Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

M1 do you get the sense that EK is operating the AUS-DXB legs with a good ontime performance? So its not just a LHR/DXB issue for QF?

While really a subject for the EK delays/ cancellations threads, apart from fog or sandstorms at DXB, the biggest issue for EK is that should a plane be a few hours late into Oz ex the Middle East, if it is one that continues on across the ditch, the turnaround time at AKL or CHC may be reduced to barely sufficient and hence there is a chance that the flight from Oz back to DXB will be delayed.

That said, however, it appears to be reasonably rare for EK flights to be 12 hours or more late as 'the 9' (to use the delightful way of expressing it that one of our pilot contributors loves) has recently been.

Like all of us, I cannot monitor every flight but I get the impression that the QF performance on these LHR flights is woeful compared to almost any other airline operating into and out of LHR, many of which in operating flights in winter between say the USA and Europe or within Europe must deal with severe climatic conditions.

There may be another letter coming from Heathrow management to QF seeking a 'please explain.' It must be difficult for a QF flight that has to depart at 0800 instead of 2045 to be found a slot as officially there are not any as far as I know.

 

[Quickstatus]

Unless QF takes back slots it leases to BA

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 10 February, QF519, the 0935 hours from BNE down to SYD was airborne at 1041. Arrival should be at 1255, 45 late for B738 VH-VYC.

QF612 (B738 VH-XZP, the 1010 hours MEL up to BNE) took off at 1108. It should pull in at 1204 hours, 44 minutes tardy.

The 1100 hours MEL - SYD QF426 (B738 VH-VZA) took off at 1159 and should arrive 39 minutes late at 1304 this afternoon.

Longhaul QF63 (B744 VH-OJS) is expected to depart from SYD at 1245 this afternoon, 70 minutes late for JNB.

Q300 VH-SBT on the 1150 hours SYD to PQQ, due to arrive the latter at 1300, was only taxiing in SYD at 1240.

QF590, the early morning 0650 hours from PER across to ADL (B738 VH-VYA) took off about 70 minutes behind schedule at 0820 hours and so arrival is predicted for 1337, 87 late. This looks to be returning to PER as QF587, the 1250 hours that has been retimed perhaps a tad optimistically to push back at 1405.

 

[Ansett]

Quick Question if I may, my sister is flying out of LHR on QF10 this saturday. What is the chance that that flight is now going to be very late? I ask as I am flying back from AKL on Sunday on the EK flight and was going to wait for them airside and use up some express passes.

 

[Melburnian1]

Quick Question if I may, my sister is flying out of LHR on QF10 this saturday. What is the chance that that flight is now going to be very late?...

Given that this flight should be formed by the QF1 arrival that is due at LHR at 0650 hours on Saturday 11 February - and which is showing as expected to be 'on time' ex SYD at 1645 hours this afternoon (Friday 10) - there's every chance that your sister will be on time.

Anything can, of course, go wrong, including at DXB on the way home for your doubtless much loved sister, but it does not appear that this QF10 will be subject to the 'QF9 unpunctuality disease.' You can be more confident once the flight has departed from DXB.

UPDATE: QF1 on Friday 10 February departed at 1716, so with what is often excess time allowed in the timetable to DXB, all is well. A388 VH-OQF looks to be about to become airborne at about 1749 after a couple of arrivals such as JQ8996 with B788 VH-VKA clear.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Longhaul QF63 (B744 VH-OJS) is expected to depart from SYD at 1245 this afternoon, 70 minutes late for JNB....

There must have been something else go dramatically wrong as QF63 took off at 1659 on Friday 10 February, some five hours late. Arrival is predicted at around 2136 tonight in JNB, 301 minutes behind schedule.

Although not yet shown on QF's website, this must mean QF64 departing at about 2315 (in lieu of 1850) with perhaps an arrival time (assuming it makes up a bit of the gate-to-gate timetabled allowance) of around 1915 hours on Saturday night 11 February back in SYD if there are no further unexpected hiccups. The aircraft is still VH-OJS. If it forms QF25 on Saturday 11 from SYD to HND it should just have sufficient time to turn around in SYD, but little or no time for detailed maintenance.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

One wonders if corporate clients who use QF are noticing: it stands to reason there must be some annoyed business travellers who have paid top dollar, yet whose staff are incurring delays while competitors like SQ generally manage to get passengers to and from LHR with fewer - note I did not say 'nil' - delays and cancellations.

This is the thing... it probably doesn't affect big corporate clients so much. They will act instantly and change airlines... with a full refund coming from their (already expensive) Qantas ticket. For them a flight delay need be nothing more than going to the CX/SQ/JL (you name it) ticket desk and buying a new flight.

The people who suffer are those in economy who can't change so easily (fares are likely to be much higher on the day of departure), and those on awards in premium cabins. QF might figure that those passengers will return given brand loyalty to safety, the ability to earn points in Australia, and the shackles of status.

 

[Melburnian1]

...With TheInsider's projected delay of more than 17 hours to the Thursday 9 February scheduled QF9 from MEL to DXB and LHR, QFF expects that to arrive LHR at 0600 hours on Saturday 11 February.

QF2 on Friday 10, the timetabled 2045 hours ex LHR will be delayed until an expected 0800 hours on Saturday 11, meaning an estimated SYD arrival of 1755 hours on Sunday 12. This again probably means that one of the ex SYD outbound A388s on Sunday afternoon will be delayed in its departure....

The much delayed Thursday 9 February 2325 hours QF9 from MEL to DXB and on to LHR was further altered to depart at a projected 1735 on Friday 10 instead of 1700 and was airborne at 1750 hours. VH-OQL is the A388.

A388 VH-OQK on the more than 12 hour late QF2 ex DXB and LHR landed in SYD at 1853 hours on Friday 10 February but given it still has to get to the terminal, QF's suggestion that the delayed QF7 will depart at 2035 looks a little optimistic.

 

[Flyerqf]

There must be reason why QF9 has departed 3 days in a row with a 17 hour delay?

 

[Melburnian1]

There must be reason why QF9 has departed 3 days in a row with a 17 hour delay?

Flyerqf, I was busy when some of it was happening and hence unable to fully look at it, but I assume that VH-OQB diverting to SIN did not assist, bearing in mind as Quickstatus pointed out, the whole 12 were in use: there was no spare in MNL.

That said, the delays reek of some urgent maintenance being required that takes a while to undertake. It's not as if these are two or three hour delays, and as we will see with the QF9 that departed late this afternoon at 1735 hours, it affects multiple flights including the super premium QF2 that apparently enjoys better load factors (and probably yield) than the lunchtime departure of QF10 from LHR.

Also on Friday 10 February, QF2034, the 1850 hours from SYD up to ARM (Q300 VH-SBT) remained in the runway 16L queue for departure at 2011, a minute after it should have been at the ARM tarmac arrival area.

QF2118 (1905 hours SYD - CFS, Q400 VH-LQM) was in the same queue as at 2022 so it too will be badly late.

 

[JessicaTam]

There must be reason why QF9 has departed 3 days in a row with a 17 hour delay?

Nah, it has left seven hours early!

 

[Flyerqf]

Flyerqf, I was busy when some of it was happening and hence unable to fully look at it, but I assume that VH-OQB diverting to SIN did not assist, bearing in mind as Quickstatus pointed out, the whole 12 were in use: there was no spare in MNL.

The first day was obviously due to the diversion but the 2nd and 3rd days were different planes that both were in MEL prior to the departure time.

 

[Melburnian1]

The delayed QF7D (A388 VH-OQK) that arrived more than 12 hours late in SYD tonight as QF2 has been further put back to an expected 2050 hours departure, six and a quarter hours late for DFW.

 

[moa999]

Quickstatus pointed out, the whole 12 were in use: there was no spare in MNL.

An aircraft in MNL is not exactly spare - it would normally be in some state of disrepair (for maintenance) and can't be immediately pushed back into service.

QF tends to run the fleet pretty hard, whether there are 11 or 12 aircraft available.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF tends to run the fleet pretty hard, whether there are 11 or 12 aircraft available.

One esteemed pilot contributor (whose post I cannot find: it may have been in response to Quickstatus on another thread) said (to paraphrase) that the QF A388 fleet was NOT being pushed too hard and that aircraft perform best when in constant use.

Fair point, but that does not explain the shocking delays patrons of the QF Airbus A380 longhaul flights are experiencing.

QF7(D?), the 1435 hours Friday 10 February 2017 SYD - DFW departed at 2112 hours tonight, not 2035 as originally suggested by QF. It was airborne at 2131. The suggested arrival time has improved to 1930 same day, six and a half hours late. This presumably means many missed connections in DFW for passengers travelling on to New York, Florida or elsewhere.

QF10 ex DXB (A388 VH-OQJ) should arrive in MEL at about 2150, 25 late, tonight (10 February.) Once again QF9 will be delayed.

 

[Melburnian1]

Although the Friday 10 February QF11 from LAX to JFK departed six minutes late at 0826 and arrived 12 early at 1618, the returning B744 as QF12 has been delayed in departing JFK until an expected 2000 hours, two hours late, with arrival in LAX anticipated at about 2230, 95 late. The onwards sectors to Oz are all showing as 'on time' but that cannot be correct: presumably QF12 and definitely QF16 will be delayed.

The very late QF9 ex MEL arrived DXB at 0033 on Saturday 11 and departed at 0226 hours, so LHR arrival is still predicated as 0600 on Saturday 11 to form the overnight delayed QF2 for an 0800 hours departure back to DXB and SYD.

 

[Melburnian1]

There must have been something else go dramatically wrong as QF63 took off at 1659 on Friday 10 February, some five hours late. Arrival is predicted at around 2136 tonight in JNB, 301 minutes behind schedule.

Although not yet shown on QF's website, this must mean QF64 departing at about 2315 (in lieu of 1850) with perhaps an arrival time (assuming it makes up a bit of the gate-to-gate timetabled allowance) of around 1915 hours on Saturday night 11 February back in SYD if there are no further unexpected hiccups. The aircraft is still VH-OJS. If it forms QF25 on Saturday 11 from SYD to HND it should just have sufficient time to turn around in SYD, but little or no time for detailed maintenance.

QF63 arrived JNB at 2127; QF64 departed at 2318 instead of 1850, with a suggested SYD arrival tonight at 2010 rather than 1535, 275 minutes late. This looks to be delaying QF25 from SYD to HND, the 2135 hours; while QF has yet to amend the departure time, it might become 2155.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

QF29 to Hong Kong delayed for catering and cleaning purposes. The aircraft had three hours on the ground in MEL before operating this flight.

 

[Melburnian1]

The delayed QF7 should arrive DFW at 1935 on Friday 10 February for a 2140 hours, 95 minute late departure as QF8 and a resultant Sunday 12 February SYD arrival at 0705, an hour late.

The 1135 hours SYD - JNB B744 on QF63 is expected to depart an hour late.

 

[docjames]

QF29 to Hong Kong delayed for catering and cleaning purposes. The aircraft had three hours on the ground in MEL before operating this flight.

Something hasn't gone right there - they should be able to cater and clear a 744 or 330 in three hours......