Qantas claimed its operational performance has improved “towards pre-COVID levels”, and released data to show the worst of its travel chaos is behind it.

The figures, released by the national carrier on Monday, show flight delays, cancellations and mishandled bag rates all fell in the first two weeks of September.

But despite the improvements, the airline requested co-operation from  the thousands of people expected to travel in coming days and weeks, as school holidays, long weekends and football finals drive demand.

Qantas said its performance would be tested as passenger numbers surged – and it had plenty of tips for anyone planning to travel.

“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,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

“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.”

Qantas said 67 per cent of its flights left on time during August, up from just 52 per cent in July.

So far in September, 71 per cent of flights left on time.

August saw 4 per cent of flights cancelled, down from 7.5 per cent of flights in June. The current figure of 2 per cent for flight cancellations in September is below pre-COVID levels.

“A reduction to the total number of domestic flights has increased availability of staff on standby, which lessens the impact of crew sick leave, the key driver of cancelled and delayed flights in July,” the  spokesperson said.

Qantas performance data to September 14, 2022:

An industry-wide report published earlier this month by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that 4.7 million passengers travelled in July, the highest since early 2020.

“The aviation industry struggled to meet this demand due to workforce shortages and ill staff. The airline industry reported its worst on-time performance with half of flights arriving late while 6.4 per cent of flights were cancelled,” the report said.

According to Qantas, mishandled bags are at six per 1000 passengers overall and at five per 1000 for domestic – on par with pre-COVID levels.

There has been an increase in the average number of bags being checked in per passenger, compared to pre-COVID. The airline said this reflected the “strong rebound in leisure travel”.

Qantas has been criticised over its handling of post-lockdown travel demand, forcing chairman Richard Goyder to publish an op-ed defending the airline last Monday.

In August, airline boss Alan Joyce apologised to customers and assured the public the national carrier was “working hard to get back to our best”.

Rival Virgin Australia reported stronger figures than Qantas. It had a 98 per cent completion rate for domestic services during August.

So far in September, it is maintaining that 98 per cent rate.

“Virgin Australia continues to see a strong rebound of the domestic leisure travel market and we’ve taken several steps to build the most efficient operation possible in preparation for the upcoming peak periods,” a Virgin spokesperson said.

“Our workforce has grown to more than 7000 strong and since the July school holidays, we have employed over 500 people in key operational roles as well as making rostering adjustments which will support the busy period.”

The New Daily contacted Jetstar with a request for performance data.

Qantas’ budget arm has been plagued by recent high-profile flight cancellations and delays – including thousand of holidaymakers being stranded in Bali and other Asian destinations after repeated issues with aircraft.