Qantas world's most punctual airline in June

[RooFlyer]

In the Oz on-line (prob paywalled)

Qantas rated world’s most on-time airline in its best performance since 2017

Qantas has claimed the coveted title of the world’s most punctual major airline in June, after landing just over 87 per cent of its 22,617 flights on time.

It marks a significant turnaround for the flying kangaroo, which in 2023 sank to 106th in the world for on-time performance.

The result was just enough to beat Colombia’s Avianca Airlines, while IndiGo, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, and Turkiye’s Pegasus rounded out the top five.

Other airlines to make the top 10 that operate to Australia include LATAM in seventh, Delta at eight and China Southern in ninth.

Global travel data provider OAG compiled the data. A flight was considered to be “on-time” if it landed within 15 minutes of schedule.

On a somewhat related topic. When I flew on Oman Air recently, one flight had a delay of about 20 mins advised. As we were boarding, I got a notification from Flighty that 'Your flight has been re-scheduled and is now departing on time'. Is this a common lurk that airlines pull to maintain an appearance of not having delays in stats? (I note this was departure 'on time', not the arrival time which is the standard metric for 'on time').

 

[MEL_Traveller]

In the Oz on-line (prob paywalled)

Qantas rated world’s most on-time airline in its best performance since 2017





On a somewhat related topic. When I flew on Oman Air recently, one flight had a delay of about 20 mins advised. As we were boarding, I got a notification from Flighty that 'Your flight has been re-scheduled and is now departing on time'. Is this a common lurk that airlines pull to maintain an appearance of not having delays in stats? (I note this was departure 'on time', not the arrival time which is the standard metric for 'on time').

It seems to be increasingly common.. but I’m sure of the ‘window’ for advising of the delay/rescheduled time.

If you get an email early in the day, well in advance of travel, it seems to become the new time, and ‘on time’. Often updated on flight aware.

If you’re already at the airport after check-in has opened it seems to become a ‘delay’.

 

[clifford]

Qantas rated world’s most on-time airline in its best performance since 2017

I'm not saying that these stats are not 100% accurate, but it's interesting that Indigo was melting down just a little while ago.

 

[Big John]

I don't think this is paywalled :

Qantas beats the world in on-time performance

The Flying Kangaroo saw 87.16 per cent of flights arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled time last month, just edging out Colombian carrier Avianca and Indian low-cost airline IndiGo, at 87 per cent and 86.64 per cent respectively.

australianaviation.com.au

 

[Saab34]

Meanwhile performance at its low cost offshoot has fallen off the earth.

 

[Quickstatus]

Who would have thought that reducing the operational tempo by have more aircraft around improves on time performance.

I remember AJ thought that he could increase revenue by dialling up the operational tempo of the fleet. . Didn't take long for the OTP to deteriorate.

......

How is scheduled arrival defined and can it be changed making a late aircraft on time?

 

[RooFlyer]

How is scheduled arrival defined and can it be changed making a late aircraft on time?

'On time' is within 15 mins of scheduled arrival time. The timing of an entire flight can change but I don't think they can change the 'scheduled' arrival time after departure. They can, apparently, change the scheduled departure time at boarding so that a late departure becomes 'on time' (see my OP)

 

[blackcat20]

LA flights are being cancelled left right and centre, so Im dubious.

 

[Melburnian1]

How is scheduled arrival defined and can it be changed making a late aircraft on time?

According to 'The Australian' article, a flight is considered to be on time if it lands within 15 minutes of schedule.

This is silly, because like all public transport, airline schedules are based on an arrival time at the gate that is where you and I can alight. We can't do so on the runway, just as we can't leave a train stuck at a signal prior to the platform, or a bus that's midway between authorised stops.

The statistics compiled by OAG are questionable, because what matters is when the plane pulls up at the gate. The punctuality league table would have changed the order of airlines if it had been properly compiled, because taxiing times to gates vary widely by airport and terminal.

 

[Saab34]

Some flight times are inflated, flight times should be set by a body and uniform across all carriers.

On most routes QF is at least 5 mins longer compared to VA.

I remember back in the day Bonza was the worsts, they added 15-20 minutes for every flight.

Perhaps compare OTD.

 

[Quickstatus]

Some flight times are inflated,

There were speculations that QF flight times were "padded" when AJ was running it.

 

[AuSammy]

If the scheduled flight time is trimmed to the minimum you will end up with unhappy passengers on a regular basis.

The airline has no control over the weather or the ATC, airport delays, or being held back for a more urgent landing.

Better to add a few minutes to the schedule. Arrive on time or early and people don’t miss their connections or have their pickups hanging around or late for meetings and don’t have their expectations of being somewhere at a certain time being missed (complaints, lowered reputation)

Staff being rushed make mistakes and are more tense, less customer friendly

 

[Saab34]

But then the data is inaccurate and any claims around xx is better than the others is false as they add in 5% extra flight time.

The data could be quite different if QF marketed flight times the same as JQ/QF. Unless there is a reason QF is adding 5-15 mins extra over the others? Longer taxi to the terminal? Older aircraft in the fleet always leaving late?

 

[AuSammy]

But then the data is inaccurate and any claims around xx is better than the others is false as they add in 5% extra flight time.

The data could be quite different if QF marketed flight times the same as JQ/QF. Unless there is a reason QF is adding 5-15 mins extra over the others? Longer taxi to the terminal? Older aircraft in the fleet always leaving late?

How can the data be inaccurate. It specifically states punctuality.

The data does not pretend to exhibit who has the shortest flight times.

It is measuring performance against the schedule.

You are trying to make it something it is absolutely not.

 

[Saab34]

Let me put it this way, the data is accurate for the case of QF measuring its performance against its published times.

But any comparison between others is inaccurate. Airlines often boast about performance data and compare it to competitors in marketing. Qantas can claim it has the best on time performance, but if Virgin added 5 mins into its OTA, then they could potentially hold that crown.

At least for departures everyone is measured against the same starting gun. I don’t have the time at the moment but I’d be interested to see if VA added 5-10 mins to all its published flight times, if they might move in front of QF for better OTAs. Bonza, before it started doing stupid stuff with wet leasing, led the market with OTAs because they had been adding upward of 20/30mins to published flight times.

 

[AuSammy]

Let me put it this way, the data is accurate for the case of QF measuring its performance against its published times.

But any comparison between others is inaccurate. Airlines often boast about performance data and compare it to competitors in marketing. Qantas can claim it has the best on time performance, but if Virgin added 5 mins into its OTA, then they could potentially hold that crown.

At least for departures everyone is measured against the same starting gun. I don’t have the time at the moment but I’d be interested to see if VA added 5-10 mins to all its published flight times, if they might move in front of QF for better

QF is not doing the measuring. An external party is measuring performance against schedule, (presumably accurately) based on data points available.

Then you are wanting to measure something that the survey does not measure.

In business it’s referred to as creating and meeting expectations. If you want better customer satisfaction only promise what you can confidently regularly deliver in the normal course of business.

If VA or any other wants to create an impression that it is faster than anyone else and consequently misses the mark on on-time performance that is VAs management problem

You are wanting apples to equal oranges

[Edit: an additional statistic that would be required by passengers is how many flights were cancelled. It’s all very well for the customer to arrive on time on the flights that actually flew. But what about the ones that didn’t (customer expectations missed).]

 

[RooFlyer]

QF is not doing the measuring. An external party is measuring performance against schedule, (presumably accurately) based on data points available.

Its not about measurement. I think what Saab34 is saying is that in this race, Qantas has given itself a 'negative handicap' by pushing its scheduled arrival time out by 5 or more minutes. It can then make the 'scheduled' arrival time more consistently by having room to absorb some small delays on departure or on route.

Say, at the extreme, it could make HBA-MEL 2 hours scheduled and then it would be on time almost 100% of the time. But people would notice.

 

[AuSammy]

Its not about measurement. I think what Saab34 is saying is that in this race, Qantas has given itself a 'negative handicap' by pushing its scheduled arrival time out by 5 or more minutes. It can then make the 'scheduled' arrival time more consistently by having room to absorb some small delays on departure or on route.

Say, at the extreme, it could make HBA-MEL 2 hours scheduled and then it would be on time almost 100% of the time. But people would notice.

Absolutely agree.

And as a passenger who has connection to meet or pickups to confirm etc that is what I want. If they say they will be there at a particular time and do that consistently then that is in their favour.

An airline that promises something they don’t deliver is a count against them.

My presumption (maybe misplaced) for most passengers whether the schedule is 5 or 10 minutes longer either way wouldn’t trouble them but the airline meeting its “promise” of on-time arrival is held in higher regard.

However that is only one measure used by passengers in their selection. There are a lot of touchpoints that need to be consistent to be held in high regard.

 

[Quickstatus]

An external party is measuring performance against schedule

Perhaps we should start with defining what schedule means

What data is the external party examining g?

 

[AuSammy]

Perhaps we should start with defining what schedule means.

Surely the starting point for schedule is the airline’s published schedule (promised departure and arrival times). That would be the most honest as that it what is used during the booking process.

Would be interesting to know if the survey used the published schedule or something else; say the revised times advised to passenger more than 12hours before