Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF917 Karratha to Perth via Port Hedland (Magical mystery tour)

Thank you whughes3 for the confirmation.

Even tonight a few delays remain, although as always longer turnarounds than the minimum help to bring most planes back on schedule.

QF458, the 1800 hours from MEL to SYD did not take off until 1849 and therefore is forecast to be 26 minutes late into SYD.

The fog at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport this morning but not elsewhere in the city shows how localised weather can be. It is notable that the Bureau of Meteorology completely failed to predict this (at least in its general weather forecast used by the general public.) Fog may be extremely difficult to plan for in aviation as when it rises must be unpredictable, but the comment a pilot made to ATC in MEL this morning about 'it would have been nice to know (in advance)' - he appeared to be talking about the expected minutes of delay to his flight - sticks in my mind, as does ATC's constant verbal refrain that the delays shown by 'the system' were not a good predictor of probable delays.

The months pass by and memories are not infallible, but for MEL this may be the most significant fog to date in calendar 2015. Then again we had light snow within the last week in the Victorian Alps so nothing is impossible.

The cost of a single fog like this to each of the QF and VA group must be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars even though aviation jet turbine and other fuel prices are at what the community considers a very low level at present.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF917 Karratha to Perth via Port Hedland (Magical mystery tour)

The arriving QF30 ex HKG is expected into MEL at 0940 in lieu of 0800 on Sunday 6 December. A CX flight into MEL is also late, in its case two and a half hours behind time.

 

[jb747]

Re: QF917 Karratha to Perth via Port Hedland (Magical mystery tour)

MEL this morning (5/12) was a mess because of fog: very strange, because there was little or no fog evident round the city or on the way to the airport, but once you got there and facing airside round 7:30, it was solid pea soup! QF 420 was delayed by almost 1 hour because the cabin crew were from one of the diverted flights.

Nothing strange about it. Fog is often quite localised.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF917 Karratha to Perth via Port Hedland (Magical mystery tour)

QF636, the 2005 MEL to BNE on Sunday 6 December has only just taken off at 2119 and hence is forecast to be in BNE at 2218 instead of 2115 hours. B738 VH-VZV is the plane.

QF489, the 2015 SYD to MEL took off very late at 2145 and is due in MEL 64 minutes behind time at 2254 (B738 VH-VYJ.) QF821 from CBR to MEL will be a forecast 53 minutes late arriving at 2303 late tonight (B738 VH-VXN) while QF491, the 2030 southbound from SYD to MEL is running about 55 minutes late, being now due at 2300 with VH-VZR the operating aircraft.

QF555 from BNE to SYD is almost in the latter and expected to arrive at 2224, 54 minutes late (B738 VH-VYH.) QF557, the 1915 hours ex BNE is not far behind QF555 with 557 expected in SYD 41 minutes late at 2231, VH-VZY, a ubiquitous B738 operating the flight.

Northbound (SYD to BNE) QF552, the 2005 departure took off at 2135 hours on 6 December and should arrive BNE 64 minutes late at 2139 hours Queensland time.

Eastbound QF776 from PER to MEL (A332 VH-EBQ) should be off blocks at 1700 WST but did not take off until 1830, now being due in MEL at 0032 on Monday 7 December instead of 2335 this evening (Sunday 6 December.) QF584 from PER to ADL, the 1710 hours flight took off at 1854 and should be in the South Australian capital at 2341 rather than 23230 hours with the aircraft being VH-VYF, another B738.

So it is a mistake to assume that just because the weather is relatively benign, there is no late running. VA has also had its fair share of problems this evening.

 

[Kefci2000]

Power failure (head office?) tonight caused a delay of well over an hour, mainly on the tarmack as we boarded on time.
QF466 7.45pm left at around 9pm.
Later flights also delayed, but should make SYD curfew.

Could not get load factors to enable departure.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF's punctuality on the Oz east coast - NZ routes is usually fairly good but today (Monday 7 December 2015) QF144, the 0840 hours from AKL has yet to depart for SYD and is expected to do so at 1520 hours, meaning arrival at 1700 rather than 1020, a six hour 40 minute delay or about twice the usual point to point flight duration including taxiing time. From the gate numbers allocated it then appears to be forming the 1755 hours to WLG that is not showing as 'late' yet - QF163.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF35 on Tuesday 8 December 2015, the 1220 from MEL to SIN must have been declared defective as it is not now departing until 0900 hours on Wednesday 9 December, meaning a projected 1355 hours arrival tomorrow instead of a 1720 hours one today. Advice from passengers as to what arrangements (which hotel, meals, taxi vouchers, bus transfers) were made (if any) would be interesting.

I had thought that this flight forms QF52 from SIN to BNE but that is showing as on time tonight, as is the return QF36 from SIN to MEL.

QF82 from SIN to SYD on Tuesday 8 has been delayed more than 24 hours to a revised departure time of 1945 hours on Wednesday 9 December. Arrival is projected at 0610 on thursday 10 December, 24 hours late.

To be fair to QF it has not had much trouble with its A332/A333 flights in recent days save for weather-related delays, but unfortunately the gremlins had to again strike at some stage.

Tuesday's QF29 from MEL to HKG departed 46 minutes late at 1211 and is forecast to shortly arrive 50 minutes late at 1845 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

Probably because of the delay to the Tuesday 8 December MEL to SIN QF35 A333 VH-QPB), which departed at 0934 on Wednesday 9 December as QF35D and is resulting in a 24 hour delay to Tuesday nights SIN to SYD QF82, today's (Wednesday 9) QF19 from SYD to MNL has been delayed from its usual 1225 departure to a forecast 1105 on Thursday 10 December, with MNL arrival at 1610 hours on hursday instead of 1730 on Wednesday.

In turn, because the SYD curfew makes arrival impossible prior to 0600 hours save for the extremely limited number of international flights allowed to land from 0500 for half the year (three in total if I recall), QF20 from MNL to SYD tonight is expected to depart tomorrow night at the same time - 1900 hours - meaning an exact 24 hour delay and a Friday 11 December SYD arrival.

These delays must be unwelcome as we head towards Christmas and QF and competitors are fully booked or very close to that.

 

[flychrisfly]

ATC have just started to put some of the SYD arrivals into holds, due to the storms rolling through presumably

 

[Orca]

Bloody controllers.

 

[Melburnian1]

A flight crew member of QF582 (the 1330 PER to SYD, operated by A332 VH-EBM) said to a controller at 2031 hours that 'we're not quite prepared to make the approach at present' and is now holding at FL8. So while the controllers may be requesting some aircraft to hold, there is a degree of what a layman might call 'self selection' by pilots and their colleagues. It certainly looks to be a fair storm from the Australia's official weather forecasts & weather radar - Bureau of Meteorology site.

 

[moa999]

Pretty heavy on the ground but looks like it will move through fairly quickly

 

[Melburnian1]

At 2101 hours on Wednesday 9 December, ATC advised QF551 that it was 'fifth in the queue' to land following the storms in SYD this evening. This flight is the 1755 hours BNE to SYD (B738 VH-VXC) that is timetabled to arrive in SYD at 2030 hours, so it will be after 2110 before it gets to the terminal. Landings are now occurring (at 2102 hours) from the west on Runway 07.

QF551 landed at 2112 so it is even later than suggested in the above paragraph. There is a very large number of aircraft holding, waiting to use Runway 07 into SYD, with less than two hours before the dreaded curfew commences.

QF477, the 1945 hours SYD to MEL took off at about 2113, more than an hour late, so that gives an idea of the departure delays.

Such storms at a time such as 2000 hours must be a nightmare for staff in airline operations departments. No doubt it has occurred before but the logistical challenges in dealing with a rush of flights that were in a holding pattern, added to a strict curfew in SYD, must be immense and quite stressful.

With a quick count on www.flightradar24.com there are at least 17 arrivals (all operators, not just QF) in a holding pattern in the 'Sydney Basin' with several more arriving on 07. There do not yet appear to have been any diversions to other airports.

QF583, the 1930 hours from SYD to PER took off at 2116 hours so it is about an hour and a half late, being operated by VH-EBQ, an A332. This may delay an overnight flight from PER to SYD.

QF462, the 1900 hours from MEL to SYD (A332 VH-EBF) departed at 2026 but will not be at the latter's gate until about 2205 hours, 100 minutes late and hence taking 74 minutes longer than timetabled.

 

[Flyerqf]

QF3 has just missed the curfew

 

[Melburnian1]

Flyerqf, the QF website indicates that Wednesday 9 December's 2225 hours QF3 from SYD to HNL departed at 2309 - after curfew - and will be in HNL at 1200, 55 minutes late, so it appears to have received a dispensation to depart after curfew.

 

[Melburnian1]

The forecast delay to the overnight delayed Wednesday 9 December QF19 from SYD to MNL has now become a 1200 departure today (10 December) with arrival at 1655 this afternoon, in time to form the delayed QF20 at 1900 ex the Philippine capital.

 

[Melburnian1]

The www.qantas.com.au flight status section appears to be inoperable. If one enters a flight for today, it defaults to Monday 7 December. There is a new dropdown menu in the 'times' section (next to th arrival and departure locations) that may be the reason.

Confirmation that others trying to use it are experiencing the same problems would be appreciated.

 

[flychrisfly]

The www.qantas.com.au flight status section appears to be inoperable. If one enters a flight for today, it defaults to Monday 7 December. There is a new dropdown menu in the 'times' section (next to th arrival and departure locations) that may be the reason.

Confirmation that others trying to use it are experiencing the same problems would be appreciated.

It is working for me. The drop down with the times has been there for ages but only appears on sectors with a high flight frequency like SYD MEL.

 

[Melburnian1]

flychrisfly, many thanks. I am acquainted with the drop down menu but today on one PC I used it was displaying differently. I have moved to a different PC: the problem appears to have been fixed.

QF1506 (B717 VH-YQV) from HBA to MEL , the 1720 hours flight took off on 10 December at 1822 hours and should be in MEL at 1922 hours in the early evening, 47 minutes late and unfortunately delaying the 'last' QF southbound of the night, QF1507, by an expected half an hour to 1955 for a 2110 hours arrival in the Apple Isle's major centre.

QF2463 and QF2467, the 1505 and 1625 hours respective departures (Qantaslink) from MOV to BNE were cancelled on 10 December, symptomatic of the decline of mining due to excess supply of some minerals worldwide. QF2527 (VH-QOE), the 1810 hours on the same route departed at 1829 but due to the BNE storms may not arrive until about 2020 hours, half an hour late.

QF548, the 1905 hours from SYD to BNE (VH-VYF) is about 45 minutes late, due into BNE at the gate at about 2020.

 

[Melburnian1]

The 1915 hours scheduled Thursday 10 December QF82 from SIN overnight to SYD took off at 0128 this morning (11 December) and, being operated by A333 refurbished VH-QPB is likely to arrive SYD at 1137, 327 minutes late compared with the timetable of 0610. QF81 today, the 1115 from SYD to SIN is shown as departing from the same gate at which QF81 is nominally supposed to pull into. It is unclear whether QF81 will be formed by another rustled up A332 or A333 or whether the departure has simply not yet been amended on the QF website to show an unavoidable delay if QF82 is turning around in SYD and heading straight back to SIN.

While the 2325 hours QF9 on Thursday did not depart from MEL until 0034 this morning - 69 minutes late, the slower timetable that QF instituted for the northern hemisphere winter gives it an excellent chance of being able to arrive LHR either a bit early or on time. It is of course yet to reach DXB so the amount of time it spends there matters more when the flight leaves MEL late and pulls in still behind time.