MEL-HBA, EIGHT flights??

[JackMiles]

Hi all,
So we got a notification from QF about timing changes to an upcoming (April) MEL-HBA flight (not the only one we've received in the last few days - QF seem to be doing a lot of fiddling at the moment). Anyway, this change left us with a pretty tight connection from the preceding PER-MEL flight. Do-able if PER-MEL runs on time, but tight.
So I checked the schedule for alternatives and was very surprised to find EIGHT QF flights scheduled for MEL-HBA that day (and every day around then) plus FIVE JQ flights!
This seems an awful lot of flights, and of course I thought about the recent kerfuffle with QF selling seats on flights they have no intention of running. Do folk think this is what's happening here? Or could there possibly be demand for 13 flights MEL-HBA in mid-April (so, eg, not around Dark mof_)?
Curiously, the 8 QF flights are 4 QF-operated with flight numbers 10xx, and 4 operated by Qantaslink - National Jet with flight numbers 15xx, and they mostly run in 'pairs', departing around, or even at exactly, the same time.
And if I run a dummy booking, only the 4 Q-link/NatJet flights (+ the 5 JQ ones) are currently showing availability.
So what's going on? Will QF consolidate these flights closer to the time or am I imagining shenanigans where there actually are none?

 

[offshore171]

So what's going on?

School holidays would be a factor I think.

 

[Harrison_133]

Curiously, the 8 QF flights are 4 QF-operated with flight numbers 10xx, and 4 operated by Qantaslink - National Jet with flight numbers 15xx, and they mostly run in 'pairs', departing around, or even at exactly, the same time.

As you say, they are doing a lot of fiddling with the schedule at the moment. I don't recall QF ever having as many as 8 daily services on MEL-HBA, and I doubt they'd start now.

They are just shuffling aircraft around. Initially the 717s had been removed from MEL-HBA and replaced by all 737. Similarly, 717s were gone from MEL-LST and replaced by all Q300. Both of those have been reversed. We'll probably see further changes as the A220s are introduced.

Given the 737 services have been zeroed out, the 717 flights will most likely be the ones operating (and are on sale).

 

[JackMiles]

School holidays would be a factor I think.

Hmm, you're right, it is school hols but still, thirteen flights?

 

[offshore171]

Hmm, you're right, it is school hols but still, thirteen flights?

There's no option to drive

 

[JackMiles]

As you say, they are doing a lot of fiddling with the schedule at the moment. I don't recall QF ever having as many as 8 daily services on MEL-HBA, and I doubt they'd start now.

They are just shuffling aircraft around. Initially the 717s had been removed from MEL-HBA and replaced by all 737. Similarly, 717s were gone from MEL-LST and replaced by all Q300. Both of those have been reversed. We'll probably see further changes as the A220s are introduced.

Given the 737 services have been zeroed out, the 717 flights will most likely be the ones operating (and are on sale).

Thanks Harrison. Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly does "zeroed out" mean? I've heard the term before but don't really know what it means precisely - hasn't affected us before We are booked on one of the 737 services, so I just want to know what to expect.

Post automatically merged: Feb 9, 2024

There's no option to drive

Haha, welllll, there sort of is; take car on the Spirit of Tas.

 

[RooFlyer]

Curiously, the 8 QF flights are 4 QF-operated with flight numbers 10xx, and 4 operated by Qantaslink - National Jet with flight numbers 15xx, and they mostly run in 'pairs', departing around, or even at exactly, the same time.

That sounds like the key thing here. I reckon only one of those pairs in each case will run. Question is - which one?

There's no option to drive

Other than via the Spirit of Tasmania, you mean?

 

[Bundy Bear]

Qantas wouldn't list flights that they have little intention of taking, wait, what

 

[JackMiles]

Question is - which one?

Thanks, RooFlyer. Indeed, that is exactly my question.

 

[Aurorasky]

I'm not seeing any more than the usual 4 QF flights maybe a glitch?

 

[TheInsider]

I'm not seeing any more than the usual 4 QF flights maybe a glitch?

Probably. Would be nice to see a screenshot.

 

[dylarr]

Thanks Harrison. Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly does "zeroed out" mean? I've heard the term before but don't really know what it means precisely - hasn't affected us before We are booked on one of the 737 services, so I just want to know what to expect.

It means the inventory (seats) have been removed (zeroed out), effectively removing the flight from sale.

I just checked on ExpertFlyer on a few days in April, and where they have the duplicate flights set up, the 737 flights have been zeroed out, so these are likely to be the ones that will be cancelled. I'd expect in the near future Qantas will move all the pax across to the 717 services and then formally cancel the 737 ones.

 

[Harrison_133]

Probably. Would be nice to see a screenshot.

 

[randompunter]

Yep I posted about a similar issue in 2022 when they had 4 pairs of flights TSV - BNE; a mix of QF mainline 737s, QLink 717s and Alliance Ejets. I think in the end 4 flights went - the 717s were subbed out for the E190s but they also had pairs of 737s listed simultaneously so no idea what that was about. Typical Qantas IT nonsense. Annoying if booking partner awards via AA connecting onto non QF international and you want to avoid potential re-ticketing problems as flights are deleted.

 

[JackMiles]

It means the inventory (seats) have been removed (zeroed out), effectively removing the flight from sale.

I just checked on ExpertFlyer on a few days in April, and where they have the duplicate flights set up, the 737 flights have been zeroed out, so these are likely to be the ones that will be cancelled. I'd expect in the near future Qantas will move all the pax across to the 717 services and then formally cancel the 737 ones.

Thanks very much, Dylan. Appreciate the explanation.

 

[maroonone]

If you go to booking on any individual day, only one set of flight 15xx flight numbers show. Obviously the timetable pages havent been updated.

 

[dylarr]

but they also had pairs of 737s listed simultaneously so no idea what that was about. Typical Qantas IT nonsense.

It seems that changes from operating entity from Mainline -> QantasLink (i.e. 737 to 717) (or vice versa) require new flight numbers to be set up. But if it's QantasLink -> QantasLink (i.e. Q400 -> Q300) or Mainline > Mainline (i.e. 737 -> A330) then the existing flight number is preserved.

I'm assuming it needs to be done in a very specific sequence to avoid pax getting erroneous automated schedule change/cancellation notifications, hence a period where they have the new and old flight in the system side by side.

 

[JackMiles]

If you go to booking on any individual day, only one set of flight 15xx flight numbers show. Obviously the timetable pages havent been updated.

Well but also our booking was on a 10xx flight number. And still was when notified of the time changes.

Post automatically merged: Feb 9, 2024

Well but also our booking was on a 10xx flight number. And still was when notified of the time changes.

And I did point that only the 15xx flights showed as bookable in my original post.