How Qantas and other airlines game on-time flight data

Lonely bright point for Qantas The latest three -month report The competition had a better timely performance (OTP) in the aviation industry by the regulator: Last month he healed Qantas Virgin.

However, scraping the surface and you will see that there is a series of techniques to play the system according to the pilots and those who come from inside, not only on timely performance based on an old honor system and more than a much less data collected by other nations.

Worse, Australian consumers have no real rights for delays and cancellations thanks to a government that chooses to ignore the best practice.

To report the end of the iceberg

Australia’s national carrier and domestic competitors have been the most punctual tradesmen for a long time. Qantas trumpets constantly Pollyannaish Press Releases To be a “number one için for punctuality, crows while buying a virgin monthly crown.

Qantas pilots Crirase Let’s say there is a “obsession ılan renewed from management with timely performance.

“There is a lot of pressure and a big accusation game. But the problems are the same: no plane, no parts, and there is not enough personnel,” he said.

However, if we investigate how timely performance is calculated in time, the picture becomes dark.

The source of official punctual data in Australia is the infrastructure, transportation and regional economy office (Bitre). The competition organizer re -publish the figures in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACC) and aviation competition reports.

Most importantly, Bitre before compiling him, Airlines’s own report Data through pilots and door personnel who fill out forms for jets, tracking systems for jets or regional flights. Timely performance is recorded only for the ways of competition.

“This only leaves the remote destinations that Qantas fly [the same can also apply to Rex Airlines] And he tends to suffer from more delays and cancellation. ” Crirase.

Bitre describes a “timely önemkında as a pushing back through the door within 15 minutes after the planned period. “Time Time” arrival means placement at the door in the same 15 -minute threshold. The cancellations are counted if only one flight does not work or re -planned within seven days of departure.

Reporting is limited to total “competitive roads ın with at least 8,000 passengers per month and more than one airline. For delays, there is no need to publish data related to reasons or any raw, flight figure.

Compare this with the US Department of Transport. Forces the airlines Providing causes of delay in five categories or UK Civil Aviation Authority and EU systems that publish detailed data and apply automatic compensation for delays and cancellations.

“They don’t have to show the causes of Australian airlines – and they love it in this way,” one pilot said. “In Europe, if we’re late, passengers are paying cash. That is a shoulder shrinking.”

‘Passenger collateral damage’

Airlines are available in various applications to make more games on time, and the pilots tell Crikey.

For example, it adds extra time to the airlines published programs, for example, plans a 2 -hour flight for 2 hours and 20 minutes. In the sector “Program filling”This makes it easier to demand timely arrival, even if it is idle in a plane taxis or a holding pattern.

“This is easy. You can stay in the air 20 minutes late in the air and still on paper ‘you can get’ on time,” he said.

Airlines also re -plan the flights, so that they can finally be on time. Another pilot said, “Re -planning takes place every day. Since there should be no oil in the system – there is no spare aircraft, spare parts and usually spare pilot.

Qantas and Virgin at the moved Sydney Airport are accused of “slot stacking ,, they demand more attempt and landing nests than they need, and then they cancel some of them without losing their allocation. There is Qantas rejected this.

As a pilot explains, “Canceling a flight is the best way to maintain OTP statistics – passenger collateral damage.”

Airline duo also engage in selective public relations by selecting time frames and metrics appropriate to their narratives. For example, one -year Qantas may prefer annual rankings, while Virgin usually gives a single strong bear overly hyper hyper. These figures then silenced by the media.

“Like a cricket – declare strokes when you’re ahead. But meaningless,” he said. Crirase.

The government leaves passengers to the mercy of the airlines

Since the timely performance data are notified to itself and the reason for the delay is removed from the details, the airlines can legally draw a more reflux picture than passengers’ experience. There is no public accounting as to whether the delays are under the control of the airline or whether there is any automatic compensation regime to make punctual priority a financial priority.

On the other hand, EU carriers are fined or compensation payments for long delays and cancellations within their controls – up to 600 € ($ 1,074) per passenger. The US rules force the disclosure of the causes of delay and can trigger the action for misleading reporting.

Albanian government white paperReleased in August 2024, he promised that an Ombuds program would be financed by the taxpayer – instead of airlines – but there was no news a year after his release.

Canberra, unless the US/EU-style description and compensation moves, Qantas and its competitors can easily relax and continue to play a game where the scorer is largely in their own designs-and waiting for passengers.