ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Qantas’ low-cost carrier, Jetstar, is moving to a departure day schedule in an effort to reduce delays and cancellations.
From next year, instead of having a specific time of departure on a Jetstar service, customers will simply turn up on the day their flight is due to leave and wait around until the aircraft is ready to go.
The move comes as Jetstar battles one of the worst operations years on record, with nearly 90% of all services being delayed or cancelled.
Speaking to the media this morning in Sydney, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said he hopes these operational changes should see Jetstar’s record improve.
“At Jetstar, we put the safety of our passengers and staff above all else,” he said.
“That’s why we won’t let a plane take off unless we know it’s going to back it to the other end. We aren’t some cowboy operation here,”
“When you fly on Jetstar from next year, you will be given a day that you depart your port of origin. It might be first thing in the morning, it might be the last flight out. The onus is on you to be ready when we are ready,”
“With these changes, I can see Jetstar’s record improve to at least Qantas-level.”
However, the move has been met with criticism from many in the local community, with some saying they haven’t got the time to simply wait around at the airport for a plane to leave.
Wendy Stevens, of Betoota Heights, flies with Jetstar often says that she already waits around in the airport all day most of the time and this new system will change nothing.
“They’re not fixing the problem,” she told our reporter.
“They’re not doing anything. This won’t improve anything. It just changes what it is to be delayed. It’s almost worth paying more for less and flying on Qantas,”
“I’m done. I want to retire.”
More to come.
