Qantas claims come back to beat Virgin on delays

Qantas has claimed to have performed better than rival Virgin on delays in September – despite months of it being the worst-performing airline in Australia. The business said in its latest market update that its ‘on-time performance’ increased from 67% in August to 69% the following month. While the numbers have yet to be publicly verified by the department of transport, it would prove a remarkable turnaround after slumping to just 45% in July. In 2022, the Flying Kangaroo has faced a string of problems, including huge delays at Easter, hours-long call wait times, and even a revelation that the cabin crew of a Qantas A330 were made to sleep across seats in economy. Across the industry, school holidays have led to the worst delays on record in April, June and July as carriers battled COVID sick leave, skill shortages and bad weather. However, on Thursday, Qantas claimed its current October cancellation rate of 1.7% was “market leading” and “better than pre-COVID” levels.<br/>