed the ‘punctuality and reliability’ of airlines operating between Australian airports in January.
The results may surprise you, especially if you're a frequent flyer with one of the country's budget carriers.
The data shows that Bonza is the most likely to get you to your destination on time.
Bonza launched in 2023 when the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) granted its Air Operator Certificate in January last year..
The airline had an on-time arrival performance of 78.4 per cent from 832 flights in January.
Following behind Bonza was Rex Airlines, with an on-time arrival performance of 77.3 per cent and Qantas with 76.6 per cent. These figures are above the industry average of 73.4 per cent.
However, not all airlines fared so well.
Falling below the industry average were Jetstar (71.5 per cent), Virgin (67.9 per cent), and Skytrans (65.4 per cent).
Bonza's CEO, Tim Jordan, expressed pride in the airline's performance but acknowledged it would be ‘striving for near-perfect performance’.
'We firmly believe that getting a low fare should not mean trading off either reliability or a great quality onboard product,' he said.
‘Being a young airline, we certainly have more to learn, but we know that on-time performance is critical to every customer whether travelling to see friends and family, heading off on holiday or going to a meeting.’
'We have learnt and vastly improved from our December 2023 cancellations and on-time performance, which mostly arose from the well-publicised delays in receiving regulatory approval related to aircraft operating out of our new Gold Coast base.'
Bonza also performed well in terms of on-time departures, with a rate of 78 per cent, above the industry average of 74.2 per cent.
However, the airline's cancellation rate of 3.3 per cent was higher than desired, which the airline said is largely due to the impact of Cyclone Kirrily.
The worst performer in cancellations was Skytrans, with a rate of 15.4 per cent from 369 scheduled flights. Virgin followed with a cancellation rate of 5.3 per cent, and then Bonza.
The January data represents a significant improvement from December when only six in 10 flights arrived on time.
In July 2023, BITRE data revealed that Jetstar had the lowest percentage of domestic flight cancellations at 3.3 per cent, whereas Qantas had 3.6 per cent and Virgin Australia at 5.3 per cent.
This poor performance led Transport Minister Catherine King to label the result 'disappointing'.
‘It is no wonder that so many Australians remain fed up with our major airlines,’ she said.
‘Like all Australians, the government wants an aviation sector that supports our nation’s way of life, and this means services need to be reliable, competitive and affordable.'
The punctuality of flights is not just a matter of convenience for travellers. It's a critical factor in the overall efficiency and profitability of the aviation industry, especially now, with Australians keen to travel after years of COVID-19 impacts.
According to Tourism Research Australia, Aussies took 2.8 million interstate trips in November 2023 and spent $.4.4 billion.
The Australian government has initiated a review of the aviation sector, including its competitiveness. A white paper is expected mid-year to guide long-term policies.
Are you surprised by these results? How was your experience with any of these airlines? Let us know in the comments below!
More than a quarter of all domestic flights are failing to take off and land on schedule, leaving passengers stranded and schedules disrupted.
But which airlines are the worst offenders, and which are the shining stars?
New data from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) has revealed the ‘punctuality and reliability’ of airlines operating between Australian airports in January.
The results may surprise you, especially if you're a frequent flyer with one of the country's budget carriers.
Data revealed the ‘punctual and reliable’ airports this year. Credit: Shutterstock
The data shows that Bonza is the most likely to get you to your destination on time.
Bonza launched in 2023 when the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) granted its Air Operator Certificate in January last year..
The airline had an on-time arrival performance of 78.4 per cent from 832 flights in January.
Following behind Bonza was Rex Airlines, with an on-time arrival performance of 77.3 per cent and Qantas with 76.6 per cent. These figures are above the industry average of 73.4 per cent.
However, not all airlines fared so well.
Falling below the industry average were Jetstar (71.5 per cent), Virgin (67.9 per cent), and Skytrans (65.4 per cent).
Bonza's CEO, Tim Jordan, expressed pride in the airline's performance but acknowledged it would be ‘striving for near-perfect performance’.
'We firmly believe that getting a low fare should not mean trading off either reliability or a great quality onboard product,' he said.
‘Being a young airline, we certainly have more to learn, but we know that on-time performance is critical to every customer whether travelling to see friends and family, heading off on holiday or going to a meeting.’
'We have learnt and vastly improved from our December 2023 cancellations and on-time performance, which mostly arose from the well-publicised delays in receiving regulatory approval related to aircraft operating out of our new Gold Coast base.'
Bonza also performed well in terms of on-time departures, with a rate of 78 per cent, above the industry average of 74.2 per cent.
However, the airline's cancellation rate of 3.3 per cent was higher than desired, which the airline said is largely due to the impact of Cyclone Kirrily.
The worst performer in cancellations was Skytrans, with a rate of 15.4 per cent from 369 scheduled flights. Virgin followed with a cancellation rate of 5.3 per cent, and then Bonza.
The January data represents a significant improvement from December when only six in 10 flights arrived on time.
In July 2023, BITRE data revealed that Jetstar had the lowest percentage of domestic flight cancellations at 3.3 per cent, whereas Qantas had 3.6 per cent and Virgin Australia at 5.3 per cent.
This poor performance led Transport Minister Catherine King to label the result 'disappointing'.
‘It is no wonder that so many Australians remain fed up with our major airlines,’ she said.
‘Like all Australians, the government wants an aviation sector that supports our nation’s way of life, and this means services need to be reliable, competitive and affordable.'
The punctuality of flights is not just a matter of convenience for travellers. It's a critical factor in the overall efficiency and profitability of the aviation industry, especially now, with Australians keen to travel after years of COVID-19 impacts.
According to Tourism Research Australia, Aussies took 2.8 million interstate trips in November 2023 and spent $.4.4 billion.
The Australian government has initiated a review of the aviation sector, including its competitiveness. A white paper is expected mid-year to guide long-term policies.
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