Earlier this year, South Africa’s own low cost airline, FlySafair, was ranked global overall most on-time airline for 2017 by air travel intelligence specialist, OAG.
FlySafair managed to achieve an annual OTP (on-time performance) of 94.9% as well as a coveted 5-star rating. This is not the airlines first winning achievement. In 2016 they also walked away with top spot for their combined SA airport OTP score of 95.41% making them the only 5-star rated carrier in SA.
The OAG is a globally recognised air traffic intelligence monitor and FlySafair’s performance is rated against all airlines and airports, regardless of size or geographical location. OTP measurements – known globally as the primary internationally accepted standard, allow for a 15 minute delay in order to account for air traffic congestion beyond the airline’s control, and which can be made up in flying time.
What is On-Time Performance?
All airlines across the globe rely on their OTP to keep customers happy. Airport delays not only cause disruption to an airline’s operational efficiency and costs, but cause untold distress to customers who have to rearrange their travel plans. Airlines, like FlySafair that manage to keep their OTP rating high, ultimately save costs which enable them to continue to offer low-cost flights by passing these savings on to their customers.
OAG’s rating globally recognised FlySafair for the airlines adherence to its particular published schedules. Airports across the world keep strict records of the performance of all airlines that use its facilities to ensure accurate data is submitted.
FlySafair has a consistently good record
Between April and September 2017, FlySafair recorded an average monthly OTP above 94.5%. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) records all South African airline scores across three major airports, Cape Town International, OR Tambo in Johannesburg, and King Shaka International Airport in Durban, in line with the International Airlines Transport Association (IATA) standard benchmarks.
“For an airline to achieve an OTP of 95.94% is very difficult”, says Marketing Director for OAG, Caroline Mather. “It requires extremely smooth operations and exceptional focus from across the entire team.”
OAG gathers extensive air travel data from across the world. It holds data on past and future flight details of over 900 airlines and 4 000 airports.
“This shows that we are ready to compete with the best.” Said FlySafair CEO, Elmar Conradie, He says excellent OTP has been a priority from the start and says the achievement speaks to the quality of South African aviation. “We recognised the need for the South African public to have a service provider that consistently delivers on time and so we set our targets even higher than those expected by local airport authorities.”
Honoured carrier of the Springboks
In March 2017 FlySafair was also given the honour of being awarded the new partnership with the South African Rugby Union (SARU) as airline carrier to the Springbok team and SA Rugby.
“We are exceptionally proud to be flying the South African flag high by remaining the most on-time airline in the world. Our consistency in this regard really speaks to the calibre of our operations team and its dedication to putting our clients first,” says Conradie.
Safair launched FlySafair, offering domestic flights South Africa, in 2014 with ten daily services between Johannesburg and Cape Town, and has since then has consistently reached new heights with their achievements and ever-soaring brand reputation.
OTP has become an increasingly important measure of overall performance, says Mather. “It reflects the reliability and efficiency of the airline, and ultimately the reputation of the brand. An airline’s schedule is the measure of its promise to their customer.”
With awards like this, FlySafair is proving not only to other South African airlines, but also to the airline world that it is possible to provide travellers with affordable domestic flights that are both consistently, and conveniently on time.
