The domestic aviation industry in Australia- 61 1800 718 568 has marked a milestone. The sector now handles more flights than this time last year. Exactly twelve months ago, the number of domestic flights operating in Australia has dropped significantly. Now, the market is growing rapidly.
Before the full force of the travel recession kicked in last year, there were comfortably over 1,500 domestic flights a day in Australia. In mid-February 2020, the number was closer to 1,800 domestic flights per day. That excludes only Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. Boosting that number are flights by several under-the-radar commuter airlines such as Sharp Airlines, FlyPelican, Airlink and Aviair.
The number of flights dropped towards the end of February as the pandemic alarm started sounding. But the number of daily domestic flights still hovered around 1650 until mid-March when they fell freely.
On the weekend of March 21 and 22, 2020, the dive is underway, and daily domestic flight numbers will plummet to the 1,500 mark and drop down to around 220 marks a month later. From then on, it was a slow climb back and often a case of two flights forward, one flight back
Catching a flight can be as stressful as it is exciting, with flight bookings offering no shortage of options when it comes to choosing who you fly with. And the options don't stop after you've chosen an airline, with a range of extras available if you want to make your time in the air more enjoyable, and given that you're likely to spend a few hours in your seat, getting some creature comforts might be worth it.
With travel returning to normal, choosing between airlines has become more important than ever, with many of us wanting to visit people and places we haven't been able to for a long time. But when it comes to rocking up to the gate, who should you fly with? Canstar Blue surveyed nearly 900 people who had recently flown on domestic flights in Australia so we could turn their feedback into the rating table you see above, with brands versus key factors such as flight schedules and availability, in-flight offers, etc. So, what did we find?
Virgin Australia got its wings in the 2022 results, scoring five stars for various categories, including overall satisfaction. Find out how other airlines fare below.
Here are the best domestic airlines in Australia, as rated by passengers in Canstar Blue’s 2022 review:
Virgin Australia
Qantas
Jetstar
In addition to five stars for overall satisfaction, Virgin Australia was rated five stars in almost all categories, with Qantas and Jetstar also scoring five stars for at least one category.
In addition to their preferred airline, we also asked flyers what they consider to be the most important factors when choosing an airline, with their answers below:
40% said the cheapest price was the most important factor
23% said the arrival and departure time availabilities were the most important factor
19% said comfort and enjoyment were the most important
16% said the reputation of the airline was the most important factor
With so much to consider when booking, read on to learn more about the top airlines available in Australia.
Ultimately which airline you should fly with will depend on a variety of factors, including your personal preferences, schedule and budget. If you know the staff at your local airport by name, chances are you're locked into an airline and don't want to stray anytime soon, but if you're just an occasional flier – or looking for a flight for the first time – it might be worth doing do a little research on the options available to you.
If price is your only real concern, low-cost airlines like Jetstar might be your best bet, but if you want a bit of comfort or a meal, then airlines like Qantas and Virgin might be more stylish. As they say, it's not the destination but the journey that counts, so make sure you look at the airline you use to make the most of your time in the air.
Qantas is Australia's most expensive airline, at an average of 21 cents per kilometer according to Melbourne-based travel search engine Rome2Rio.
Tigerair's 8 cents per kilometer makes it not only the cheapest airline in Australia, but the world.
So, at more than double the price, does Qantas deliver more than double the value of Tigerair?
We regularly poll people about your experience with Australian airlines and the results are rarely surprising: Qantas and Virgin come out on top, Jetstar and Tigerair close behind. But we found that the margin between these ratings is not as high as the margin between airfares.
About three-quarters of Qantas and Virgin customers are satisfied with their service, while two-thirds of Jetstar and Tigerair customers are also satisfied.
People were more likely to report bad experiences with Jetstar and Tigerair (six percent and nine percent) while fewer people complained with Qantas or Virgin (two and three percent).
Delays
It's no surprise that budget flights often run later than their more expensive competitors, but not for long. Flights arrive about 17% of the time from Qantas and Virgin, compared to about 25% of the time from Jetstar and Tigerair.
Cancellations
Flight cancellation rates support the trend; While Tigerair was the worst performer, Qantas and Virgin weren't that great by comparison, and Jetstar actually had the least number of canceled flights.
Airline assistance
How do airlines serve their customers during delays and cancellations? Passengers we surveyed seemed only slightly angrier with low-cost airlines and only slightly more satisfied with full service.
Qantas appears to be the clear winner in this category, with 70% of our survey respondents rating the airline's safety standards as very good or excellent. Virgin, Jetstar and Tigerair in that order, with Tigerair's reputation for safety considered by our respondents to be the worst.
But is Qantas really Australia's safest airline?
This score really only tells us about brand perception, not actual safety. Most people (especially those who have seen the movie 'Rain Man') know Qantas has a good reputation for not crashing, and most people remember when Tigerair was jailed in 2011 for safety breaches.
It's just a statistic, but the past seven days have seen more domestic Australian flights than the same seven days in 2020. It's the first time in 12 months we've seen that. In the week ending March 21, 2021, there were an average of 1,501 domestic flights per day. In the same week in 2020, the average daily number of domestic flights was 1,487. It's a small increase, just 3.77%, but it's a significant achievement.
That gives airlines some certainty and confidence to start ramping up previously anemic schedules. Jetstar is currently operating at close to 100% of pre-departure deceleration capacity. Qantas is cruising at about 70%. Virgin Australia is closer to 50%. All going well, Qantas aims to return to normal capacity levels by mid-year. Virgin Australia is more modest in its aspirations, looking at about 70% pre-recession capacity at the time.
The rebound was led mainly by leisure travel. Corporate travel is still relatively sluggish. But while international travel remains off limits to most Australians, many are keen to see their own backyard, and that's good news for the domestic aviation sector. Barring an unexpected disappointment, it will be interesting to see growth in Australia's domestic aviation sector in the coming months
Looking for your next domestic flight? No problem! We have tips and tricks to help you fly at our cheapest prices. This strategy is yours to take advantage of - but quietly!
Trends show that the best time to book your flight is 21 days before your departure time.
If you want to be really specific, order by Tuesday at 3pm EST
If you have a spare day - consider going on a Wednesday. At that time the fare was usually cheap.
Book a connecting flight, instead of a non-stop flight. That can save you!
Don't overlook the smaller airlines. They usually have very competitive fares
Ready to save using these tips? Great! Just search our site and you can take advantage of our low fares in no time.