First Qantas A220 revealed

[DC3]

HBA -MEL services also being cancelled (QF 1296) yesterday and again today .Are there certajn issues with the A220 that are out of QF's control ? It seems to be a frequent occurance .

Maybe better used on flights other than Tassie.

 

[nancypants]

Aren’t there still engine issues?

Also the schedules are lightly padded so even slight delays on turnaround (or for example LST only using one set of stairs) and the delays blow out which leads to crew timing out

 

[DC3]

Aren’t there still engine issues?

No over-water flights?

 

[markis10]

Got a source/rationale on that one - I’m hearing the opposite although they are still training a number more crew.

They are still playing catchup in many departments. Not dissimilar to when they took NJS back in house.

 

[nancypants]

My understanding is there’s a series of mismatches- eg lots of FOs checked to line but not many captains (or possibly the other way round) and the rostering complications of not being able to pair a relatively newly qualified (sub-100 hours on type) FO with a similarly experienced captain. Lack of maintenance contracts and procedures for overseas work. Lack of charts and policies for diversion points (eg there has been a debate about whether the alternate for DRW should be KNX or KTR- neither currently set up). Multiple maintenance issues most of which are small/minor eg cabin fitment, tray tables, missing paint and ECAM error messages. Major delays to deliveries

In hindsight the 717 was retired too early, crews were probably taken off it for training too early which has impacted the hours and training of the new crew with the delays to deliveries and also resulted in them having folk sitting around doing nothing

 

[jase05]

Aren’t there still engine issues?

We flew on a couple of them last year in Europe and they seem to be doing a good job over there

 

[TheInsider]

In hindsight the 717 was retired too early, crews were probably taken off it for training too early which has impacted the hours and training of the new crew with the delays to deliveries and also resulted in them having folk sitting around doing nothing

Way too late TBH. They were an operational nightmare. Day after day of disruptions, literally every single day for months.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Way too late TBH. They were an operational nightmare. Day after day of disruptions, literally every single day for months.

Same as we have now

 

[#flying]

I was reading this thread as I watched X4B push back from the J lounge in Melbourne a couple of hours ago and thought to myself that the issues are perhaps overblown.

Sure enough 10 minutes later it returned to the gate, where it has now been sitting for over 2 hours (it had been due to depart for Coffs at 12.30pm and is now 3pm).

Apologies to those on board for jinxing it.

 

[AIRwin]

I was reading this thread as I watched X4B push back from the J lounge in Melbourne a couple of hours ago and thought to myself that the issues are perhaps overblown.

Sure enough 10 minutes later it returned to the gate, where it has now been sitting for over 2 hours (it had been due to depart for Coffs at 12.30pm and is now 3pm).

Apologies to those on board for jinxing it.

Swapped to X4E?

 

[#flying]

Swapped to X4E?

I suspect so. Though it’s equally possible that I’ve simply confused the two (admittedly I was more focused on my chicken noodle soup).

In any event X4B remains motionless at the gate.

 

[DC3]

I was more focused on my chicken noodle soup

 

[nancypants]

Way too late TBH. They were an operational nightmare. Day after day of disruptions, literally every single day for months.

Yeah legit. Simultaneously too late and also too early. coughe fleet planning

Same as we have now

 

[serfty]

Spotted out of MEL ...

 

[RooFlyer]

Qantas customers won’t notice being on older planes, says Hudson

Qantas’ decision to refurbish its ageing fleet will mean customers do not notice they are flying on planes that are up to 12 years old in some cases, chief executive Vanessa Hudson has said.

The decision to refurbish the ageing fleet is due to delays in getting new Airbus A220s and A321s. As part of the refurbishment strategy, Qantas will entirely refit 42 of its 75 Boeing 737s starting from 2027. Qantas previously had planes that were as old as 22 years old, but they will be removed from the fleet.

“There’ll be new seats, there will be free Wi-Fi, there will be new overhead bins, there’ll be new carpets,” Hudson told The Australian Financial Review Business Summit.

“There’s going to also be new parts in our galley. So it’s going to feel like new. We’ve got a number of young 737s, and so these aircraft are going to fly alongside the new aircraft. And from a customer perspective, there will be no visible difference.”

 

[anat0l]

Qantas customers won’t notice being on older planes, says Hudson

Seems like a very odd thing to say.

People know the 737s will be old aircraft. Sure you can refurbish the insides, but an old plane is an old plane.

Of course, old doesn't immediately imply unreliable or unsafe.

 

[TheInsider]

Seems like a very odd thing to say.

Majority of people wouldn't have a clue what age the aircraft is, let alone what type of aircraft they are flying on. It's usually a big one or a small one. People think planes are 'old' because of their interior and how that looks, not because of the age of the aircraft. Obviously, a different demographic here.

 

[elanshin]

Majority of people wouldn't have a clue what age the aircraft is, let alone what type of aircraft they are flying on. It's usually a big one or a small one. People think planes are 'old' because of their interior and how that looks, not because of the age of the aircraft. Obviously, a different demographic here.

Seems like a very odd thing to say.

People know the 737s will be old aircraft. Sure you can refurbish the insides, but an old plane is an old plane.

Of course, old doesn't immediately imply unreliable or unsafe.

I agree with @TheInsider here. My friend and his family most certainly had no clue they were on a VA 737M8 and I didn't exactly point it out to them in case they had fears from the news. I noticed only because I looked out the window and there was a huge engine in my face.

Clean fancy new (modern) and functioning interiors has a lot more effect on the perceptions than actual age of planes. Think about a house, if you fully renovated it, its much harder to tell how old the house is from the interior.

 

[sevenfourtyseven]

The exterior plays a big role as well. A clean, well maintained paint job lends to the overall perception.

i.e. some of those retiring JAL 77W's look like new builds compared to say TG and the older SQ birds.

 

[bPeteb]

Received an email yesterday of schedule changes to flights we have to/from Melbourne later in the year. 'So you can experience our new A220' or something like that. Looking forward to it. J down and Y back.