Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Himeno]

No wonder that air traffic controllers need flights at times to be differentiated with a 'D' for 'delayed' suffix in their flight number.

It isn't always "D". The airline can use any call sign for the flight they want, as long as it fits ICAO standards. Some airlines could use "X", others could just use a different number for ATC use. eg, A delayed QF74 could be "QF74" as far as the public knows, but "QF7074" as an ATC call sign.

 

[Melburnian1]

Touch wood - by Wednesday night, most long haul operations should be back to normal.

We must all need to touch more wood, because on Wednesday 6 January QF63 is apparently most unusually going to operate in two sectors: SYD to PER then PER to JNB.

It is carrying the same flight number throughout so that implies the same aircraft. QF suggests that while departure will be 55 minutes late at 1230 tomorrow, the PER stop from 1430 to 1530 means a JNB arrival at 2000 hours, three and a half hours behind time. In turn, the Wednesday 6's QF64 should depart at 2000 on Thursday 7, meaning a 25 hour late arrival in SYD at 1650 hours.

The Monday evening QF64 (4 January) that did not run has been altered to depart at 2300 hours on Wednesday 6 January from JNB, with a Thursday predicted arrival at 1950, 28 hours late.

These qualify as another example of the 'rolling delays' that AFF member JohnPhelan and others mentioned months ago in relation to QF's allegedly ill advised withdrawal (and scrapping in the USA?) of two B744s.

With BNE airport having received 30 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours to 0900 on Tuesday 5 January, and another 42mm in the next ten and a half hours to 1930 tonight, it is perhaps no surprise that www.flightradar24.com has it top of the pops worldwide for delays at present. QF655 (B738 VH-XZC) took off at 1831, 81 minutes after its pushback time of 1710, and is in a holding pattern northwest of BNE with arrival suggested as about 2025, but possibly later.

QF632 (the 1805 MEL north to BNE, B738 VH-VZB) took off at 1923 and is holding southwest of OOL airport with nominal arrival noted as just after 2030, which will be about 80 minutes behind time. QF548, the 1905 hours SYd - BNE did not take off until 2020 with arrival predicted as about 2045 in the shape of B738 VH-XZI.

QF978 from BNE to TSV is expected to depart 70 minutes down at 2105 hours AEST. QF2360 from BNE to ROK departed 80 minutes late at 1955 hours, arriving 74 late at 2104.

 

[Flyerqf]

QF63 will be carrying a 5th engine and due to extra weight will need to refuel in Perth.

This is to rescue OJU which is stranded in JNB and couldn't operate yesterday's QF64.

 

[JessicaTam]

credit: http://australianaviation.com.au/wp...747-438-Qantas-Perth-18-07-11-Greg-Wood-2.jpg



Just tucked under the wing, and off it goes.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

We must all need to touch more wood, because on Wednesday 6 January QF63 is apparently most unusually going to operate in two sectors: SYD to PER then PER to JNB.

It is carrying the same flight number throughout so that implies the same aircraft.

Wonder if they'll sell a domestic leg SYD/PER on QF63?

 

[Flyerqf]

There will be further delays tomorrow plus one flight will need to overnight due to the 744 shortage.

 

[Melburnian1]

Wonder if they'll sell a domestic leg SYD/PER on QF63?

Oz, a great idea but probably at this time of year the flight would be full or extremely close to it.

A further delay with the Monday QF74 from SFO to SYD (timetabled to depart at 2326 hours) not departing until 0513 - a shocking wait for passengers - on Tuesday, meaning Wednesday arrival at 1430, five and a half hours late.

From a quick check it may be that the QF26 arrival (B744 VH-OEG) from HND on Wednesday morning (coming in 23 early at 0912 hours) may be forming the 'five engine' QF63 SYD to PER and JNB that is delayed to a 1230 departure. They are both shown as using gate 61.

Is three hours sufficient to fit an engine to a wing?

I do not like to exaggerate but surely the QF B744 route network is approaching the temporary status of 'chaos.'

 

[Himeno]

Wonder if they'll sell a domestic leg SYD/PER on QF63?

I doubt it. Last time they did a V-pod (QF73 in 2011), they had to stop in HNL and carried almost no pax due to the extra weight of the engine.

 

[bosox76]

Does anyone know if the 744 delays have been affecting the SYD-YVR flights? Mrs B are due to fly out on the 9th. :shock:

 

[OATEK]

credit: http://australianaviation.com.au/wp...747-438-Qantas-Perth-18-07-11-Greg-Wood-2.jpg

View attachment 62079

Just tucked under the wing, and off it goes.

Always prefer a vehicle with a full size spare!

 

[Melburnian1]

Does anyone know if the 744 delays have been affecting the SYD-YVR flights? Mrs B are due to fly out on the 9th. :shock:

bosox76, no, thus far the SYD - YVR and return flights have generally been punctual or close to it, a good sign, but with the B744s experiencing problems, we cannot predict which route(s) will be adversely affected as 'it depends' (and Lady Luck can play her part - no one at QF would have known in advance that a B744 would be stranded at JNB as is presently the case.)

The overnight delayed B744 running QF25 from SYD to HND (which was to depart on Wednesday 6 January at 0800 hours) has now been put back to an 0845 hours departure, but this still gives plenty of time for the turnaround in Japan.

The 6 January QF73 (SYD to SFO) is expected to be delayed from 1500 hours ex SYD to a new departure time of 1600.

QF136, the 1520 hours mid afternoon Tuesday 5 January flight from CHC to SYD did not depart until 0757 on Wednesday - most unusual - and arrived this morning (Wednesday 6) at 0908, 16 hours late, operated by B738 VH-XZA.

QF1509 from SYD to HBA is delayed in its departure from 1000 to an expected 1255 - a significant wait for passengers at both ends.

QF2262 from SYD to LDH has been cancelled, as has QF2512 this morning from BNE to MKY and this afternoon's BNE - MOV QF2466. A recent post by an AFFer claimed that QF was regularly only notifying passengers of MOV cancellations at the last minute to reduce the number booking with VA.

QF1536 from MEL to CBR is delayed an expected 80 minutes from 1525 to 1645 in departing.

QF2421, the 0945 from BNE to NTL is not forecast to depart until 1415. Presumably with all the rain there are problems in the Hunter: flooding at the airport, or poor visibility?

 

[Melburnian1]

The overnight delayed QF25 departed SYD at 0905 on Wednesday 6 January, 65 minutes later than QF forecast last night, with arrival in HND predicted as 1630 this afternoon.

Tonight's QF25 has been delayed until 1200 on Thursday 7 January with arrival at 2000 hours tomorrow night, so not happy timers on the major QF Japanese route, especially given that ANA has joined JAL as a competitor to QF in recent months.

The altered 'five engine' QF63 departed SYD at 1316, 46 minutes later than QF had been suggesting this morning. The Perth stop is now forecast as 1446 to 1600 WST and JNB arrival should be at 2000, three hours and 25 minutes late.

 

[bosox76]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply. Much appreciated. Here's keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the YVR flights don't get caught up in the delays.

 

[Melburnian1]

The Wednesday 6 January SYD - SFO B744 (QF73) that was advised as delayed in departing from 1500 hours to 1600 has been further put back to 1830 hours.

The 1250 hours QF27 departed SYD today at 1337. SCL arrival is expected to be 35 minutes late at 1155.

 

[Melburnian1]

B744 VH-OJS operating the 'five engine' SYD to PER (refuelling stop) - JNB delayed QF63 on Wednesday 6 January pulled out of the terminal at 1625 WST, later than QF's prediction of 1600 hours after arriving in PER at 1452, so the stop was an hour and 34 minutes.

I assume that passengers had to alight and then board (and go through security to do so.)

 

[JessicaTam]

B744 VH-OJS operating the 'five engine' SYD to PER (refuelling stop) - JNB delayed QF63 on Wednesday 6 January pulled out of the terminal at 1625 WST, later than QF's prediction of 1600 hours after arriving in PER at 1452, so the stop was an hour and 34 minutes.

I assume that passengers had to alight and then board (and go through security to do so.)

I think it unlikely that pax had to move from their seats. It was a refuelling stop, not a embark/disembark stop. Happy to be corrected if that is not the case.

 

[Melburnian1]

JessicaTam, in Australia are not airlines 'paranoid' about not allowing passengers on board while refuelling occurs? Likewise, happy to be corrected but that's my occasional experience in previous years.

The now largely discontinued practice of international airlines operating triangular routings (such as DEL - SYD - MEL - DEL or the same for MNL, or vice versa, to name two, one on AI, the other PR) invariably saw passengers required to alight if say the flight first called at SYD but the passengers' destination was MEL.

QF suggests that the delayed QF63 will arrive in JNB at 2042 tonight. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to detach the engine from VH-OJS. For the engineers among us, is it a complex procedure or (in engineering or maintenance challenges) relatively straightforward?

I assume that this aircraft, OJS will be the one heading back to SYD tonight South African time, as surely placing the engine on the defective B744 currently sitting on the JNB tarmac would take quite a while.

Should there be further unanticipated delays, then the SYD curfew may again come into play. The flight back (nonstop) is normally a trifle under 12 hours.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The now largely discontinued practice of international airlines operating triangular routings (such as DEL - SYD - MEL - DEL or the same for MNL, or vice versa, to name two, one on AI, the other PR) invariably saw passengers required to alight if say the flight first called at SYD but the passengers' destination was MEL.

I was on the AI triangular flight last year and SYD pax stayed on the plane in MEL, just as the MEL originating pax stayed on board while the plane was refueled for its trip to DEL.

 

[JessicaTam]

JessicaTam, in Australia are not airlines 'paranoid' about not allowing passengers on board while refuelling occurs? Likewise, happy to be corrected but that's my occasional experience in previous years.

The now largely discontinued practice of international airlines operating triangular routings (such as DEL - SYD - MEL - DEL or the same for MNL, or vice versa, to name two, one on AI, the other PR) invariably saw passengers required to alight if say the flight first called at SYD but the passengers' destination was MEL.

QF suggests that the delayed QF63 will arrive in JNB at 2042 tonight. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to detach the engine from VH-OJS. For the engineers among us, is it a complex procedure or (in engineering or maintenance challenges) relatively straightforward?

I assume that this aircraft, OJS will be the one heading back to SYD tonight South African time, as surely placing the engine on the defective B744 currently sitting on the JNB tarmac would take quite a while.

Should there be further unanticipated delays, then the SYD curfew may again come into play. The flight back (nonstop) is normally a trifle under 12 hours.

Quite often I have boarded a QF flight and pax have been told over the PA not to fasten seat-belts until refuelling has finished.

 

[Himeno]

Quite often I have boarded a QF flight and pax have been told over the PA not to fasten seat-belts until refuelling has finished.

As have I. On other airlines as well. I've made a habit of not fastening the belt upon boarding until the light is on.

Weather or not pax get off while on a stop over for a same aircraft continuing flight depends on the laws/requirements of the local country and the destination. I believe that CX889 (JFK-YVR-HKG), people continuing to HKG don't have to get off at YVR, while on CX888 to JFK, they do.