Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Flyerqf]

Flyerqf, I couldn't see any Saturday 5 August delays (other than to the aforementioned QF7 and QF63) when checking an hour or so ago but as we know QF has a habit of not publicising all the future delays, in part because with the A333s and A332s it sometimes switches aircraft around depending on how punctual particular inbound flights are to Oz.

That said, with QF24 and QF42 being delayed tomorrow morning, do you expect any outbound QF flights normally rostered for A332s/ A333s (including QF3/QF5/QF19/QF23/QF35/QF37/QF51/QF61/QF79/QF81/QF83/QF97 and I will have omitted some) to be delayed out of SYD/MEL/BNE tomorrow?

Today's events shouldn't cause any delays tomorrow. Flow on effect will hit on Sunday.

 

[Melburnian1]

Saturday 5 August has QF80 from NRT to MEL (A333 VH-QPF) arriving at 0831, 36 minutes late.

VH-EBN on the delayed QF42 took off from CGK at 0147, so predicted SYD arrival at 1102 will be 297 minutes late. This aircraft looks to be forming QF19, the 1205 hours from SYD up to MNL, so it may depart a little late.

VH-QPJ on QF24 is worse than predicted, having become airborne in BKK at 0449 local time, so expected arrival in SYD has blown out to 1611 this afternoon, a very large 581 minutes behind schedule.

The 0615 hours early start CHC - BNE, QF134 (B738 ZK-ZQH) was in the sky at 0638, only about 10 minutes late if that, but arrival is forecast as 0846, 36 minutes behind the timetable.

 

[Melburnian1]

B744 VH-OEB on the overnight delayed QF63 departed SYD on Saturday 5 August 2017 as QF63D at 0809 hours. Expected arrival is 1415 hours in JNB.

What will be the overnight delayed QF8D ex DFW (meant to leave on Friday 4) should depart the Texan city at 2345 hours on Saturday 5 for a Monday morning, 7 August arrival at 0715 hours, 25 hours and 10 minutes late. This is because QF7D that is projected to depart SYD at 1130 hours today (Saturday 5) will arrive DFW at 1200 'high noon' today (local time) but the SYD curfew restrictions (and probably crew rest requirements) make an earlier departure from DFW than 2345 impractical.

 

[Melburnian1]

Today's events shouldn't cause any delays tomorrow. Flow on effect will hit on Sunday.

Flyerqf, this is a rare case of you underestimating something.

QF23 on Saturday 5 August is delayed from 0950 hours to an anticipated 1700 hours in its SYD departure for BKK, with estimated arrival at 2330 rather than 1640. This will again see a much delayed QF24 from BKK back to SYD tonight.

On Sunday 6 August, the delayed QF64D is predicted to be back in SYD (ex JNB) at 1145 hours and appears to be forming the 1300 hours SYD - SFO QF73 B744 flight, so the latter will be late away tomorrow.

Friday 4 August's QF11 departed LAX at 0904, 44 late, arriving at JFK at 1730, 50 minutes late. QF12 departed JFK at 1903, 53 late - a good effort given that time is often lost in this New York turnaround - so LAX arrival is suggested as 2157, 57 late.

 

[muppet]

[snip]

VH-QPJ on QF24 is worse than predicted, having become airborne in BKK at 0449 local time, so expected arrival in SYD has blown out to 1611 this afternoon, a very large 581 minutes behind schedule.

[/snip]

Considering we departed at about 8pm.... not sure it could have been much better. Landed after 3am so i think it was a pretty good turnaround.

Annoyingly, despite becoming a night flight ... no PJs loaded :shock: .... almost de-boarded myself

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on Saturday 5 August, QF129 (SYD - PVG, A333 VH-QPA) departed 47 minutes late at 1022; arrival is expected at 1911, 41 minutes late.

The 1020 hours mid morning QF15 (BNE to LAX) should depart 90 late, meaning same day arrival at 0735, 95 late. In turn this will delay QF11 across the USA as it is due to depart at 0820 hours.

QF83 (1050 hours second QF flight of the day from SYD to HKG, more often numbered QF117) is expected to depart an hour late.

The overnight delayed QF7 that attracted so much media publicity as it dumped fuel yesterday prior to landing back in SYD is today (Saturday 5 August) operating as QF7D and has been further delayed to an expected 1155 hours departure (previously 1130.)

 

[Flyerqf]

Flyerqf, this is a rare case of you underestimating something.

QF23 on Saturday 5 August is delayed from 0950 hours to an anticipated 1700 hours in its SYD departure for BKK, with estimated arrival at 2330 rather than 1640. This will again see a much delayed QF24 from BKK back to SYD tonight.

On Sunday 6 August, the delayed QF64D is predicted to be back in SYD (ex JNB) at 1145 hours and appears to be forming the 1300 hours SYD - SFO QF73 B744 flight, so the latter will be late away tomorrow.

Friday 4 August's QF11 departed LAX at 0904, 44 late, arriving at JFK at 1730, 50 minutes late. QF12 departed JFK at 1903, 53 late - a good effort given that time is often lost in this New York turnaround - so LAX arrival is suggested as 2157, 57 late.

I was thinking more about the overnight delays..... it's likely at this stage that either QF1, 11 or 7 will be delayed overnight as the A380 that should have been returning to SYD as QF8 on Sunday morning, will not arrive until Monday morning.

 

[Melburnian1]

In a further delay to the embattled QF7D, it is to supposedly depart SYD at 1245 hours on Saturday 5 August, 1455 minutes tardy (or 24 hours 15 minutes.) More connections missed in DFW...

QF83 (1050 hours SYD - HKG, A333 VH-QPE) departed at 1159, was

QF81, the 1025 SYD - SIN is expected to depart at 1430, with arrival altering from the timetabled 1650 to 2100 hours.

As suggested above due to insufficient turnaround time from the baldy late QF42, QF19 (1205 hours SYD - MNL) should depart at 1230.

QF35 (1145 hours MEL - SIN) departed at 1221.

UPDATE: QF7D (A388 VH-OQC, not VH-OQD as was the case yesterday) is living up to the 'D' for 'delayed' tag' as it departed at 1242 hours from SYD, becoming airborne at 1259 hours. Arrival (same day) should be at 1320 hours Texas time.

QF19 departed SYD at 1245 hours, 40 late for the bright lights of MNL. A332 VH-EBN followed QF7 and took off at 1302 hours. A 35 minutes late arrival at 1905 hours this evening is expected.

Today's (5 August) QF7 is using VH-OQD: it took off at 1343 hours from SYD. It should be 33 minutes late arriving in DFW at 1333.

 

[Flyerqf]

Tomorrow's QF7 is delayed until 0900 Monday.

 

[Melburnian1]

The Saturday 5 August QF23 has become delayed to a greater degree, with departure from SYD anticipated at 1830 this evening - 520 minutes late - and arrival on Sunday 6 in BKK expected at 0125 hours instead of 1640 this afternoon. The returning QF24 has become an 0235 hours departure for SYD Sunday 6 arrival of a suggested 1500 hours rather than 0630, 510 minutes late.

Flyerqf, is there any reason apart from too many bookings for an A333 that QF is not subbing one of those onto QF127 (SYD - HKG) tomorrow to avoid having to delay 'the 7' overnight as you have advised will occur, and the QF website confirms?

 

[redwoodw]

Seems like QF is having a pretty much network wide knock on effect from the four birds that have incidents recently. Is it just QF being unlucky or is something else going wrong here?

 

[Melburnian1]

Seems like QF is having a pretty much network wide knock on effect from the four birds that have incidents recently. Is it just QF being unlucky or is something else going wrong here?

redwoodw, not every QFi flight is adversely affected today but yes, there are many delays. Some knock-on delays can be inevitable for reasons such as crew at the other end requiring a minimum amount of rest before they can fly again.

Outside school holidays often means bookings are lower (depending on the route) and QF can dispatch aircraft for long planned cyclical maintenance as has occurred with one of the 12 A388s up in MNL at Lufthansa Technik.

Your question is difficult to answer because engineers would be best placed to know.

Yesterday may just have been 'bad luck' or at the other extreme it could be symptomatic of poor (including rushed) maintenance.

Four incidents in one day is concerning as passenger Chris Quinn observed yesterday on Twitter. As Quickstatus observed, it was lucky that all occurred either at or within cooee of QF's main base in Sydney.

In time, there may be the occasional media investigation into QFi's aircraft maintenance. While interviewed unionists may well exaggerate, perhaps there are some poor procedures that eventually result in undetected defects.

Notably, some other airlines - BA is one example as noted above - and almost all medium sized to larger surface transport operators in rail, bus and long distance coach operations do not have timetables providing for 100 per cent fleet utilisation as QFi does for its larger aircraft on many Thursdays to Mondays inclusive.

This is a very poor strategy by QF. Any form of transport equipment will on occasion fail and not having a spare at the company's major base sets an unrealistic goal that aircraft will always be fit for purpose for their rostered flights.

While it's always preferable to arrive safely, more than 2000 passengers (counting both ways for the four flights) were delayed yesterday.

A good test would be whether an operator of similar size - say SQ - would, when weather was benign, have four major delays in one day. One suspects not.

Whatever the case, the amount of negative media publicity generated yesterday by these four incidents (QF7. QF23, QF41 and QF63) destroys advertising that QF has paid for or sponsored through freebies.

Travellers are going to take more notice of what they perceive as safety-related incidents than some travel writer on a freebie extolling the virtues of a lie flat bed in J. That may be unfair to QF - because as one AFF contributor pointed out yesterday the inability of the QF7 A388 to retract its flaps did not affect 'safety' but (as the QF media statement said 'flying efficiency'.) However QF did not comment on why the windscreen cracked on the QF63 B744, with one media outlet ascribing it to a 'heating issue.' Passengers may believe that to be a maintenance issue.

Perception is everything, so airlines faced with such a barrage of adverse publicity have to work hard in the short term to restore any better reputation they previously enjoyed.

 

[Melburnian1]

Continuing with Saturday 5 August, the delayed QF23 departed SYD at 1851 hours with BKK arrival anticipated at 0125 on Sunday 6 compared with timetabled arrival of 1640 Saturday.

 

[Flyerqf]

Flyerqf, is there any reason apart from too many bookings for an A333 that QF is not subbing one of those onto QF127 (SYD - HKG) tomorrow to avoid having to delay 'the 7' overnight as you have advised will occur, and the QF website confirms?

There would be 3 downgrades QF11 from a 388 to 744, QF127 from 744 to 333 and an Asia route 333 down to 332. Plus the returns! If a majority of those 3 flights (6 inc return sector) are too full to fit all passengers on the subbed aircraft, it probably makes more sense to delay QF7. There is one less 380 rostered on Tuesday, so the delayed returning QF8 from Dallas due on Tuesday (Sunday departure) shouldn't have a further flow on to Tuesday.

 

[tomlee1986]

QF 128 from HKG is delayed big time in arriving Sydney on 06/08/2017... Apparently the VH-OEJ was hit by a catering truck after operating QF 29 from Melbourne...

Sorry the source is in Chinese.. it's a HKG major newspaper...

Flight delayed by 5 hours and departed at 1am HK time Sunday 06/08/2017 (original departure time was 20:15 on 05/08/2017)

http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20170806/mobile/bkn-20170806012446149-0806_00822_001.html

P.S. this is NOT fake news.. the HK airport authority confirmed this crash did occur.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thanks tomcut2000 (great report!): QF128 (B744 VH-OEJ) looks to be arriving in SYD on Sunday 6 August at 1135 instead of 0710 hours.

As with other flights from PVG, QF130 is delayed with A333 Vh-QPA suggested as arriving in SYD at 1017 hours, 107 minutes behind schedule.

The badly delayed QF24 departed BKK at 0322 on Sunday 6; SYD arrival is forecast for 1640 hours this afternoon instead of its scheduled 0630 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Sunday 6 August, what is becoming a perennial late flight, QF23 (0950 hours SYD - BKK) is expected to depart at 1040.

QF29 (1020 hours MEL - HKG) should depart 55 minutes behind schedule.

In addition to the overnight delay to 0900 hours on Monday for today's QF7 foreshadowed by Flyerqf above, longhaul B744 QF73 (1300 hours SYD - SFO) is predicted to depart mid afternoon at 1530 with same day arrival delayed from 0930 to 1145.

QF27 from SYD to SCL is forecast to depart an hour late at 1330. Arrival should be 35 late at 1145, slightly delaying Sunday 6 August's return QF28 (SCL - SYD.)

Saturday 5 August's QF11 departed LAX 129 minutes late at 1029 hours, arriving in JFK at 1829, 109 minutes late. The scheduled 1810 hours JFK - LAX B744 (QF12) then pushed back at 2006, 116 minutes tardy and should arrive LAX at 2245, 105 late. With its change to an Airbus A388 aircraft, QF12 is then predicted to depart LAX at 2355 hours on Saturday night (85 late) meaning Monday 7 SYD arrival at 0745, also 85 minutes behind time. QF94 to MEL is expected to arrive on Monday 7 at 0815 hours, 80 late while the continuing B744 on QF16 (LAX - BNE) should arrive at its allocated Sunshine State gate on Monday morning at 0750 hours, 100 minutes late.

This will guarantee a tardy departure for Monday 7's 0915 hours MEL - LAX, QF93, but QF15 ex BNE should be able to get away on time as it has a greater allowance to 'reverse.'

UPDATE: QF23 (A333 VH-QPI) did not depart until 1109 hours. BKK arrival is estimated at 1744, 64 minutes late, delaying QF24 tonight.

QF1734 (1220 hours MEL - BNE that took off at 1254, B717 VH-NXR) should arrive 32 minutes late at 1457. This is a very unusual flight: is it a ferry flight, a special (with passengers) or a regular flight downgraded to the smaller capacity B717?

A332 VH-EBG on the PEK - SYD QF108 should arrive 31 minutes late at 1351 hours.

 

[tomlee1986]

Thanks tomcut2000 (great report!): QF128 (B744 VH-OEJ) looks to be arriving in SYD on Sunday 6 August at 1135 instead of 0710 hours.

You are very welcome! For those that are interested.. this was taken by the news website.. the red circle part was where it was hit by the catering truck!!

 

[Melburnian1]

...QF12 is then predicted to depart LAX at 2355 hours on Saturday night (85 late) meaning Monday 7 SYD arrival at 0745, also 85 minutes behind time. QF94 to MEL is expected to arrive on Monday 7 at 0815 hours, 80 late while the continuing B744 on QF16 (LAX - BNE) should arrive...on Monday morning at 0750 hours, 100 minutes late.

This will guarantee a tardy departure for Monday 7's 0915 hours MEL - LAX, QF93, but QF15 ex BNE should be able to get away on time as it has a greater allowance to 'reverse.'...

As sometimes occurs, the late running of these TransPacific flights has increased.

On Sunday 6 August, QF12 departed LAX at a very late 0116 hours, so SYD Monday 7 arrival should be at 0825 hours, 125 minutes late.

QF94 followed shortly thereafter, pushing back at 0042 for a Monday 7 projected MEL arrival at 0855, exactly two hours late. QF93 will be unable to depart until at least 1040 hours, 85 minutes late.

QF16 is predicted to shortly depart LAX at 0135 on Sunday for a Monday 7 August suggested 0805 hours arrival, 116 minutes late. If this flight is not further delayed, it should still be able to depart punctually as QF15 back to LAX.

The 25 hours delayed QF8D left DFW at 2355 hours on Saturday with Monday 7 arrival in SYD estimated at 0715.

On Monday 7 August, QF2 from DXB (and LHR) is suggested as arriving half an hour late at 0540. The Sunday 6 arriving QF10 in MEL is also 30 minutes tardy with suggested arrival at 2125 hours, meaning QF9 will be slightly delayed.

 

[redwoodw]

Gee that looks awful. Has the entire panel been removed hence the black area?