Qantas and Jetstar will fly more than 500,000 customers from Thursday to Sunday as school holidays commence in several states and footy finals reach fever pitch.
The Group will operate more than 4,700 flights, with high load factors anticipated across the network.
Yesterday's public holiday marks the first day of an extra-long weekend for many with the Grand Final public holiday in Victoria today and the start of school holidays in NSW, WA, NT and ACT.
In response to demand on the Sydney-Melbourne route from footy fans, Qantas has scheduled larger aircraft and added a 'Points Plane', where every seat can be booked for 8,000 Qantas points, plus taxes, fees and carrier charges. This additional flight sold out in a matter of hours.
Rugby league preliminary finals will be played in Townsville on Friday night and Sydney on Saturday, driving additional traffic.
The airlines and airports around the country will have extra staff in terminals to assist at check-in, and manage queues, including additional airport staff at security screening points during peak times. We thank customers for their patience as our people work to get them safely to their destination.
IMPROVING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Both Qantas and Jetstar are working with airports and suppliers to minimise delays and disruptions for customers through what is an extremely busy time.
Qantas has seen improvement in its operational performance, with flight delays, cancellations and mishandled bags all reducing in the first two weeks of September. Over this period, on time performance was 71 per cent with 2 per cent of flights cancelled, compared to 52 per cent and 6 per cent in July. (See graphics below).
The improvement is driven by:
- More than 1,500 additional people joining the airlines since April, including cabin crew, airport customer service, and engineers, with recruitment continuing.
- Reduced domestic flying has increased availability of staff on standby, which lessens the impact of crew sick leave, the key driver of cancelled and delayed flights in July.
- Ground handling suppliers increasing their workforce by 25 per cent since Easter.
MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS
The most popular domestic destinations for Qantas and Jetstar customers during the upcoming school holidays (Friday 16 September to Sunday 16 October) across all States and Territories are Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart.
Internationally, flights to London, Fiji, Bali, Bangkok, Delhi and the United States are extremely popular.
TIPS FOR CUSTOMERS
Check-in online - More than 80 per cent of Qantas customers are now checking in online, almost 50 per cent more than pre-COVID. The airline has rolled out more than 120 new self-service kiosks, that are four times faster than the kiosks they replaced.
Arrive early - Arrive at least 90 minutes prior to departure for a domestic flight and three hours for international flights.
Stay within baggage limits - Check your limits for carry-on and checked luggage before travelling.
Performance data up to 14 September 2022:
