Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

The Friday 30 December 2016 QF2 has been officially put back from its scheduled 2045 hours departure to a projected 2130, so at this stage that is one flight that would not see passengers qualifying for EU261 compensation.

However the earlier QF10 departure on Friday would qualify with its pushback at 1620 against a timetabled 1155 hours departure.

 

[Melburnian1]

Can you share a link?

A Twitter contribution is hardly definitive, but here is one along with a second contribution suggesting that the delayed flight is almost full and a third complaining about a 'once in a lifetime chance' to see SYD on New Year's Eve - although in the case of the latter, why do passengers leave it until the last minute to get to a special event?

Kirstin McMullan ‏@Kirstin_McM Dec 29
Massive delay on our #Qantas flight back to Sydney - even better that their CEO was onboard!

Kirstin McMullan ‏@Kirstin_McM 16h16 hours ago
Reunited with my fellow 478 passengers, all in the same clothes ready for a 14hour flight back to Sydney after our 24hr delay #delay #flight

Graham Dobson ‏@gdobson1 8h8 hours ago
@Qantas I'm still in the airport. Plane grounded for 24 hours so will miss a once in a lifetime chance To go to Sydney for NYE

 

[Flyerqf]

https://www.facebook.com/Qantas/posts/10154219176287686

 

[Melburnian1]

https://www.facebook.com/Qantas/posts/10154219176287686

Understandable in one sense that the CEO of a multi billion dollar business needs to get back to his Australian base as quickly as possible (after all, he may have clients to meet at NYE parties that for him are not just socialising but business), but the lady has a point in that she's implying that it is perceptions that matter.

She doesn't explain if she was booked in F - that may be unlikely - but she has some right to be aggrieved if she witnesses queue-jumping by AJ.

Have the mainstream media so far ignored this suggestion? I can't see anything publicly showing.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

https://www.facebook.com/Qantas/posts/10154219176287686

it's possible the CEO has a family emergency of his own... an illness in the family or something. Otherwise it would seem poor form for the captain to leave the ship before the passengers.

 

[Melburnian1]

The delayed QF2 ex LHR on Friday 30 December departed at 2209, 84 minutes late, a three hour turnaround - not the best observed. Saturday 31 December 2016 DXB arrival is predicted at 0930, 105 late but a departure time (the schedule is 0935 hours) from DXB and Sunday 1 January 2017 SYD arrival time have yet to be provided publicly by QF.

 

[Flyerqf]

QF really don't handle these situations well.
For example one passenger is claiming that the refund he was offered for the DXB-SYD sector is $238 (the airline says the LHR-DXB sector is $1800).

 

[docjames]

It's not a good look for the CEO to be on the flight out whilst hundreds stranded.

Having said that, would he be eligible (have clearance) to travel in crew seats / "jumpseat"? So thereby not denying a paying customer a seat?

 

[Quickstatus]

This is the published Timetable for QF1,10,2,9:
Usually the aircraft operating QF1 then operated QF10, QF2 then QF9






This is the Flightradar24 timing of VH-OQB which operated QF1 diverted to MCT on 29Dec2016
After arrival into LHR it turned around to operate QF2






This is the FR24 timing of VH-OQF which operated QF9 diverted to DWC and later became inoperable due to a fuel flow sensor




This is the FR24 timing of VH-OQD which after operating an ontime schedule as QF1 - QF10 on 27-28Dec and arriving back into MEL only 17 minutes late then to operate QF9 on 29Dec. From then everything went sour because it had to turn around quickly to operate QF10 on behalf of VH-OQB which was very late

 

[jb747]

It's not a good look for the CEO to be on the flight out whilst hundreds stranded.

Having said that, would he be eligible (have clearance) to travel in crew seats / "jumpseat"? So thereby not denying a paying customer a seat?

Yes, there are a number of ways he could legally be carried in seats that would not be available to commercial passengers.

 

[Melburnian1]

Yes, there are a number of ways he could legally be carried in seats that would not be available to commercial passengers.

Would he still be in comfort?

 

[docjames]

Yes, there are a number of ways he could legally be carried in seats that would not be available to commercial passengers.

Thanks jb747, it may still not be a good look (flying out of a "crisis"), but it might have been useful for QF to demonstrate he didn't take a seat off commercial pax.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thanks jb747, it may still not be a good look (flying out of a "crisis"), but it might have been useful for QF to demonstrate he didn't take a seat off commercial pax.

It hasn't got into the mainstream media as far as one can see, so perhaps the spin doctors are not concerned about such things until (or if) it does.

QF127 (A388 VH-OQJ), the 1100 hours SYD - HKG departed at 1227, subsequently taking off at 1253 but is estimated to pick up some time and arrive 50 minutes late at 1815. This will delay QF128 tonight a little in its departure as the timetable mandates 1950 hours.

The 1225 hours SYD - MNL, QF19 has been delayed from 1225 to an estimated 1300 in its pushback.

 

[Quickstatus]

Thanks jb747, it may still not be a good look (flying out of a "crisis"), but it might have been useful for QF to demonstrate he didn't take a seat off commercial pax.

He may have been with a group of Chairman's Lounge passengers who would have got premium priority.

 

[Flyerqf]

The way I read it was that AJ was always on the Thursday QF2 (and was in fact delayed overnight).
However the unusual thing is the day prior'a QF2 getting priority and the change of aircraft.
It's very unusual for QF operations to delay another flight to rectify another delay. They usually leave the delayed flight further delayed so you only have one load of unhappy customers not two!

When OQE arrived from London a flight plan was in for it to operate the Friday QF2 at 9.35am. A flight plan was in for OQF to operate QF2D at 11am.

Then the plane switched. Luggage was moved from OQF to OQE and QF2D was to be operated at 11am by OQE and the QFD was to be operated at 12.30pm (delayed) by OQF.
At the point that the switch was made, i would say there was a high risk that OQF wasn't going anywhere that day!

 

[Quickstatus]

The way I read it was that AJ was always on the Thursday QF2 (and was in fact delayed overnight).
However the unusual thing is the day prior'a QF2 getting priority and the change of aircraft.
It's very unusual for QF operations to delay another flight to rectify another delay. They usually leave the delayed flight further delayed so you only have one load of unhappy customers not two!

When OQE arrived from London a flight plan was in for it to operate the Friday QF2 at 9.35am. A flight plan was in for OQF to operate QF2D at 11am.

Then the plane switched. Luggage was moved from OQF to OQE and QF2D was to be operated at 11am by OQE and the QFD was to be operated at 12.30pm (delayed) by OQF.
At the point that the switch was made, i would say there was a high risk that OQF wasn't going anywhere that day!

VH-OQE operated QF9 on 28Dec from MEL and was diverted to AAN. However it continued albeit delayed as MEL-AAN-DXB-LHR then operated QF2 as planned LHR-DXB-SYD arriving into SYD 3 hrs 22 min late on 31Dec.

So its seems that VH-OQE operated as planned?

VH-OQF became stranded after arrival into DXB the morning of 29Dec.
VH-OQE arrived into DXB the morning of 30 Dec

AJ may be one of the few lucky ones (CL, P1 passengers who overnighted from OQF and slipped into VH-OQE on its arrival

 

[moa999]

Interesting read of the QF Twitter feed.
At best an example of non communication. At worst a disdain for the passengers and treating them like fools
The news that AJ managed to get on the earlier flight just shows that the airline just don't care unless you are a premium passenger

Sometimes your dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

Tell pax a definitive time because the engineer thinks they will fix in xx hrs, but then turns out to be another problem. Pax get even angrier.

Don't tell them when it will be fixed, until it's actually fixed. Pax complain about being kept in the dark.

I suspect all cabins were fairly full so would assume premium and economy pax alike have been delayed.

 

[Flyerqf]

So its seems that VH-OQE operated as planned?

It operated the previous day's QF2 (Thursday's, not Friday's)

Friday's flight should have been operated by OQE but was shifted at the last minute to the aircraft that had already been out of service since Thursday's arrival (from LHR)

Before the switch some of the passengers from Thursday were moved to Friday's service. Then after the plane swap, the passengers weren't moved back resulting in some people being stranded for a second night.

 

[Flyerqf]

Qantas passengers bound for Sydney stranded in Dubai on New Year's Eve

 

[Melburnian1]

The QF2 delays have hit the media, although the article incorrectly states that A388 VH-OQF will be in SYD at 0745 hours on Sunday 1 January 2017 ex DXB when QFF's website states that arrival time is estimated at 1300 in the afternoon.

There is no mention of the allegation about Alan Joyce 'bumping' others off so he could get home more quickly:

Qantas passengers bound for Sydney stranded in Dubai on New Year's Eve