STORY: Australians "fed up" with poor domestic airline performance: minister
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 23, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 24, 2023
LENGTH: 00:00:57
LOCATION: Canberra
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a Qantas flight taking off
2. various of an airplane arriving at the airport
3. various of a baggage conveyor belt with suitcases

STORYLINE:

Australia's Transport Minister Catherine King has criticized the country's domestic airlines for their worst performance in over a year.

King on Thursday released a report for airlines, revealing an average on-time arrivals figure of 64.1 percent in November.

It marked a significant fall from the long-term average of 81.1 percent and the lowest monthly figure in 2023.

Cancellations were at 3.7 percent in November, up from the long-term average of 2.2 percent, and 65.9 percent of flights departed on time compared to a long-term average of 82.3 percent.

"Given these very disappointing results, it is no wonder that so many Australians remain fed up with our major airlines," King said in a statement.

Virgin Australia was the worst-performing airline in November, the report said, with only 54.3 percent of its 12,034 flights arriving at their destination on time and 6.2 percent canceled.

Qantas, Australia's flag carrier and largest airline, had a lower on-time arrival rate and higher cancellation rate than its budget subsidiary, Jetstar.

King said the government would be closely tracking the performance of all major airlines through the busy holiday period.

"The government wants an aviation sector that supports our nation's way of life and this means services need to be reliable, competitive and affordable," she said.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Canberra.
(XHTV)