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Qantas has been under fire in recent times over delays and massive queues at some airports.Credit:Louise Kennerley

In a statement released on Monday,the national carrier said 67 per cent of its flights left on time during August,up from just 52 per cent in July. For the first two weeks of September,that figure improved to 71 per cent.

“Performance will be tested in coming weeks with school holidays,long weekends and football finals driving high levels of demand at peak times,” a spokesperson for the airline said.

“Customers are encouraged to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time for domestic flights and three hours ahead for international flights.”

Qantas hasbeen under heavy scrutiny in recent months as customers have raised concerns over a continued spate of delayed flights and misplaced bags. Earlier this month,an episode of the ABC’sFour Corners also aired claims of mismanagement and safety concerns at the airline.

Qantas is also struggling with a lack of staff due to COVID-19 and a tight labour market,an issue compounded by the airline’s 2020 decision to outsource its baggage ground handling,a move that was later found to be in breach of the Fair Work Act.

On Monday,Qantas said the number of flight cancellations was tracking at 2 per cent for the month so far,which is below pre-COVID levels.

Mishandled bags are at six per 1000 customers overall,down from nine last month when the company was forced to increase connection times to 90 minutes in an effort to reduce the number of lost bags.

The reduction has likely also been aided by an increase in customers opting to travel with just carry-on luggage to avoid possible baggage delays. Qantas is now encouraging more people to check in their bags,noting the increase in carry-on was leading to “overhead baggage Tetris”.

“With baggage services normalising,customers are encouraged to check in bags to stay within their carry-on baggage allowances and avoid boarding delays that can be caused by overhead baggage Tetris,despite our crew’s skill in this area,” the company said.

For the remainder of September,Qantas is targeting a mishandled baggage rate of four per 1000 customers and for 75 per cent of flights to leave and arrive on time.

Last week workers at major airline contractors Menzies and Dnata Cateringsecured better working conditions and pay rises from their employers, avoiding a potential strike that would have further disrupted services at local airports.

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