Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

...Having said that the passengers should be have options to LHR from DXB even if their aircraft can't continue.

Yes, true, but during Christmas, Easter and school holidays or other periods (maybe Chinese New Year) when many flights are full or have only small numbers of empty seats, it may be extremely difficult to quickly find seats for 236 or even 200 passengers. I'm not suggesting it's impossible - after all, there are many thousands of weekly seats in each direction between the larger airports and LHR or Europe - but it may not be as simple as we might think.

Remember the reasonably recent fracas about a QF-Australia bound A388 suffering severe delays and AJ doing what some said was the wrong thing and boarding his 'less delayed' flight at the cost of some QF passenger having to sit around in the desert (albeit in an hotel) for longer?

 

[jb747]

Imagine QF9 westwards B787 diverting to DXB for fuel. Would there be enough time left up the sleeve of any of the flight crew to do a splash and dash and continue to LHR?. If crew hours expired, where would a fresh 787 crew come from if the 787 had to go to DXB?.

In reality you don't normally do a 'splash and dash' in the middle of a flight. Dubai, for many reasons, is a place which is singularly lacking in the 'dash' part of the equation. I'm told thad both Muscat and Kuwait are much faster.

 

[jb747]

The new QF LHR timetables featuring two different aircraft types with the flight crews unable to take command of one if rated for the other mean even fewer options at DXB or for that matter LHR if there are unplanned events like medical or bad weather diversions.

Weather diversions in London are not that common. I've done one, in 32 years of flying there. Once you divert, the slot system takes over, so you won't be going anywhere in a hurry, crew or not.

 

[jb747]

18:20 hrs PER-LHR according to passenger timetable but the clockon for pilots will be earlier than departure time.
Say 1 hour before, this leaves 40 minutes leeway or "up the sleeve time" (assuming 20 hrs is the absolute maximum?)

And another 15 minutes afterwards. Presumably ULR operations won't be restricted to 20 hours, though I have no idea what limit they'll work to.

A divert to DXB where QF has some minor (soon to be less) presence or to any other airport in the EU will surely mean a cancellation of the flight. How long will the aircraft will be grounded for until a crew is regenerated enough to safely/legally operate it?. The QF11/12 suggest 15 hrs?

Anywhere from 12 to 24 hours depending upon how long the previous operation was.

Can pilots be type rated for both Airbus and Boeing given the marked differences on aircraft design philosophy. Imagine having to do 2 sets of sims at the same time?. Not possible to maintain currency on both.

No. Not a chance. And again, NOOOO.

The two are so different in concept that pilots have trouble going from one to the other.

But, why would you go to Dubai? It was never on my plans before the EK thing, and there's little reason for it to be anything but one of many en-route alternates for the 787 operation.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thursday 27 April saw QF12 depart JFK at 1944, 94 minutes late, arriving LAX at 2228, 88 late. However the A388 on QF12's continuation did not manage to depart the movie capital until 0020 this morning (Friday 28), 110 late; Saturday 29 April 2017 arrival in SYD is estimated as 0835, 135 minutes tardy.

Meanwhile the BNE-bound QF16 departed 121 minutes late at 0121 hours this morning for a projected Saturday morning arrival time of 0825, also 135 minutes tardy.

Both QF11 and QF15 tomorrow (Saturday) are publicly displaying with a punctual expectation by the airline. This may change a little, especially depending on which SYD-arriving A388 forms QF11, the 0950 hours SYD - LAX.

 

[Melburnian1]

...A332 VH-EBM on QF19 (1205 hours SYD - MNL) departed at 1300 even, taking off at 1313 hours. At this stage arrival is estimated at only 15 minutes late at 1845 but just like at HKG, the period after 1800 hours on weeknights is typically very busy in MNL so no one should be surprised if ATC slows the flight down, or pops it in a holding pattern much closer to the Philippine capital.

QF19 arrived MNL at 1902 hours, 32 minutes late. QF20 departed at 2018, but was caught up in a longish queue, so it did not take off until 2110 hours. Arrival was to be 0610 hours but should now be 50 minutes late at 0700 on Saturday 29 April.

How many kilograms of fuel does an A332 typically burn while stationary for half an hour on a tarmac awaiting ATC clearance to take off?

 

[Quickstatus]

How many kilograms of fuel does an A332 typically burn while stationary for half an hour on a tarmac awaiting ATC clearance to take off?

about 1700-1800 lbs/hr at idle i think. = about 1000 litres/hr

A332 I think has max fuel capacity of 135000 litres.


If i recall......

 

[Melburnian1]

In addition to the arriving QF12 and QF16 being significantly delayed as noted above into SYD and BNE respectively on Saturday 29 April, QF94 is badly late with A388 VH-OQC expected to arrive at approximately 0858, 123 minutes tardy.

I had not bothered to look it up last night as I incorrectly assumed that QF would, as it often does, allow QF94 to depart at or very close to time so as not to delay QF93 on Saturday morning.

However if bookings were heavy on QF12 and QF16, the delay to QF94 might have been unavoidable as the alternative would have been to have to delay many MEL-bound passengers in LAX for 24 hours at significant cost to QF (and annoyance to passengers.)

As a result QF93 is predicted to depart from MEL on Saturday 29 April at 1045, 90 minutes delayed with LAX arrival suggested as 80 minutes behind at 0755 hours, same day.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF11 (0950 hours Saturday 29 April SYD - LAX) departed 28 minutes late; same day arrival is predicted as 35 minutes tardy at 0705 hours.

QF had predicted QF93 to commence pushback in MEL at 1045 (due to late arrival of QF94 as noted above) but it did this at 1104, so LAX arrival has been put back to an estimated 0805, 90 minutes behind schedule.

In theory QF15 had sufficient time this morning to be formed by the late QF16, because the timetabled turnaround is not a 'minimum' one, but in practice this proved incorrect with QF15, the 1020 hours BNE - LAX departing 86 late at 1146 for a suggested same day 0730 hours LAX arrival, 90 minutes tardy.

Provided QF11 operates across the USA, it will depart late: 0915, almost an hour late, is about the earliest it could realistically depart.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on Saturday 29 April, QF156 (B738 ZK-ZQB, the 1930 hours mid evening AKL - MEL that was in the sky at 2047 hours) should arrive at about 2221, 41 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Sunday 30 April has QF80, the overnight from NRT down to MEL likely to arrive at 0852 hours, 57 minutes late. VH-QPB is the aircraft. It is fairly unusual for QF79/ QF80 to run more than half an hour late.

 

[Melburnian1]

In further on Sunday 30 April, QF129 (0935 hours SYD - PVG) departed 52 minutes late; arrival is suggested as half an hour behind at 1900 hours.

Probably because QF80 was delayed inbound, QF79 (the MEL - NRT due out at 0935) departed at 1037, so predicted arrival is 50 late at 1950 hours this evening.

Saturday 29 April saw QF11 (0820 hours morning LAX across to JFK) depart 70 minutes late; arrival was at 1738, 58 late. QF12's B744 then departed JFK 49 minutes behind schedule at 1859. Arrival in LAX is suggested as 2138, 38 minutes tardy.

On Sunday 30, QF63 (1050 hours SYD - JNB, B744 VH-OEB) took off at 1205 hours. Arrival should be at around 1747 hours, 47 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

chocsaway has kindly reported on a lengthy delay on Sunday 30 April to the QF9 that departed MEL on Saturday 29 April.

I have asked the moderators to consider popping all that thread here so as to keep everything together.

It looks like QF9 has been retimed to depart DXB at 1500 hours (355 minutes late) with predicted LHR arrival at 1915 hours, 305 minutes behind time. As QF2 is timetabled for blocks off at 2135 this evening London time, one wouldn't want QF9 to be delayed much more if QF2 was to depart punctually.

UPDATE: One moderator said it would not be merged at present, so here is the link:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ncellations/qf9-sat-28-4-melbourne-82569.html

The headline should be 'Saturday 29 April', not '...28...'

UPDATE: Our reporter-on-the-spot chocsaway suggests that departure time has further altered to 1545 hours, but this change is yet to be visible on the QF website.

A departure delay in London this evening local time is guaranteed to QF2.

FURTHER UPDATE: The expected departure time from DXB of A388 VH-OQL had become 1600 hours with arrival in LHR said to now be 2055 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF announce non-stop Perth-London B787 Services

The expected delay to QF9 in departing DXB has been further revised to 1600 - in seven minutes' time.

 

[Melburnian1]

Oh dear. QF has just updated its website to state an estimated 1710 DXB departure for the delayed QF9 - 485 minutes late. This means 2120 into LHR (allowing five minutes on the ground there between touchdown and allocated gate arrival.)

So that removes any doubt as to whether the 2135 hours QF2 from LHR to DXB and SYD will be late. It won;t be able to get away until 2310 at the absolute earliest.

 

[Flyerqf]

Oh dear. QF has just updated its website to state an estimated 1710 DXB departure for the delayed QF9 - 485 minutes late. This means 2120 into LHR (allowing five minutes on the ground there between touchdown and allocated gate arrival.)

So that removes any doubt as to whether the 2135 hours QF2 from LHR to DXB and SYD will be late. It won;t be able to get away until 2310 at the absolute earliest.

Doesn't LHR have a 2330 curfew? My guess is that QF2 will be delayed until 0800 Monday morning.

 

[Melburnian1]

Doesn't LHR have a 2330 curfew? My guess is that QF2 will be delayed until 0800 Monday morning.

There may be some provision for (unavoidably) late departures but I previously asked one of our aviators about something similar; he stated that in such circumstances (meaning say an 0030 departure or similar), he didn't believe that permission would normally be granted.

LHR does not timetable any departures between 2300 and 0600 hours (just like Sydney!):

http://www.heathrow.com/noise/heathrow-operations/night-flights

 

[Flyerqf]

There may be some provision for (unavoidably) late departures but I previously asked one of our aviators about something similar; he stated that in such circumstances (meaning say an 0030 departure or similar), he didn't believe that permission would normally be granted.

LHR does not timetable any departures between 2300 and 0600 hoirs (just like Sydney!):

Night flights | Noise | Heathrow

weather delayed flights may be excempt but an issue with the aircraft unlikely to be excempt.

 

[Blackbird]

Taxiing for take off now.

 

[Blackbird]

QF9 arrived at Heathrow 2150 local. I'm on QF2. EK lounge has just closed. Spoke to the gate angel. She thinks we'll be boarding at 2300. Have to be gone by 2330 or it's curfew for us. Must say there has been some text messages from QF but nothing else. There's no plan B at this point so hopefully we beat curfew or it will be a long night.