Flight cancellations reach record highs as Australians demand answers

With pandemic restrictions now mostly behind us, more and more Australians are taking to the skies for a long-awaited vacation.

But as travel demand surges, customers are increasingly facing flight delays and cancellations at levels not seen in years.

The aviation sector is in crisis mode. Thousands of passengers are continuing to be delayed, or stranded all together, at airports right across the country.

New data reveals one-in-four planes are late or are being cancelled, as airlines cut flights.

The current figures for flight punctuality in Australia are at their lowest levels since official records began back in 2003.

In October, just over 69 per cent of flights arrived on time, while 68 per cent left when scheduled.

While last month’s figures did tick up a little from September’s records, travellers are still facing some of the worst flight delays and cancellations the nation has ever seen.

In an effort to improve on-time performance, many airlines have significantly reduced the number of flights they are operating. This in itself is leading to higher ticket prices.

Which airlines are performing better than others when it comes to punctuality?

The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport found Qantas was the top-performing airline in October, with 74 per cent of the airline’s flights arriving on time.

In second place is Virgin, with 64 per cent of their planes touching down when they were supposed to.

At the other end of the spectrum, Jetstar has the worst on-time performance. The low-cost carrier also has one of the highest cancellation rates.

It comes as Australia’s consumer watchdog says it has received a record number of travel-related complaints.