Melburnian1
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Posts
- 25,256
AFF member mannej made the excellent suggestion that other airlines apart from QF should be featured in threads about flight delays and cancellations. I am therefore commencing one about JQ, and may do so for others in time.
Today's wet weather and extensive cloud cover across much of southeastern Australia has contributed to poor punctuality for not just JQ but QF, TT and VA as well. Two hour delays or worse have been relatively regular today. This is a substantial impost on a business traveller and while not the same mode or country, comparisons with a typical day on most intercity high speed rail networks worldwide including in reasonably difficult weather show just how deficient east coast 'golden triangle' air travel in Australia has become on some days for punctuality as the finite number of runways and airport gates have become busier (although it is not always a steady linear upwards trend with respect to air traveller numbers).
JQ appears to have a systemic problem in MEL in that it needs to undertake about 30 tows a day due to limited numbers of bays from which its flights can have passengers boarding and alighting.
Today, JQ439 from OOL to MEL was timetabled as a 1255 departure but departed at 1752, almost five hours late. It is now due into MEL at 2001 in lieu of the normal 1520.
The normal 1510 hours JQ509 from SYD to MEL departed 116 minutes late at 1706 and is due at MEL at 1846, 121 minutes late despite what is normally a very adequate 95 minute timetable.
JQ795, the 1435 MCY to MEL departed more than three hours late at 1742 and should arrive MEL at 1955, a small gain on the schedule.
JQ441 from OOL to MEL is not quite as much behind time as its sister JQ439, but nonetheless departed OOL at 1743, 148 minutes late with forecast arrival in the southern capital at 1953, 133 minutes behind time.
JQ949 from CNS to MEL departed at 1817 in lieu of its normal 1530 and should arrive MEL at 2116, 141 minutes late.
JQ476 from MEL to NTL is shown at Melbourne Airport - Flight Information, Shopping & Parking as likely to depart three hours and 55 minutes late at 1920. still more than half an hour away while JQ524 from MEL to SYD is to be delayed two and a half hours from 1820 to 2050, so it may be at risk of breaching the SYD 2300 hours curfew if it has a further 55 minute delay on top of the expected.
JQ713 from MEL to HBA (the 1810), JQ450 to OOL and JQ568 to BNE (both timetabled out at 1845) have all been cancelled. Are waiting passengers at LST, BNE and OOL who may be unable to board cancelled return workings, plus those delayed in MEL, accomodated overnight at JQ's expense if flights on which to place such passengers are unavailable tonight or must they wing it?
JQ749 from MEL to LST has been delayed from 1940 to an estimated 2120 while JQ568 to BNE has been altered from a 2100 departure to a late 2230. JQ970 to PER escapes with a comparatively modest 65 minute delay until a predicted 2130.
While JQ cannot control the weather and its lack of MEL gates may be rectified with Melbourne Airport's opening of T4 in 2015, these late flights on the evening of a school holiday weekday show how delays earlier ion the day worsen as the day proceeds if an airline lacks sufficient handling infrastructure.
It is notable how far fewer JQ flights into and out of SYD are suffering the delays of MEL rotations. 'Max the Axe' deserves criticism for his self serving anti high speed train attitude, but perhaps he and the malinged by some AFFers Macquarie have done a slightly better job than MEL in providing gates for JQ and other operators' flights.
With MEL raking in a profit margin of about 79 cents for every dollar paid for its car parking, one might have thought that lessee APAC would have already invested in a new T4 some years ago. The extra fuel and staff time that these sorts of delays cost QF (part of the QF group) must be quite substantial, and very unwelcome as far as QF's beancounters and shareholders go.
Today's wet weather and extensive cloud cover across much of southeastern Australia has contributed to poor punctuality for not just JQ but QF, TT and VA as well. Two hour delays or worse have been relatively regular today. This is a substantial impost on a business traveller and while not the same mode or country, comparisons with a typical day on most intercity high speed rail networks worldwide including in reasonably difficult weather show just how deficient east coast 'golden triangle' air travel in Australia has become on some days for punctuality as the finite number of runways and airport gates have become busier (although it is not always a steady linear upwards trend with respect to air traveller numbers).
JQ appears to have a systemic problem in MEL in that it needs to undertake about 30 tows a day due to limited numbers of bays from which its flights can have passengers boarding and alighting.
Today, JQ439 from OOL to MEL was timetabled as a 1255 departure but departed at 1752, almost five hours late. It is now due into MEL at 2001 in lieu of the normal 1520.
The normal 1510 hours JQ509 from SYD to MEL departed 116 minutes late at 1706 and is due at MEL at 1846, 121 minutes late despite what is normally a very adequate 95 minute timetable.
JQ795, the 1435 MCY to MEL departed more than three hours late at 1742 and should arrive MEL at 1955, a small gain on the schedule.
JQ441 from OOL to MEL is not quite as much behind time as its sister JQ439, but nonetheless departed OOL at 1743, 148 minutes late with forecast arrival in the southern capital at 1953, 133 minutes behind time.
JQ949 from CNS to MEL departed at 1817 in lieu of its normal 1530 and should arrive MEL at 2116, 141 minutes late.
JQ476 from MEL to NTL is shown at Melbourne Airport - Flight Information, Shopping & Parking as likely to depart three hours and 55 minutes late at 1920. still more than half an hour away while JQ524 from MEL to SYD is to be delayed two and a half hours from 1820 to 2050, so it may be at risk of breaching the SYD 2300 hours curfew if it has a further 55 minute delay on top of the expected.
JQ713 from MEL to HBA (the 1810), JQ450 to OOL and JQ568 to BNE (both timetabled out at 1845) have all been cancelled. Are waiting passengers at LST, BNE and OOL who may be unable to board cancelled return workings, plus those delayed in MEL, accomodated overnight at JQ's expense if flights on which to place such passengers are unavailable tonight or must they wing it?
JQ749 from MEL to LST has been delayed from 1940 to an estimated 2120 while JQ568 to BNE has been altered from a 2100 departure to a late 2230. JQ970 to PER escapes with a comparatively modest 65 minute delay until a predicted 2130.
While JQ cannot control the weather and its lack of MEL gates may be rectified with Melbourne Airport's opening of T4 in 2015, these late flights on the evening of a school holiday weekday show how delays earlier ion the day worsen as the day proceeds if an airline lacks sufficient handling infrastructure.
It is notable how far fewer JQ flights into and out of SYD are suffering the delays of MEL rotations. 'Max the Axe' deserves criticism for his self serving anti high speed train attitude, but perhaps he and the malinged by some AFFers Macquarie have done a slightly better job than MEL in providing gates for JQ and other operators' flights.
With MEL raking in a profit margin of about 79 cents for every dollar paid for its car parking, one might have thought that lessee APAC would have already invested in a new T4 some years ago. The extra fuel and staff time that these sorts of delays cost QF (part of the QF group) must be quite substantial, and very unwelcome as far as QF's beancounters and shareholders go.
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