Travellers faced chaotic scenes on 25 November as severe weather fronts, crew shortages and cascading aircraft rotations forced airlines to cancel more than 90 flights and delay another 672 across Australia and New Zealand. Virgin Australia recorded a 34 per cent delay rate, while Brisbane and Sydney logged over 150 and 130 delayed movements respectively.
Long-haul schedules were thrown off balance: Qantas and Jetstar retimed services to Singapore and Honolulu after crews ‘timed out’, while Air New Zealand cut several trans-Tasman sectors, squeezing already tight pre-Christmas capacity.
![‘Perfect storm’ causes 90 flight cancellations and 672 delays across Australia and New Zealand]()
For corporate mobility teams the immediate headache is duty-of-care. Stranded employees may exceed maximum work-hour limits or over-stay visas if connecting to third-country destinations. Travel managers should leverage airline re-booking waivers – many valid until 27 November – and remind staff that Australian consumer law entitles them to meals and accommodation when delays are within airline control.
Airports are accelerating resilience measures: Brisbane Airport will fast-track self-service kiosks before the school-holiday peak, and Melbourne is working with CASA to approve flexible curfew exemptions for late-running internationals.
Analysts note that systemic staff shortages in ground-handling and air-traffic control mean weather events now trigger bigger knock-on effects than pre-pandemic. Businesses planning time-sensitive trips should build additional buffer days into itineraries.
Long-haul schedules were thrown off balance: Qantas and Jetstar retimed services to Singapore and Honolulu after crews ‘timed out’, while Air New Zealand cut several trans-Tasman sectors, squeezing already tight pre-Christmas capacity.
For corporate mobility teams the immediate headache is duty-of-care. Stranded employees may exceed maximum work-hour limits or over-stay visas if connecting to third-country destinations. Travel managers should leverage airline re-booking waivers – many valid until 27 November – and remind staff that Australian consumer law entitles them to meals and accommodation when delays are within airline control.
Airports are accelerating resilience measures: Brisbane Airport will fast-track self-service kiosks before the school-holiday peak, and Melbourne is working with CASA to approve flexible curfew exemptions for late-running internationals.
Analysts note that systemic staff shortages in ground-handling and air-traffic control mean weather events now trigger bigger knock-on effects than pre-pandemic. Businesses planning time-sensitive trips should build additional buffer days into itineraries.
