Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[phily]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Unless you have an 0800 breakfast business meeting scheduled in The City.

With a scheduled arrival time at LHR of 5.10 a.m. you are cutting that real fine. Too close for my liking.

 

[phily]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

..frustrating that the engineering problem that nixxed the aircraft wasn't discovered until a few minutes before scheduled boarding...

I often wonder in such cases whether the fault was really discovered at the last minute, or perhaps before they started loading passengers and they just hoped that the problem could be resolved in time.

 

[ctrunfree]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

This is another problem with DXB as a hub…any delays are likely to put the flight crew over their time limits, which was what eventually happened last night. I have a QF/Finnair trip already booked in July, but after that its CX or SQ for this little black duck..

 

[jb747]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

I often wonder in such cases whether the fault was really discovered at the last minute, or perhaps before they started loading passengers and they just hoped that the problem could be resolved in time.

When passenger loading starts, the preflight is under way....and one of its purposes, is to look for problems.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

From not long after what Melbourne Airport - Flight Information, Shopping & Parking claimed was the official cancellation time of 2139 last night, QF9 was altered to depart at 1300 today (St Patrick's Day) which is 20 hours and 45 minutes late.

It appears to be only operating as far as DXB, which is logical if it is so late. QF10 ex LHR tonight (local London time) is cancelled to DXB. Presumably those passengers will be conveyed on EK4, QF2 or EK6 depending on which has sufficient seats.

This is not the first time that Customs and Border protection have had to get 'organised.' Surely it's a bit like an accounting 'reversal?' It's not as if there aren't plenty of Customs staff already at the airport, as there are arriving flights. The SmartGate terminals might have to be programmed to accept these QF9 "transit" passengers though.

Will the flight and cabin crew who were at the airport last night welcoming passengers aboard have had sufficient rest to be able to take out the delayed QF9 at 1300 today (which is an earlier sign on than 1300 for the crew), or is a completely new set of staff required? For the QF staff who live further from the airport, these sort of occurrences must be a bit peeving, even though it's part and parcel of any transport operator's business.

As ctrunfree asserts, DXB with its limited QF own metal operations is inflexible compared to the previous situation where SIN, for instance, was a major hub (although not with identical aircraft types on all routes to and from).

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

There is no such thing as a spare 380.

I thought that the MEL - DXB - LHR - DXB - MEL and SYD - DXB - LHR - DXB - SYD rosters each required 3 x A380s, while MEL - LAX - MEL and SYD - LAX - SYD rosters each required 2 x A380s, while SYD - HKG - SYD requires 1 x A380. I am simplifying things because these planes through work from LHR to LAX and so on, but this total only comes to 11 of the 12.

Planned maintenance must occur, but are you saying 'no spares' because one of the 12 will always be in for planned maintenance (as opposed to a failure in service - 'tech)?

 

[Robbi]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

QF9 now finally cancelled- after loading luggage and letting us sit on the plane for over 3 hours. Customs reportedly wouldn't let anyone come back through until they got organised, which took over an hour after the flight was officially cancelled. Chaotic scenes in the terminal with a couple of QF ground staff trying to find accommodation for hundreds of people, and on GP weekend! A total of 10 hours at the airport..frustrating that the engineering problem that nixxed the aircraft wasn't discovered until a few minutes before scheduled boarding...

They say we'll try again today...

Better 10 minutes before boarding than something fails midway into the flight.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

ctrunfree, did you just go home by car (if you are are a Melbourne or Victorian resident), or obtain a taxi voucher or hotel overnight? Which hotel?

I would be surprised if Melburnians on the flight would be offered hotel accommodation as the Grand Prix would mean that these were fairly hard to find (even though some attendees would have gone back to SYD, BNE, PER and so on via Sunday night flights) so it would be easier to give a taxi voucher.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

If there are no or few seats on various EK flights, will QF put at least its high SC or FF members onto other carriers (such as CX or MH) whose flights typically depart at 2355 - 0105 for LHR, or do they have to wait until the morning for a suitable replacement flight?

Not much use for the many pax who would be disembarking in DXB!

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Not much use for the many pax who would be disembarking in DXB!

True, and sorry for not clarifying that I was referring to LHR bound patrons not those travelling to DXB. What is the typical split between (on QF1 and QF9) SYD or MEL to DXB, and these Australian cities to LHR? Some would connect in DXB to other European cities via an EK flight.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

1300 has come and gone. Still no sign of boarding what has now become QF9D - 'D' for 'delayed' to avoid confusion with the "real" Monday 17 March's QF 9 that is due to leave MEL in a tad over three hours.

 

[Fruitcake]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Still no sign of boarding what has now become QF9D - 'D' for 'delayed' to avoid confusion with the "real" Monday 17 March's QF 9 that is due to leave MEL in a tad over three hours.

Alternatively, the D suffix may indicate the 'service' will be 'operated' by a DHC-8-Q400.

 

[Brettmcg]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

QF9 on 16MAR14 was delayed initially because of issues with air con, HHD systems and PAC backflow. Operating crew would have run out of hours before reaching DXB and so a new crew from reserve was scrambled at around 1730 and a new slot time of 1930 was organised. Service was then cancelled/delayed until today when a number of issues including the Customs & Immigration mentioned above made it obvious that getting it out last night was not possible.

The QF9D is now underway operated by the same aircraft scheduled for yesterday's service (OQD).

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

QF9D departed MEL at 1325 with a projected arrival in DXB of 2030.

Confusingly, on Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker! it is shown as 'QF9' which means that things being well, there will be two QF9s within three hours of each other tracking across Oz.

 

[JessicaTam]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

From not long after what Melbourne Airport - Flight Information, Shopping & Parking claimed was the official cancellation time of 2139 last night, QF9 was altered to depart at 1300 today (St Patrick's Day) which is 20 hours and 45 minutes late.

It appears to be only operating as far as DXB, which is logical if it is so late. QF10 ex LHR tonight (local London time) is cancelled to DXB. Presumably those passengers will be conveyed on EK4, QF2 or EK6 depending on which has sufficient seats.

This is not the first time that Customs and Border protection have had to get 'organised.' Surely it's a bit like an accounting 'reversal?' It's not as if there aren't plenty of Customs staff already at the airport, as there are arriving flights. The SmartGate terminals might have to be programmed to accept these QF9 "transit" passengers though.

Will the flight and cabin crew who were at the airport last night welcoming passengers aboard have had sufficient rest to be able to take out the delayed QF9 at 1300 today (which is an earlier sign on than 1300 for the crew), or is a completely new set of staff required? For the QF staff who live further from the airport, these sort of occurrences must be a bit peeving, even though it's part and parcel of any transport operator's business.

As ctrunfree asserts, DXB with its limited QF own metal operations is inflexible compared to the previous situation where SIN, for instance, was a major hub (although not with identical aircraft types on all routes to and from).

The customs staff aren't just standing around doing nothing. They are rostered according to the expected pax throughput.

It may be, as you say, that the data needs to loaded up into their system to accept the recently outgoing pax as incoming.

I have had a few occasions where I have arrived at the airport 3+ hours before a flight, and the customs staff have had to get a supervisor to 'open' a flight in order to be able to process my passport. So it is not just a case of heading for the exit!

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Yes, when departing, I have also had the customs staff 'open' my flight, but it has never caused a delay of more than a couple of minutes.

 

[JessicaTam]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Yes, when departing, I have also had the customs staff 'open' my flight, but it has never caused a delay of more than a couple of minutes.

My point was more along the lines of having to do something manually when the unexpected occurred. A plane load of departing pax coming back in would certainly be unexpected.

 

[jb747]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

QF9D departed MEL at 1325 with a projected arrival in DXB of 2030.

Confusingly, on Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker! it is shown as 'QF9' which means that things being well, there will be two QF9s within three hours of each other tracking across Oz.

No. Within the ATC system, there will be a 9D, and a 9.

 

[bass_ke]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Also consider this Melburnian, as JT had stated staff may have been present doing exactly as you describe, dealing with scheduled arrivals. The need to get Organized would come from keeping actual int'l arrivals and the offloaded pax separated, that takes a decent effort.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The QANTAS Source | informs me that yesterday (Sunday 23 March) QF11 from SYD to LAX was not timetabled to operate (hence, strictly not a 'cancellation') as there was a charter using VH-OEH to the same destination. There was also a charter using VH-OEJ from SYD to a very unusual destination, PHX.

In addition, something that the 'Source' website does not yet say, it seems that QF9 from MEL to LHR did not operate today (Monday 24 March 2014).

Is it the time of year when QF operates charters for the Exclusive Brethren cult or was there some other reason?