Three out of 10 flights departing Dubbo Airport arrive late in Sydney. Statistics on aviation industry performance for 2007 shows only 57.8 per cent of QantasLink flights touched down in Sydney on time.

Statistics on aviation industry performance for 2007 shows only 57.8 per cent of QantasLink flights touched down in Sydney on time.

Regional Express (Rex) failed to deliver its passengers on schedule to Dubbo in 32.4 per cent of flights, with “on time” defined as being within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

However, 1.4 per cent of their flights to Dubbo never made it off the ground and people were left stranded at Dubbo Airport 2.1 per cent of the time.

Cancelled flights have left passengers stranded in Sydney and having to find alternative accommodation or redirect to other country towns, organising their own way to Dubbo at their own expense.

Rex frequent flyer Scott Mason has trusted the regional airline for 10 years but believes the service in recent years is simply not good enough.

“I have always strongly supported the country airlines, through the Ansett collapse and now with Rex, but just recently the service appears to be deteriorating,” Mr Mason said.

“Traditionally it has been a good service. But it seems as though they are starting to take their passengers for granted and have let their service slip.”

Mr Mason was returning from the Gold Coast via Sydney recently, only to be told at the Rex boarding counter at Sydney Airport his flight had been cancelled.

He was told the inconvenience it caused was part of the conditions of buying a ticket.

“They can blame rapid growth and pilot shortages but people shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of the airline having no contingency plan,” he said. “I was not notified of the cancellation, there was no plan and I was told to come back tomorrow. It costs people money to find somewhere to stay for the night in Sydney.”

The company has promised to maintain reserve pilots for each flight on the new roster starting today.

This is contrary to the fact that regional airlines throughout Australia are suffering from a pilot drain and not being able to compete with larger airlines.

The arrival and departure figures do not suggest a bright future for the airline industry.

Last year 84 flights from Sydney arrived more than 15 minutes late at Dubbo, while 87 eastbound flights were similarly late. In total, between the two airlines four flights to Sydney were cancelled and three to Dubbo.