Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

CX105 from HKG to MEL is significantly delayed and not due in until 1515 in lieu of 1130. The 1420 hours return working, CX104 is shown as a revised 1630 departure but this may be just a little optimistic.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Due to bad weather in HKG, CX100, the 1400 hours flight from SYD to HKG that departed yesterday (Wed 20 May 2015) six minutes early at 1354 was diverted to nearby MFM where it sat from 2133 to 2321, eventually arriving HKG at 0127 this morning, three hours and 52 minutes late. I assume that there were significant ATC delays getting out of MFM or into HKG thus explaining why such a short sector took an hour and 56 minutes.

CX111, the 1850 hours ex HKG on 20 May did not depart until 2218 and is not due in SYD this morning (Thursday 21 May) until 0915 in lieu of 0610. CX161 is expected to be 95 minutes late into SYD at 1020, while CX101, the 2355 hours ex HKG did not depart until 0111 on Thursday morning and will not arrive in SYD until a forecast 1238 instead of the timetabled 1105.

CX103, the 1915 Wednesday 20 May evening flight from HKG to BNE has diverted via CNS but despite departing 63 minutes late and spending from 0523 to 0630 - 67 minutes - in CNS will only be a forecast 52 minutes late into BNE at 0832.

CX110 this morning is expected to depart SYD two hours and 50 minutes late at 1030; CX162, the 1005 departure may depart at 1130 while from MEL CX134 was forecast to only depart half an hour late at 0810 but has not yet departed.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Some CX flights continue to be delayed by bad weather in HKG with this morning's 0620 hours MEL arrival of CX135 delayed until 0806, with a consequent likely 100 minute delay to CX134 in departing MEL back to HKG - it normally leaves at 0740.

 

[cosi]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Just returned from Kobe, via Hong Kong and all my CX flights were delayed due to bad weather in the area, including Japan

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Bad weather is continuing to delay flights significantly into and out of HKG.

CX135, the 1910 hours to MEL is forecast to be delayed until 2050. Inevitably, this will delay Sunday 24 May's CX134, the 0740 back to HKG, which like today's much delayed departure (leaving MEL today at 0921 or thereabouts) will be well behind time.

The 1850 CX111 to SYD is delayed by at least an hour in departing HKG - 1850 becomes 1950. This will also mean a delayed early morning departure from SYD back to Honkers on Sunday 24 May.

The almost Cinderella time 2355 timetabled departure, CX101, is estimated to depart HKG at 0210 on Sunday 24 May. CX173 to ADL is delayed from 1900 to a suggested 2030 hours.

 

[bjm76]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Even though the rain has stopped, CX flights are still massively delayed. I am at HKG now, waiting for CX flight to TPE. Inbound flight QF127 arrived 90mins late due to bad weather congestion. CX402 from HKG to TPE scheduled to depart at 1640 Sat 23rd, now 5am on Sunday 24th with no sign of departure. Very poorly handled by CX, very little information, airport announcements in Chinese only, no offer of compensation or hotel rooms, frequent time changes and gate changes and now customers getting quite irate at staff. Staff telling customers that it's all due to the weather, doesn't quite explain why 3 flights to TPE have not left yet other flights managed to leave, mix of short and long haul. Just screams very poor handling of a bad situation.

Starting to wonder if I will ever get to TPE or should I just give up and make a new life for myself in the terminal at HKG.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

bjm76, thank you for the excellent on the spot report and sorry about your endurance test in HKG airport.

CX135, the 1910 hours from HKG to MEL on Saturday 23 May did not depart until 2325 meaning arrival in MEL this morning (24 May) at 1048 instead of 0620. CX134 today should depart at 1150 in lieu of 0740 for a HKG arrival about 1930, or even later if ATC still has its hands super full.

CX111 on Saturday night departed HKG at 2159 instead of 1850 meaning arrival in SYD this morning at 0928 not the normal 0610, while CX161, the 2130 ex the Asian Harbour City is even more badly delayed, not departing until 0141 this morning and hence not due in SYD until around 1250 in lieu of 0845. CX101, the 2355 hours departure left at the unseemly hour of 0350 for a SYD arrival this afternoon at 1458 instead of 1105 this morning.

CX110 ex SYD had been altered to depart at 1040 not 0730; CX162 1400 in lieu of 1005 and CX100 1615 not the usual 1400. There is a note on the Cathay Pacific website suggesting that passengers for the first two arrive at SYD airport as soon as possible if alternative flight arrangements are required by passengers. This must mean that those with connections may be transferred to QF127 if there are seats available.

 

[bjm76]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thanks Melburnian1 for your thoughts.
CX402 now to depart at 9am today, some 14 hours late. The other 2 flights I mentioned in earlier post did depart around 5am today which leaves me puzzled why my flight did not. Not holding out much hope for the promised 9am departure to be honest.

So what is the collective wisdom on the forum as to what compensation I should request.
I did see the customer service desk his morning and make my displeasure known, stating that I would have been happy to pay for my own hotel in downtown Hong Kong if CX had known the delay was going to be this extensive. I was very calm and the customer service lady granted lounge access at The Bridge (CX lounge) so I could have something to eat and have a very welcome shower. Feeling marginally more human now.

But this has meant that I wasted one night of pre-paid hotel accommodation in Taipei ($200) and will have almost missed a full day/evening of my holiday.

What would he forum recommend I request from CX, if anything at all?

Thanks so much

 

[Pushka]

General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

CX dont "do" compensation. They expect you to claim on Insurance. They cancelled one of my flights which left me "stranded" in HK and all they agreed to do was put me on a flight 24 hours later. The cancellation was due to their operational schedule changes and not the weather.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Poor treatment of both bjm76 and pushka, especially given that CX was voted by Skytrax site contributors as the 'world's best airline.'

Many travellers' insurance will have an excess of say A$100, so bjm76 may be significantly out of pocket. Classy advice from bjm76 because in these situations, difficult as it can be to remain calm (especially if one is a little tired), that's the best policy as it puts the onus on in this case the CX staff member to be polite back to you and perhaps grant some small perk.

 

[Pushka]

General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Poor treatment of both bjm76 and pushka, especially given that CX was voted by Skytrax site contributors as the 'world's best airline.'

Many travellers' insurance will have an excess of say A$100, so bjm76 may be significantly out of pocket. Classy advice from bjm76 because in these situations, difficult as it can be to remain calm (especially if one is a little tired), that's the best policy as it puts the onus on in this case the CX staff member to be polite back to you and perhaps grant some small perk.

I posted about my experience with CX a year ago. They were however VERY quick to provide me with a letter for me to submit to the Insurance Company. I feel for the Insurance Company - the Insurance Co told me I couldn't change hotels (ie upgrade) on their claim. Lucky for me I had already treated myself to the Langham Mongkok Club room for the earlier nights.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

More than eight hours before its timetabled 1910 hours departure from HKG to MEL, CX135 is already shown on www.hongkongairport.com as delayed in its likely departure until 2140 tonight. This may be the third consecutive night that this flight has been significantly delayed and is due to fairly tight plane rostering or as the airport says a 'backlog of flights.' Once again the 0740 from MEL to HKG will be more than two hours late tomorrow morning.

Tonight's (24 May 2015) CX111 from HKG to SYD is anticipated to be 55 minutes late departing at 1945.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Sunday 24 May's CX135 left HKG 182 minutes late at 2212 so is not due into MEL until 0922, an identical number of minutes late. For the fourth day in a row, CX134 from MEL will be delayed, this time to a predicted 1030 for a 1750 arrival in HKG, two and a half hours late. CX105 ex HKG this morning is also more than an hour late but that should not affect the 1420 hours departure back to HKG from MEL as allowable turnaround time is greater.

CX111 and CX101 from HKG to SYD are respectively an hour and a half and two hours late this morning, so CX110 is expected to be an hour and a half late departing at 0900 - this may be a trifle optimistic.

 

[Pushka]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Are these delays due to staffing/labour issues or weather backlog?

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

CX is facing the threat of a two week cabin crew strike in August 2015 but reports suggest that these delays are due to ongoing problems from the heavy rain. As far as I can ascertain, many flights have run so late that they cannot form their next flight on time. However when this occurs en masse Pushka, flight and cabin crew rosters must be hugely disrupted and eventually create situations of staff being unavailable because they have gone to the airport, waited for a hugely delayed flight, run 'out of permitted hours' and had to go home, then requiring a minimum number of hours off before they can again assume a tour of duty.

Hopefully the delays will be minimised and then schedules can be pretty much back to normal. Although fuel has dropped in price, the extra fuel consumed from these huge delays (including extra long holding patterns) must be very significant.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

While not all CX flights are now delayed, there are still some suffering from serious late running.

CX162 departed SYD today two minutes short of two hours late at 1203 and is only just arriving in HKG at about 1925, two and a half hours late. CX134, the morning 0740 hours from MEL was 54 minutes late today departing, subsequently arriving 53 minutes late.

Tonight's CX135 from HKG (the 1910 hours) is not forecast to depart until 2015, meaning that CX134 from MEL on Wednesday 27 May will again be late for the fifth or sixth consecutive day. The day flight CX163 from HKG today (Tuesday 26) did not leave until 1155, an hour and 20 late and is suggested as an hour and a half late tonight into MEL at 2320, unusually delaying the redeye from its usual 2340 departure to 0020 on Wednesday morning ex MEL. There is further rain (heavy at times) forecast for HKG in the next 24 hours.

Some small number of years ago the ABC in Oz ran the British series 'worst jobs in history.' At present, being in the CX operations or staffing departments would have to be a contender. Imagine the work involved (even if much is automated) in continually shifting rostered 'tours of duty' and balancing limitations such as pilots' monthly maximum hours restriction, circumstances where staff have arrived at the airport only to have to go home again due to a flight being hours off from departing and so on.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

My cx flight today was an hour late departing but due to Chinese airspace closure.

The weather delays this week affect all airlines just not CX. Taipei has been at capacity handling diversions too

 

[mannej]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

CX170 out of PER didn't depart until a touch after 4am this morning (normally an 11:55pm departure).

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thank you trippin_the_rift and mannej. I have been concentrating on SYD and MEL delays for CX as these are its busiest Australian airports of call. Some delays turn out to be worse than estimated by CX. Last night (26 May) CX135 did not depart at the amended time of 2015 but at 2132, meaning a MEL arrival this morning at 0859, two hours and 39 minutes late. CX134 was supposedly to depart MEL at 0940 but a 41 minute turnaround is impossible for an A330: more likely departure may be at 1010. The 0010 this morning departure (CX105) did not leave HKG until 0201 and hence is not arriving in MEL until 1310, an hour and 40 minutes late, so CX104, the 1420 hours from MEL today may be marginally behind time.

CX111 was 88 minutes late arriving in SYD this morning at 0738, while CX161 arrived 54 minutes late at 0939. CX110 departed SYD 92 minutes late at 0902 this morning (27 May) while CX162 is forecast to be 45 minutes late leaving SYD at 1050.

As mannej alluded to, the incoming CX171 that is timetabled to arrive PER at 2235 did not pull in until the unseemly hour of 0246, resulting in the above delay to CX170.

CX103 overnight from HKG to CNS and BNE departed two hours and 43 minutes late at 2158, and is expected to be two hours and 49 minutes late arriving in BNE at 1029. CX146 from BNE has been amended to depart at 1130 in lieu of the normal 0900 for its journey to CNS and on to HKG. Even CX174 from ADL to HKG was marginally late this morning, quite unusual, departing at 0702 instead of 0625.

At present CX must be the least punctual airline between Australia and Europe, although at times QF9 from MEL via DXB gives it some 'competition' in the unpunctuality stakes. Of the sample of HKG - Europe flights that I looked at for late evening 26 and super early morning (0015 to MAN and so on) 27 May departures, every flight was late, varing between 45 minutes and almost four hours behind time departing HKG.

I thought by now CX may have begun to run on time but accumulated delays plus ongoing, intermittent heavy rain along with PRC military requirements at other Chinese airports and perhaps staff rosters being thrown into near chaos make returning to normal on time or close to it operation difficult.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Cathay Pacific Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

CX135 this morning (Tuesday 4 August ex HKG overnight) to MEL did not arrive until 0944, just under three and a half hours late. CX134 is forecast to depart three hours and 10 minutes late at 1050, but 1100 ex the 'Mexican' capital is more likely. It would be interesting to know how many on board will miss connections, although the A333s CX uses are not high capacity.