Qantas and Jetstar anticipate busiest Easter since 2019 with over 620,000 customers flying over the long weekend
- Busiest Easter long weekend for air travel since before the pandemic.
- Qantas most on-time major domestic airline for seven months in a row.
- Almost 3500 additional operational employees employed since Easter 2022 to support increased travel.
- Additional employees and aircraft on standby to reduce disruptions.
- Almost 300,000 Jetstar customers to fly for less than $100 in April.
Sydney, Australia, 2023-Apr-06 — /Travel PR News/ — Qantas and Jetstar are gearing up for the busiest Easter since 2019 with more than 620,000 customers to fly across their domestic and international networks over the five-day long weekend.
Easter Thursday will be the single biggest day with more than 120,000 customers travelling on nearly 1,200 services. Passenger numbers will peak again on Easter Monday, as customers return home from their extended break.
Last Easter, 601,000 customers flew over the corresponding five-day period.
Both airlines have been working with airports and suppliers to ensure the holiday period is not impacted by the long queues for security screening and delayed baggage that customers faced over Easter 2022.
IMPROVEMENTS TO OPERATIONS
Over the past year, Qantas and Jetstar have made improvements to their operations to minimise delays and disruptions for customers.
Qantas has been the most on-time major domestic airline for six months in a row, with almost eight out of 10 flights (78.3 per cent) departing on time during February, despite Air Traffic Control staffing shortages and weather disruptions. Qantas expects this to extend to a seventh month when official government data is released later this month.
Mishandled bag rates are back at pre-COVID levels for Qantas, while call wait times are lower than pre-pandemic, currently averaging five minutes.
Qantas’ operational performance over Grand Prix weekend highlights the significant improvement on last year. Over the weekend there was a 25 percentage point improvement in flights departing on time, 40 per cent fewer flights were cancelled and the rate of misplaced bags was five times lower. Queues for security screening at Melbourne and Sydney airports averaged less than five minutes.
During what will be an extremely busy time at the nation’s major airports, the Qantas Group has taken the following steps to help ensure a smoother travel experience this Easter:
- Almost 3500 additional operational employees have been recruited to support increased travel, including cabin crew, pilots, engineers and airport customer service staff.
- Reserve staffing levels will be boosted by 20 per cent to minimise any potential impact from sick leave.
- Up to 20 aircraft will be on standby to provide extra buffer and reduce delays, including as a result of global parts shortages. Aircraft on standby include an Airbus A330, A320s, a Boeing 737 and a number of regional aircraft. Jetstar also has six new A321neo aircraft that have joined the fleet since last Easter.
- Industry partners will have extra staff, including Airservices Australia air traffic controllers and additional airport security screeners during peak periods.
TRAVEL TRENDS
To meet continued high levels of travel demand, as previously announced, the Qantas Group has increased domestic capacity and returned to more international destinations as the global airline industry continues to recover from COVID.
Some of the most in-demand international destinations these holidays include Auckland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, Fiji and Hawaii.
Across the domestic network, the most popular Easter holiday spots include the Gold Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island and Melbourne.
Throughout April, almost 300,000 people will fly for under $100 on Jetstar and frequent flyers will use more than 180,000 Classic Reward Seats across Qantas, Jetstar and partner airlines. Travellers who have not yet booked for the holiday period are encouraged to look at mid-week fares, which tend to offer the best value.
TRAVEL TIPS
- Check-in online – available online and on Qantas and Jetstar apps for domestic flights.
- Arrive early – customers should arrive at least 1-2 hours prior to departure for domestic flights and 2-3 hours for international flights.
- Stay within baggage limits – check limits for cabin and checked baggage before travelling. Customers bringing excess cabin baggage on board can lead to flight delays.
Source: Qantas
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