As angry passengers endure delays and cancellations brought on by harsh weather and crew members who are ill with Covid-19, two of Australia’s main airlines are operating at some of their worst levels ever.
In a horrifying seven days for the two airlines, more than half of Qantas and Virgin customers last week experienced flight delays or cancellations.
Virgin experienced twice as many domestic flight cancellations as Qantas (14.7%) and only 43% of flights left on time. Qantas cancelled 6.7% of domestic flights while maintaining a 44.7% on-time record.
According to a Qantas spokeswoman, bad weather on Australia’s east coast was a major cause of flight delays and cancellations, which were made worse by crew members who were ill with the flu and Covid-19.
In general, it was a difficult week, a Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
With extreme weather in New South Wales and an increase in Covid cases for operational crew hurting airline schedules over the past week, we understand how annoying flight cancellations and delays are for consumers.
Qantas reported that 85% of domestic flights left within an hour of the planned time because the company deployed larger aircrafts and extra staff that were on standby for select flights.
Customers whose flights were disrupted by delays or cancellations received an apology from Virgin.
The airline stated, “We are working assiduously to ensure that all guests reach their final destination.”
We are not immune to the affects of this and are not the only business experiencing the unintended knock-on effects of greater sickness existing in the wider community, as there are record numbers of Covid-19 cases and this is on top of the regular winter illness the community endures.
Several meteorological phenomena, mostly in New South Wales, have also occurred at a time when airports and airlines around the world are also facing high demand and difficulties as travelers start flying again as pandemic restrictions loosen.
Compared to 2019, “the number of passengers flying with us this school break has climbed by 15%, which is much greater than the recent Easter holiday time.”
Massive delays are being caused by more than simply sick airline employees, since the air traffic control personnel is also severely shorthanded.
According to The Australian, Airservices Australia revealed on Monday that 10% of its air traffic control crew had been absent over the previous week.
The aviation sector is experiencing a “genuine staffing problem,” according to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, as a third of the workforce has left the sector in order to avoid being ineligible for government aid during the pandemic.
The results of such choices are now being felt nationwide in the form of delays and disruptions.
Nobody loves to see planes delayed or cancelled, according to Ms. King.
The government will continue to cooperate with business and labor unions to rebuild the aviation workforce, but it is true that it will take time to replace the lost experience and knowledge.
Qantas eliminated 9,400 employees as a result of the Covid-19 travel bans and lockdowns, while Virgin cut 3,000 jobs and filed for bankruptcy.
Airlines are scrambling to fill positions as demand for travel increases after the epidemic, with Qantas hiring 1,000 personnel since April 2022.
It follows the chaotic images that were captured at Sydney Airport earlier this month when airlines were unable to handle the influx of thousands of travelers during the school break.
On July 2, passengers at Sydney Airport suffered significant delays while waiting in long lines due to the big crowds.
As airlines struggled to handle the tens of thousands of passengers, the T2 domestic terminal came to a complete stop, resulting in flights being postponed or cancelled.
To help the airport handle crowds, travelers were advised to arrive exactly two hours prior to their trip, and lines snaked around the terminal and even extended outside.
A spokeswoman for the airport claimed last week that “we evaluated the two-hour window and it’s the sweet spot.”
“Just allow the two hours or as close to them as you can. Don’t allow three hours, don’t allow four hours.”
Between June 27 and July 17, Sydney Airport forecasted 2.1 million passengers would pass through its doors, while Qantas and Jetstar projected 350,000 passengers for the first weekend in July.
It’s anticipated that delays would last at least until July 18.
Qantas’ on-time performance for the month of May according to data from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport Research, and Economics was 60.7% with a 7.1% cancellation rate.
Virgin Airlines had a 65.7 percent on-time performance rating and a 5% cancellation rate.
Official on-time performance data for the previous month won’t be available until late July.