Explainer: Are airlines to blame for flight delays, high prices and lost luggage?

Angry passengers have flooded phone lines and social media to complain about lost luggage, cancelled flights and long lines.

And with Term 3 school holidays coming up in the next few weeks in every state or territory, many travellers are bracing themselves for the worse.

But are airlines really to blame for nightmarish scenes at airports? Are airfares actually more expensive? And while the media focuses on the city, are regional flyers getting a raw deal?

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It has been around eight months since Australia reopened to international travel, but airlines continue to struggle with cancelled flights, staff shortages and lost luggage.

Major airlines cancelled 5.8 per cent of flights, the federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport said.

This is the worst ever recorded, with the second and third being reported in May and April 2022.

Flights most likely to be cancelled were between Melbourne and Sydney.

Overseas departures from Australia increased by 25 per cent from March to June 2022, ABS data shows.

And domestic travel was only three per cent shy of pre-pandemic levels in June, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Yet a travel expert says the industry does not have nearly as many staff as they did in 2019. And that might just be their fault.

The fundamental problem is that airlines laid off scores of experienced staff during the pandemic, University of Technology tourism expert and author Dr David Beirman said.

"You don't really have enough staff to be able to provide the service, and this isn't just happening in Australia, it's happening all over the world," he said.

Travel demand has ramped up since flights re-opened, especially as people try to see friends and family following years of isolation, Dr Beirman said.

"The airlines and the airports are struggling to find new staff, because many of the staff that got sacked moved into other areas," he said.

"When they got rid of people, [they] didn't do it in particularly good terms. So a lot of people who would be qualified and experienced to do those jobs are a bit reluctant to come back."

This includes workers as diverse and specialised as pilots and luggage handlers, the academic said.

"One of the biggest shortage areas is pilots," he said.

"A lot of pilots either went into other areas, or were dissatisfied with the way that they lost their jobs."

However, Dr Beirman said the airlines and airports had little option but to lay off staff once Jobkeeper ended in March 2021.

"When you have no business and ... you've got no income to pay staff, what are you going to do with them, you can't keep them forever," he said.

Dr Beirman said airfares have also increased, making flying difficult for people wanting to see family or work interstate.

When airlines first opened back up, they encouraged Australians to travel with cheaper flights and deals.

Data shows that domestic fares are more dear now than in 2021 and 2020, but not necessarily the years prior.

The cheapest fare for a Melbourne to Sydney flight was $64 in August 2021 and $136 in August 2022, Australian government data shows.

However, this is still a low price compared to the past five years. This flight would have cost, at minimum, $149 in August 2019 and $159 in August 2018.

Internationally, prices for a ticket have skyrocketed.

The main reason for higher airfares is the cost of fuel, Dr Beirman said.

This has been caused by COVID-19 affecting supply chains and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"[Fuel] for most airlines, represents at least half of the costs [of running]," Dr Beirman said.

"Also, as they're re-hiring, in order to attract people to work back in the airlines, they're having to pay them higher salaries.

"The whole costs of running aviation have literally gone through the roof. And that's naturally been reflected in airfares."

Global fuel prices increased 101.4 per cent from August 2021 to 2022, shows International Air Transport Association data.

Jet fuel inflation reached a high of 128 per cent in June.

The good news is that fuel prices have dropped and are expected to continue falling for the next year, the IATA said.

Many regional routes are worse off than city routes because of a lack of competition, Dr Beirman said.

"For those regional areas that are serviced by multiple airlines, it's actually quite good," he said.

"The amount of competition will often determine how expensive or inexpensive regional travel is but if an airline has a monopoly on a particular regional destination, the fares will go through the roof."

For example, Paraburdoo to Perth is only serviced by Qantas.

The cheapest flight in July 2022 was $772. This price is lower than in pre-COVID times. In July 2019, the least you could pay for the route was $946.

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Only four per cent of routes between two regional areas were serviced by more than two airlines, a 2021 report by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission said.

In June 2021, 54 per cent of routes between a major city and regional area only had one airline.

"Unlike routes connecting two larger cities, there can often be insufficient passengers travelling on regional routes to support more than a single airline," the Commission said.

"This means that regional airlines can often face little or no active competition on many of their routes."

A new airline, Bonza, has promised to service smaller routes to help consumers in regional areas. They said that around four in five of those are unserved.

The first 27 routes announced by Bonza include Port Macquarie to the Sunshine Coast; Newcastle to the Whitsundays; Rockhampton to Townsville; and Toowoomba to Townsville.

While Dr Beirman said more options and more competition on routes is better for regional flyers, the ACCC said smaller routes might not need more airlines.

"A single airline may be able to offer consumers a more sustainable service and more attractive airfares," they said.

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