Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Flyerqf]

Not sure if it was mentioned but QF64 on Thursday was delayed 24 hours which in turn delayed Friday’s QF25 overnight resulting in the cancellation of yesterday’s QF117 & QF118.

 

[Himeno]

UPDATE: QF has updated the QF1 DXB arrival to become 0515 hours, so the 0555 departure from there is likely to become at least 0640, with LHR arrival presumably 1050 hours or later, thus delaying Sunday 12 November's QF10 back to DXB and MEL.

I'm sitting in the EK F lounge at the gate and tracking the flight. 0437 just about over the Oman/UAE border.

and its now in a hold.
Screens are still showing a 0555 departure to LHR.

out of hold. FR24 suggests 0503 arrival. QF site says 0555 depart, 1000 LHR arrival. Google flights says 0640/1045.

 

[jb747]

out of hold. FR24 suggests 0503 arrival. QF site says 0555 depart, 1000 LHR arrival. Google flights says 0640/1045.

One run around the pattern. That's not bad....

 

[Melburnian1]

Himeno, if you can see QF1, just out of interest what time was it on blocks at the gate? I am keenly aware that taxiing times vary widely but for simplicity I always regard the 'at gate' time as five minutes after landing, which for international flights mostly underestimates the time it takes to arrive at the gate.

By the way, the QF website and Google 'arrival' times are 'landing' times not 'at gate' ('on blocks') times.

 

[Himeno]

Himeno, if you can see QF1, just out of interest what time was it on blocks at the gate? I am keenly aware that taxiing times vary widely but for simplicity I always regard the 'at gate' time as five minutes after landing, which for international flights mostly underestimates the time it takes to arrive at the gate.

I'm sitting near A1, which was where it was planned to come in, but they've changed to A10. About to move towards the other gate.
The A-DSB track dropped off FR24 about 5 minutes after landing, so I assume it reached the gate then.
QF2 took 4 minutes to taxi in to A24 about 22 hours ago.

Taxi time depends a lot on which airport and which runway. I've had flights at ORD to the same terminal take 5 minutes and 30 minutes to taxi simply because of the runway used.


Pax coming off the SYD leg started arriving in the lounge just before I posted before. The screens have changed to show a 0640 departure to match what Google was saying an hour ago.

The issue was a fuel pump which went out approaching SYD on the prior flight. Pax found out about the 4 hour delay after they where heading to or already at Mascot.

 

[Melburnian1]

In further on Sunday 12 November, QF63 from SYD to JNB departed 57 minutes late at 1212; arrival same day should be half an hour late at 1705 hours local time.

VH-OQE on QF1 departed DXB at 0648 and took off at 0703. LHR arrival is estimated at 1050 so QF10 should be delayed by 40 minutes minimum.

Earlier, the 0920 hours MEL - NRT (QF79) departed 56 minutes late. Expected arrival is 1820 hours, 35 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Later on Sunday 12 November, the longish Asia-bound flight QF107 from SYD up to PEK (with one of the two 'suitable' A332s for the flight requirements, in this case VH-EBG as the taskmaster), the 1335 hours that was not airborne until 1542 should arrive at roughly 0007 hours on Monday 13, 112 minutes tardy.

Despite its recent three days or so of problems highlighted above by the ever reliable and accurate AFF member Flyerqf, from observation it is quite unusual for QF107/QF108 to be significantly late.

QF108, the timetabled 2345 hours tonight from PEK back down to SYD is claimed to be departing at 0120 hours. This may prove to be a tiny bit optimistic. SYD arrival on 13 November is estimated at 1535 hours mid afternoon, 80 minutes behind the eight ball.

 

[Melburnian1]

Due to the delayed inbound QF1 (VH-OQE) that should arrive in LHR at about 1045 hours, five minutes shy of four hours late, QF10 on Sunday 12 November is displaying as delayed until 1240 in its LHR departure (45 minutes late) with estimated DXB arrival at 2355 hours, 50 minutes late. Turning the A380 around in just under two hours is achievable at LHR.

Based on the last few days' timings, it is possible to reduce the gate-to-gate timings by 20 - 25 minutes if all goes well. A punctual arrival in MEL tomorrow night remains a fair chance unless the delay in LHR significantly increases.

Saturday 11's QF12 from LAX commenced its journey 21 late at 2251 hours; Monday 13 arrival is suggested as 0903 in SYD, 33 minutes tardy. The BNE-bound QF16 pushed back 38 late at 2358. Its arrival on Monday should be at 0755 hours, 40 minutes tardy. Neither of these should cause unpunctual Monday morning QF A388 or B744 departures in SYD or BNE respectively.

 

[Himeno]

The flight crew reported the issue with QF1 during boarding in DXB. Fuel pump as mentioned before which led to crew being changed due to hours. They mentioned a longer hold before landing in DXB, but I only saw the one loop in the hold in UAE airspace. If there was a longer hold, it would have been off the coast where FR24 doesn't have signal to their A-DSB receivers.

Flight pushed back a little later then expected. ATC reasons I assume.
Came in over the Thames Estuary, made a turn to the east of London, and another turn over London Bridge before heading into the south runway at LHR.
I was the 1st off the upper deck. By the time the connections bus to T5 went past (first time I've gotten one of those purple buses in years - normally go ground side and get the train), it looked like they were just starting to load up for QF10.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Sunday 12 November, QF10 (VH-OQE) departed LHR 58 minutes late at 1253, arriving DXB at 2325, only 20 minutes late. As I said a couple of posts above, a punctual arrival in MEL is possible.

Monday 13 sees QF2220, the timetabled 0620 hours from WGA to SYD delayed until 0945 hours. Forecast arrival is 1055, 210 minutes tardy.

QF488 (0845 hours MEL - SYD) has been cancelled as has QF2017, the 0915 hours WTB down to SYD.

QF2009 (0845 hours TMW - SYD) is forecast to depart at 0952 with consequently delayed arrival of 1112 hours, 72 minutes behind schedule.

QF153 (B738 ZK-ZQC, the 0705 hours MEL - AKL) took off at 0743. Arrival should be at 1313 hours, 33 minutes late.

A few thousand kilometres away, the 0600 hours PER - KTA (QF1898) was airborne at 0649. Arrival should be 45 minutes late at 0845.

 

[jb747]

Himeno, if you can see QF1, just out of interest what time was it on blocks at the gate? I am keenly aware that taxiing times vary widely but for simplicity I always regard the 'at gate' time as five minutes after landing, which for international flights mostly underestimates the time it takes to arrive at the gate.

In Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne it's almost always slightly less than 5 minutes, though we slow up to make it exactly 5 minutes if it's going to be less. London 27L/09R is the same. LA and London 27R/09L is about 8 minutes....assuming you aren't stopped anywhere by ATC.

 

[jb747]

They mentioned a longer hold before landing in DXB, but I only saw the one loop in the hold in UAE airspace. If there was a longer hold, it would have been off the coast where FR24 doesn't have signal to their A-DSB receivers.

You don't get held off the coast. The standard spot for QF1 is at position BUBIN, which is where the single hold took place.

 

[Melburnian1]

In Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne it's almost always slightly less than 5 minutes, though we slow up to make it exactly 5 minutes if it's going to be less. London 27L/09R is the same. LA and London 27R/09L is about 8 minutes....assuming you aren't stopped anywhere by ATC.

Thank you jb747: great information. I will make an exception and try to remember to use 'eight minutes' as standard for LAX and LHR (noting that as you comment, the latter varies.) I wish the airline and other 'arrival and departure' sources would use at gate times not takeoff and landing times but they are focused on flight times not flight plus taxiing at both ends of the journey.

Why do you 'slow it up...to make it exactly five minutes' at the airports such as DXB, MEL and SYD that you mention? Wouldn't arriving as soon as possible, while continuing to operate safely, save any airline some dollars and hence be welcomed by management?

My memory is that SIN is generally much longer as are a host of other Asian airports. SIN becomes more important for QF from March 2018 when it resumes its rightful place as a terrific hub in which the airport owner invests (at least so far as passenger creature comforts go) often and wisely. Truly the best airport of size worldwide (not that I've been to every one) as evidenced by its collection of numerous awards.

 

[jb747]

I'm a little surprised that the sites are using landing times. Departure time is basically the push back time (actually the time that the brakes are released, with all doors closed), and not the take off time. The aircraft event recorders catch that time, plus liftoff, landing, and on blocks (which is first door open, normally cargo).

The FR24 track stops when the ATC transponder is turned off.

 

[Melburnian1]

Sunday 12 November saw QF64 from JNB to SYD, the 1850 hours, take off at 1952 with B744 VH-OEG. Arrival this afternoon (13 November) should be at about 1639, 69 minutes late.

Also on 13, QF5 from SYD to SIN is expected to depart 45 late at 1730 hours with arrival 40 minutes late at 2235.

UPDATE: The projected delay to QF5 became a 1930 hours departure with SIN arrival at 0035 on Tuesday 14, but the flight departed at 2001 hours. It retained the same arrival time on the QF website for some time after departing, but by 2200 AEDT QF had changed the estimated arrival to 0115 hours on Tuesday 14, 200 minutes late.

Optimistically, QF6 is forecast to commence pushing back at 0220 hours in SIN for SYD arrival at 1315 hours, 155 minutes late.

The LAX - SYD QF12 should arrive on Tuesday 14 at 0906 hours, 38 minutes late after departing LAX 43 late on Sunday 12.

 

[Melburnian1]

QantasLink's NSW country flights continue to have many delays.

On Tuesday 14 November, QF2012, the 0705 hours SYD - TMW departed at 0802 with arrival at 0921 hours, 61 minutes late. QF2108 (1125 hours SYD - CFS) was expected to depart at 1240 hours but by 1300 had not done so. QF2137 (1155 hours close to midday SYd up to PQQ) was 42 minutes late off blocks; the QF website shows its landing (not at gate) arrival time as '1244 hours' which would represent supersonic speeds, so for some reason there is a software bug present.

QF419, the 0900 hours SYD - MEL departed 37 late, arriving in the southern capital at 1106 hours, 31 minutes behind the schedule.

The 1135 hours SYD - SIN (QF81) pushed back 29 late with Lion City arrival suggested as 1735 late this afternoon local time, 50 minutes late.

 

[Himeno]

Checking in for KA997 (0305 departure PEK-HKG) and saw the screens list QF108 as delayed from 2345 to 0115. (took some time to get through security and QF108 was off the screens by the time I got through, so couldn't check when it pushed pack)

 

[Melburnian1]

Updating Himeno's post, QF108 pushed back at 0110 hours on Wednesday 15 (85 minutes late) with SYD arrival suggested as 1525 hours, 70 late.

VH-QPA (A333) on the overnight NRT - MEL QF80 is estimated to arrive at 0859, 59 late after departing only 27 minutes late last night.

QF79 (0920 hours MEL - NRT) is suggested as departing 55 minutes late with arrival at 1845, an hour late.

The 1930 hours redeye from SIN to MEL on Tuesday 14 November, QF36, was cancelled. A332 VH-EBN had operated QF81, arriving 66 minutes late in SIN on Tuesday late afternoon but it appears to still be in SIN.

 

[serfty]

Why do you 'slow it up...to make it exactly five minutes' at the airports such as DXB, MEL and SYD that you mention? Wouldn't arriving as soon as possible, while continuing to operate safely, save any airline some dollars and hence be welcomed by management?

Engines have to run for at approx. 5 minutes after landing for cooling- jb747 explains it in Ask the Pilot IIRC.

Last week at DXB we were the gate (A1?) within about 90 seconds after landing and had to wait for some minutes while the engines continued to run.

 

[jb747]

Why do you 'slow it up...to make it exactly five minutes' at the airports such as DXB, MEL and SYD that you mention? Wouldn't arriving as soon as possible, while continuing to operate safely, save any airline some dollars and hence be welcomed by management?

Sorry, I didn't see this.

All engines have minimum run time at idle before they can be shut down. This is for cooling. We start the timing for this as the engines come out of reverse on landing. If we haven't used full reverse during the landing, then we start the timing at touchdown. Some later iterations of the software even bring up an ECAM message to tell you that the time is up. Because the outboard engines don't have reverse thrust, they can normally be shut down around 60 seconds before the inners.

Whilst we do sometimes park the aircraft and wait the time out at the gate (not much choice when the gate and exit taxiway are right next to each other), the ground staff cannot approach the aircraft, nor can the bridges be moved, before complete shutdown. The issue that I've found here though, is that no matter how many PAs we make telling people that we'll be doing this, and to remain seated, a substantial number won't...but the problem tends not to exist if you wait the time out whilst slowly moving.

My memory is that SIN is generally much longer as are a host of other Asian airports. SIN becomes more important for QF from March 2018 when it resumes its rightful place as a terrific hub in which the airport owner invests (at least so far as passenger creature comforts go) often and wisely.

In Singapore, if we park on the western side, as we used to, it will mean a slightly longer taxi than Dubai, but not dramatically so.

Truly the best airport of size worldwide (not that I've been to every one) as evidenced by its collection of numerous awards.

Airports are more than terminals. I've never seen any awards for the best ATC management, but I'd much rather have that than a flashy terminal. Of course, it would be nice to have both!