Qantas customers had more on time flights and fewer cancellations in October, as the national carrier’s domestic performance continued to lift.

After hitting a low point in July as sick leave surged, the national carrier’s operations have improved every month to be around, or better, than pre-COVID levels.

Data on domestic flying for the month of October shows:

• Flight cancellations dropped further, down to 2.2 per cent, and are now below pre-COVID levels.
• Mishandled bags remained steady at 6 in 1000 passengers, almost back to pre-COVID levels. This has been achieved as the number of bags being checked-in per customer has risen 15 per cent this year compared with pre-COVID rates, as leisure travel has surged.
• On time performance continues to improve, with 74 per cent of flights departing on time, up from 69 per cent in September. Extreme weather, including floods in NSW and Victoria, affected punctuality by 3 percentage points in the month, while air traffic control constraints also had an impact.
• Qantas outperformed our main domestic competitor for the eighth month out of the past 12.

Qantas continues to invest in a buffer against the challenges that impacted reliability earlier in the year, including unexpected sick leave spikes and supply chain delays. The Group is investing $200 million to roster additional crew, train new recruits and keep 20 additional aircraft on standby that can be called upon to reduce delays and cancellations.

Qantas aims to keep on time performance in the mid-70s for the remainder of the calendar year, factoring in the forecast for more extreme weather events in some parts of the country. This aligns with the circa 75 per cent on-time performance recorded by the national carrier in November and December 2019.