Is Qantas for real?

[fr.stephen]

Last week flew SYD-BNE return, this week SYD-MEL return.
Of the four flights, three were cancelled.
Is it just me or is there an extraordinarily high number of flights being cancelled?
Sometimes this has happened with only a few hours notice, meaning a mad scramble to get to a new flight.
Oh, and same thing happened last year, so in the last 6 domestic flights flown on QF, 4 have been cancelled.
What is going on? Why am I feeling like an inconvenience to Qantas?

 

[kpro]

You've been a little unlucky I feel. The last statistics have Qantas at a 3.7% cancellation rate in December, 2.7% mainline.

 

[jb747]

It's just you. Please notify us all of any flights you have planned.

 

[fr.stephen]

It's just you. Please notify us all of any flights you have planned.

Ha ha - is that so QF knows to cancel them?

Post automatically merged: Feb 11, 2024

You've been a little unlucky I feel. The last statistics have Qantas at a 3.7% cancellation rate in December, 2.7% mainline.

Thanks for posting - those are really interesting stats. I thought I was unlucky until today, when tomorrow's flight was cancelled. Let's hope we've seen the last of it.

 

[jb747]

Ha ha - is that so QF knows to cancel them?

So that we'll know not to book on them....

 

[Mattg]

While @fr.stephen has surely been unlucky, I wonder what the most recent cancellation stats are for QF flights on the SYD-BNE and SYD-MEL routes, which is what the OP flew? Those routes seem to be among the first to see cancellations when there are issues (along with SYD-CBR).

 

[Harrison_133]

While @fr.stephen has surely been unlucky, I wonder what the most recent cancellation stats are for QF flights on the SYD-BNE and SYD-MEL routes, which is what the OP flew? Those routes seem to be among the first to see cancellations when there are issues (along with SYD-CBR).

December (Sectors/Arrivals On Time/Departures On Time/Cancellations):



Also the Jan '24 numbers should be out soon.

 

[henrus]

I wonder what the most recent cancellation stats are for QF flights on the SYD-BNE and SYD-MEL routes, which is what the OP flew? Those routes seem to be among the first to see cancellations when there are issues (along with SYD-CBR).

To be fair during peak times SYD-MEL can see flights every 15 minutes and SYD-BNE every 30 minutes meaning that if one return needs to be cancelled it's much easier to rebook than say a once a day route like SYD-HTI.

I've been seeing the flow forward come up via the app a lot lately, I kind of wish it'd become a feature either via status (which currently doesn't exist excluding P1 on a flex fare) or via the fare itself. You just need to look at Air NZ or VA to see how it can be better.

Last week flew SYD-BNE return, this week SYD-MEL return.
Of the four flights, three were cancelled.

Can you share flight numbers, I'm curious to know if it's one of those half hour or 15 minute departure times? tTey often seem to be the first to go. My other question is when where they cancelled (at the airport, day prior etc) and when you did rebook what was the time difference between what you booked and what you traveled?

The reason why I ask the question above about time difference is because there has been a lot of talk about Australia needing EU level compensation but in the case of the EU compensation if you arrive within 2 hours of your scheduled booked time then no compensation is due and on routes like SYD-MEL QF is often able to get the bulk if not all of those wanting to travel to their destination quite quickly due to the number of flights.

What is going on? Why am I feeling like an inconvenience to Qantas?

You don't buy a specific flight or time but a bundle of rights to get you from A to B

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If you go to flight aware, and put in a flight data, (ie, QFxx_) esp later on in the day, and trace back incoming flight, you will see that they put their aircraft into very hard long service during the day.
It might be SYD - PER - ADL - SYD - BNE, ... with very short intervals, in that day of flying.
They can't just tug another plane into the replace the one that goes techno.
Maybe 3 out of 4 that got cancelled, was just bad luck, or its showing the age of their planes.
Sitting at ADL airport, they might 4 spare QF planes at the gates, with nothing seemingly done to them, ie, no bording/de boarding, but those planes might be timed to go to other places.
As mentioned on here in the past, they cant just tug a plane to be filled willy nilly.
So, they probably cancelled it, just like that, and hopefully OP got put onto a later flight.

 

[dajop]

Does the low cancellation rate mean they are cancelling less flights, or getting better at cancelling the flight ls they want to >7 days from departure?

 

[justinbrett]

Does the low cancellation rate mean they are cancelling less flights, or getting better at cancelling the flight ls they want to >7 days from departure?

Well you should be able to tell by the number of sectors scheduled.

Compared to Dec 22, QF increased by 70 or so for SYD-MEL, VA scheduled about 20 fewer. For BNE QF increased by 20, VA down by 3.

So unless QF has significantly grown its capacity on these routes vs VA, and then cancelled more than 7 days out so they’re not reported, I think your theory is far fetched.

 

[Mattg]

Does the low cancellation rate mean they are cancelling less flights, or getting better at cancelling the flight ls they want to >7 days from departure?

FWIW I got a notification this week that QF had cancelled my SYD-MEL flight in May.

Was rebooked on another flight 30 minutes later - which isn’t a problem when it’s done this far out and it doesn’t leave me in a middle seat by the toilets!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If you go into your QFF profile, you can pick aisle or widow, and then do OLCI exactly or as soon as you can after the pling of 23.59 mins to flight, usually you get to pick your seat.
Unless you get the dreaded, "you are checked in but we need to obtain more information from you"/OLCI "(on line check in) is not available, please see a member of staff at the airport who would be happy to assist".
There is a small chance that even after OLCI, and with a BP in your hand, you can still/still can be "kicked" out of your preferred seat, but for me, they have usually put me in the seat I want.
But they also cover their own backs, "due to operational and security reasons, we might have to move you from your preferred seat".

 

[fr.stephen]

If you go into your QFF profile, you can pick aisle or widow, and then do OLCI exactly or as soon as you can after the pling of 23.59 mins to flight, usually you get to pick your seat.
Unless you get the dreaded, "you are checked in but we need to obtain more information from you"/OLCI "(on line check in) is not available, please see a member of staff at the airport who would be happy to assist".
There is a small chance that even after OLCI, and with a BP in your hand, you can still/still can be "kicked" out of your preferred seat, but for me, they have usually put me in the seat I want.
But they also cover their own backs, "due to operational and security reasons, we might have to move you from your preferred seat".

Yeah - last week I had selected 4F on the cancelled BNE-SYD flight, to be bumped to 27F on the flight I was moved to. Couldn't select anything better in the app - I asked at the front desk at the QP and they moved me to 10D.

Today's flight (466) I've been moved to 17E and there's not a single seat available to choose in the App.

 

[fr.stephen]

Can you share flight numbers, I'm curious to know if it's one of those half hour or 15 minute departure times? tTey often seem to be the first to go. My other question is when where they cancelled (at the airport, day prior etc) and when you did rebook what was the time difference between what you booked and what you traveled?

1st Feb BNE-SYD
QF543 (1745) cancelled. Bumped to 549 (1715). Received advice approx T-3
549 inbound delayed and departure changed to 1740.

9th Feb MEL-SYD
QF433 (1000) cancelled. Bumped to 431 (0930). Received advice approx T-22
431 inbound delayed and departure changed to 0945.

12th Feb MEL-SYD
QF470 (1700) cancelled. Bumped to 466 (1630). Received advice approx T-25
at the time of bumpation, 466 was an A330. Its now a 737, with not a single spare seat to choose in seat selection, so I'm now in 17E.

Lets wait and see if 466 gets delayed and ends up leaving at 1700 anyway...

 

[RichardMEL]

The triabgle flights have (

If you go into your QFF profile, you can pick aisle or widow, and then do OLCI exactly or as soon as you can after the pling of 23.59 mins to flight, usually you get to pick your seat.
Unless you get the dreaded, "you are checked in but we need to obtain more information from you"/OLCI "(on line check in) is not available, please see a member of staff at the airport who would be happy to assist".
There is a small chance that even after OLCI, and with a BP in your hand, you can still/still can be "kicked" out of your preferred seat, but for me, they have usually put me in the seat I want.
But they also cover their own backs, "due to operational and security reasons, we might have to move you from your preferred seat".

You forgot the part about your 767 being subbed for a 737.....

 

[henrus]

1st Feb BNE-SYD

See this proves my point that EU style compensation would be no good here in these golden triangle examples. In all cases QF got you to where you wanted to be +/- 1 hour.

 

[fr.stephen]

See this proves my point that EU style compensation would be no good here in these golden triangle examples. In all cases QF got you to where you wanted to be +/- 1 hour.

Maybe they should sell flight windows - flights departing within a 3 hour bracket, and you agree to go on whatever flight they stick you on.
Gosh, I hope they're not reading, I think I've just invented a new class of ticket!

 

[MARTINE]

Maybe they should sell flight windows - flights departing within a 3 hour bracket, and you agree to go on whatever flight they stick you on.
Gosh, I hope they're not reading, I think I've just invented a new class of ticket!

You best claim copyright for that
‘Bundle of Rights For Flights Tonight’

 

[tdimdad]

December (Sectors/Arrivals On Time/Departures On Time/Cancellations):
View attachment 370764
View attachment 370765

Also the Jan '24 numbers should be out soon.

[Slightly off-topic]
Assuming the last column is the cancellation rate (%), what sticks out is the contrast between Rex and Virgin. Given both companies fly in the same conditions - weather, ATC, gate availability, etc - how is that Rex can keep their fleet going much better than Virgin? It's not about the age of the aircraft, either, because Rex runs an old fleet. I haven't checked but I guess that both airlines try to minimise the turnaround times as well, yet one manages to keep the flights going better than the other.
[/Slightly off-topic]