Qantas says it has improved performance further in October, with more on-time flights and fewer cancellations in the month.
Australia's national carrier domestic flight cancellations dropped to 2.2 per cent in October and are now below pre-COVID levels, while on-time performance for the month improved to 74 per cent from 69 per cent in September.
It said floods in NSW and Victoria as well as air traffic control constraints were among the factors that affected punctuality.
"For several months this year, we weren't living up to the service standard people rightly expect," Chief Executive Alan Joyce acknowledged at the company's annual general meeting on Friday.
"Today, we've released figures that show we were firmly back to pre-COVID levels of service in October - and in some cases, better. Maintaining this level of service requires more resources than it did pre-COVID," he told shareholders.
The airline said it aims to keep on time performance in the mid-70s for the remainder of the calendar year, after factoring in predictions for more extreme weather in some parts of the country.
It had reported an on-time performance of around 75 per cent in November and December 2019.
Qantas has been under fire for months over flight delays, poor baggage handling and falling service standards. In July, less than half of the airline's domestic flights arrived on time.
The carrier last month flagged it expects a "very strong" profit before tax of between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion for the first half of 2022/23 - far ahead of analyst expectations.
It promised $40 million in wage increases on top of $200 million in cash and share bonuses announced in June. Qantas said it would boost the pay of 20,000 of its employees, including $10,000 in bonuses in cash and shares, and add 10,000 workers' friends and family as beneficiaries of its staff travel program.
The airline is rostering more crew to be able to cope better with sick leave absences and says it will keep up to 20 aircraft on the ground over the summer peak to help minimise delays.
By 1345 AEDT, Qantas shares were marginally lower at $5.94 in a firm Australian market.
