Melburnian1
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BITRE has just released its annual airline and airport punctuality report.
It has dropped, with 20.2 per cent of arriving flights more than 15 minutes late at the gate, compared to 18 per cent in calendar 2017.
So more than one in five flights was officially late, a poor performance given so many sectors are only an hour to 90 minutes in duration. 15 minutes is a very high allowance.
Cancellations during the year declined marginally to 1.8 per cent (compared to 1.9 per cent of all flights in calendar 2017) but this masks how on the Melbourne - Sydney - Melbourne route, the second busiest domestically worldwide, cancellations were the highest in Australia at 5.4 per cent. The southbound Brisbane to Sydney route was next with three per cent of timetabled flights cancelled: it just happens to be the number two route in passenger numbers.
Qantas was 0.1 per cent of Virgin Australia for 'on time' (i.e. 15 minutes or less late at gate) arrivals: 80.9 per cent versus 80.8 per cent, so line ball. Jetstar was behind with 75.3 per cent while Tiger trailed (or tailed!) with just 68 per cent. The latter has really declined compared with a few years ago when for a while it had much better performance.
No monitored airline route (those with two or more operators) into or out of SYD or MEL ranked in the top 10 in Australia for punctuality in calendar 2018, while the only BNE route that did was the very minor route to EMD. ADL to OOL, a very minor mainline route was the top performer but BITRE does not list the worst performer. MEL - SYD - MEL would be close to the bottom.
Northbound from MEL to SYD, VA beat QF for 'officially on time' with 78 per cent of VA flights 15 minutes or less late arriving, but only 76.2 per cent of QF flights. In other words, almost a quarter of QF flights were more than 15 minutes late arriving at the SYD gate where we alight.
33 per cent of JQ flights MEL - SYD were officially late as were 38.2 per cent of TT flights.
JQ cancelled a shocking 6.2 per cent of its MEL - SYD northbounds, while QF cancelled 5.8 per cent, TT 5.2 per cent and VA 4.4 per cent. These cancellation rates are very high and won't have all been during when there are 15 minute or half hourly published flight frequencies for QF or VA.
Overall, northbound MEL to SYD, 1529 flights were cancelled during 2018, or more than four a day. Some days will have been a lot worse, and not every cancellation will have been due to adverse weather.
Southbound SYD - MEL timekeeping was worse, with 41.8 per cent of TT, 29.9 per cent of JQ, 27.9 per cent of VA and 26.6 per cent of QF flights more than 15 minutes late arriving at the MEL gate. Cancellation percentages were similar to northbound.
When one compares this very poor performance with the reliability, frequency, onboard comfort and CBD to CBD travel that high speed trains could offer, it's no surprise that Anthony Albanese (Labor) says the time for high speed trains on the lower east coast of Oz is upon us, and Alan Tudge (Liberal/Nationals) replies that the Coalition Government has already undertaken legwork. Malcolm Turnbull had from memory wanted $1.5 billion in the 2019-20 Budget for further steps in relation to high speed trains but that Budget has yet to be delivered.
It has dropped, with 20.2 per cent of arriving flights more than 15 minutes late at the gate, compared to 18 per cent in calendar 2017.
So more than one in five flights was officially late, a poor performance given so many sectors are only an hour to 90 minutes in duration. 15 minutes is a very high allowance.
Cancellations during the year declined marginally to 1.8 per cent (compared to 1.9 per cent of all flights in calendar 2017) but this masks how on the Melbourne - Sydney - Melbourne route, the second busiest domestically worldwide, cancellations were the highest in Australia at 5.4 per cent. The southbound Brisbane to Sydney route was next with three per cent of timetabled flights cancelled: it just happens to be the number two route in passenger numbers.
Qantas was 0.1 per cent of Virgin Australia for 'on time' (i.e. 15 minutes or less late at gate) arrivals: 80.9 per cent versus 80.8 per cent, so line ball. Jetstar was behind with 75.3 per cent while Tiger trailed (or tailed!) with just 68 per cent. The latter has really declined compared with a few years ago when for a while it had much better performance.
No monitored airline route (those with two or more operators) into or out of SYD or MEL ranked in the top 10 in Australia for punctuality in calendar 2018, while the only BNE route that did was the very minor route to EMD. ADL to OOL, a very minor mainline route was the top performer but BITRE does not list the worst performer. MEL - SYD - MEL would be close to the bottom.
Northbound from MEL to SYD, VA beat QF for 'officially on time' with 78 per cent of VA flights 15 minutes or less late arriving, but only 76.2 per cent of QF flights. In other words, almost a quarter of QF flights were more than 15 minutes late arriving at the SYD gate where we alight.
33 per cent of JQ flights MEL - SYD were officially late as were 38.2 per cent of TT flights.
JQ cancelled a shocking 6.2 per cent of its MEL - SYD northbounds, while QF cancelled 5.8 per cent, TT 5.2 per cent and VA 4.4 per cent. These cancellation rates are very high and won't have all been during when there are 15 minute or half hourly published flight frequencies for QF or VA.
Overall, northbound MEL to SYD, 1529 flights were cancelled during 2018, or more than four a day. Some days will have been a lot worse, and not every cancellation will have been due to adverse weather.
Southbound SYD - MEL timekeeping was worse, with 41.8 per cent of TT, 29.9 per cent of JQ, 27.9 per cent of VA and 26.6 per cent of QF flights more than 15 minutes late arriving at the MEL gate. Cancellation percentages were similar to northbound.
When one compares this very poor performance with the reliability, frequency, onboard comfort and CBD to CBD travel that high speed trains could offer, it's no surprise that Anthony Albanese (Labor) says the time for high speed trains on the lower east coast of Oz is upon us, and Alan Tudge (Liberal/Nationals) replies that the Coalition Government has already undertaken legwork. Malcolm Turnbull had from memory wanted $1.5 billion in the 2019-20 Budget for further steps in relation to high speed trains but that Budget has yet to be delivered.
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