Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[kpc]

Passengers stranded at Christmas due to flight delays

 

[Melburnian1]

Christmas Eve saw QF11 departing LAX at 1139 hours, 199 minutes late, arriving in JFK at 1920 hours, 170 minutes late. The returning transcontinental USA QF12 pushed back in New York at 2052 hours, 172 late - so unlike many other occasions it did not lose any further time to speak of in the turnaround - with estimated arrival in LAX at 0014 on Christmas Day, which would be (again) 199 minutes late.

The Sunday 24 QF12 from LAX to SYD is predicted to depart at 0125 hours on Christmas Day, 175 minutes tardy. Boxing Day arrival should be at 1110 hours, 160 minutes behind the schedule.

QF16 from LAX to BNE is forecast to depart at 0225 hours on Christmas Day, 185 late, arriving in BNE at about 1005 hours (170 late) on Boxing Day, so QF15 if formed by this B744 will be delayed in its departure for the Pacific Ocean flight across to LAX.

QF94 ex LAX on Christmas Eve does not look to be delayed.

 

[davidj]

Passengers stranded at Christmas due to flight delays

If pax need an explanation for the delay, I suggest they look out the window (at the fog).

 

[Flyerqf]

Christmas Eve saw QF11 departing LAX at 1139 hours, 199 minutes late, arriving in JFK at 1920 hours, 170 minutes late. The returning transcontinental USA QF12 pushed back in New York at 2052 hours, 172 late - so unlike many other occasions it did not lose any further time to speak of in the turnaround - with estimated arrival in LAX at 0014 on Christmas Day, which would be (again) 199 minutes late.

The Sunday 24 QF12 from LAX to SYD is predicted to depart at 1025 hours on Christmas Day, 175 minutes tardy. Boxing Day arrival should be at 1110 hours, 160 minutes behind the schedule.

QF16 from LAX to BNE is forecast to depart at 0225 hours on Christmas Day, 185 late, arriving in BNE at about 1005 hours (170 late) on Boxing Day, so QF15 if formed by this B744 will be delayed in its departure for the Pacific Ocean flight across to LAX.

QF94 ex LAX on Christmas Eve does not look to be delayed.

Christmas Day's QF11 departed SYD at 1422, 172 minutes behind schedule; LAX arrival is estimated at 0914 hours, 174 late.

QF11 from SYD looks on time on Christmas Day.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF11 from SYD looks on time on Christmas Day.

Yes, correct. Apologies: I had inadvertently brought up a previous day's flight.

 

[Flyerqf]

Doesn’t look like it’s been mentioned yet that last night’s QF9 was delayed approx 8 hrs and departed this morning at 0730.

 

[Flyerqf]

Doesn’t look like it’s been mentioned yet that last night’s QF9 was delayed approx 8 hrs and departed this morning at 0730.

And tonight’s is delayed until 0700 tomorrow morning. They must be trying to avoid the fog.

 

[Melburnian1]

Doesn’t look like it’s been mentioned yet that last night’s QF9 was delayed approx 8 hrs and departed this morning at 0730.

Flyerqf, I had mentioned it above - read all my posts (yes, many paragraphs to sift through. 0739 this morning was the exact departure time.)

A Christmas 'present' reminder to passengers on some late QF (and EK!) flights ex (but not to) LHR that they may be eligible for compensation under EU261/2004. This European Union passenger compensation has been previously discussed at length through AFF so I won't repeat it in detail. However for QF and EK my understanding is that compensation will be payable for cancelled flights (such as the QF2 above) or where there are delays of more than three hours (such as LHR to DXB). Compo is generally not payable if you originate in say DXB (even though it may be a flight number that orginated in London).

Airlines may attempt to weasel out by claiming 'extraordinary circumstances.' However if a passenger can find that 'repairs' to an aircraft occurred (such as QF has conceded with one of the affected flights) that makes it more likely that compo will have to be paid.

 

[Melburnian1]

And tonight’s is delayed until 0700 tomorrow morning. They must be trying to avoid the fog.

QF expects that the Christmas Day QF9 will arrive in LHR at 1925 hours on Boxing Day, so depending on how it plays it, either QF2 or the earlier scheduled QF10 will be late out of LHR on 26 December if the predicted times hold.

Not all QF's fault as it's not God so it cannot control the weather, but irrespective 'chaos' is a possible description of the Oz - LHR two routes at present. EK is also affected, but its travails have not (surprise, surprise) received any media coverage in Oz.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Not all QF's fault as it's not God so it cannot control the weather...

But airlines can choose their route and hub cities. how often were flights delayed in SIN/HKG/BKK due to fog and other adverse weather? HKG yes with typhoons, but i don't recall the same problems in SIN and BKK?

 

[Flyerqf]

But airlines can choose their route and hub cities. how often were flights delayed in SIN/HKG/BKK due to fog and other adverse weather? HKG yes with typhoons, but i don't recall the same problems in SIN and BKK?

Communication is critical when things go wrong. Seems like it was a massive fail this time & nothing learnt from the NYE debacle last year when Qantas didn’t communicate appropriately with impacted customers and prioritised a flight that Alan Joyce was on and then tried to claim it was standard practice, when history showed it was a very unusual event.

 

[Melburnian1]

But airlines can choose their route and hub cities. how often were flights delayed in SIN/HKG/BKK due to fog and other adverse weather? HKG yes with typhoons, but i don't recall the same problems in SIN and BKK?

My recollection too, MEL_Traveller. As suggested above, DXB was a disastrous choice for QF despite the adulation the media feasts on the QF CEO (and his predecessor). I wasn't disagreeing with you at all.

 

[Melburnian1]

NewCorp has not long posted its second article re the ongoing QF flight delays through DXB with QF stating that passengers will not receive 'any further' compensation. It refers to 'outraged passengers.'

While most of the article refers to QF1, an inbound flight to the UK operated by a non-EU airline and hence not covered by EU compensation regulations, refer above for details as to how outbound passengers ex LHR may - I stress 'may' - be entitled to some compensation.

All airlines have delays, but QF's are far worse on this route, typically, than the vast majority of competitors, and much more frequent in their occurrence. Perhaps many viewers or readers forget these negative articles after a few days, but they're poor publicity for QF, and would be even more so if the media also wrote occasionally about the B744 long haul fleet problems (not evident today, but have had some disastrous periods in the last month).

 

[Melburnian1]

Christmas Day's QF9, the 2325 hours that was delayed overnight, perhaps to 'beat the DXB fog' as Flyerqf suggested was meant to depart from MEL at 0700 hours on Boxing Day 2017 but pushed back at 0759 hours (A388 VH-OQB). The DXB intermediate stop is to be from 1425 to, optimistically, 1530 with LHR arrival at 1925 hours instead of the timetabled lunchtime 1240.

The previous flight, Sunday 24 ex MEL that had departed at 0739 reached LHR at 2004 on Christmas Day (VH-OQH). It has yet to depart as QF2 and is showing as delayed until 2245, 120 minutes late from there.

The scheduled Sunday 24 QF2 ex LHR that departed 119 minutes late at 2244, arriving DXB at 0927 on Christmas Day and which had the 12 hour enforced desert stay appears not to have departed yet from DXB despite being retimed to do so at 2135 local time (0335 AEDT on Boxing Day.) VH-OQK may be the aircraft for this flight but some records are 'confused.' VH-OQJ also looks to be in DXB.

B789 VH-ZNA on QF96 ex LAX is arriving on 26 December in MEL at an estimated 1151 hours, 101 minutes late.

UPDATE: The delayed QF2 ex LHR on Christmas Day (evening) has just departed at 2246 hours, 121 minutes late.

 

[Flyerqf]

Christmas Day's QF9, the 2325 hours that was delayed overnight, perhaps to 'beat the DXB fog' as Flyerqf suggested was meant to depart from MEL at 0700 hours on Boxing Day 2017 but pushed back at 0759 hours (A388 VH-OQB). The DXB intermediate stop is to be from 1425 to, optimistically, 1530 with LHR arrival at 1925 hours instead of the timetabled lunchtime 1240.

The previous flight, Sunday 24 ex MEL that had departed at 0739 reached LHR at 2004 on Christmas Day (VH-OQH). It has yet to depart as QF2 and is showing as delayed until 2245, 120 minutes late from there.

The scheduled Sunday 24 QF2 ex LHR that departed 119 minutes late at 2244, arriving DXB at 0927 on Christmas Day and which had the 12 hour enforced desert stay appears not to have departed yet from DXB despite being retimed to do so at 2135 local time (0335 AEDT on Boxing Day.) VH-OQK may be the aircraft for this flight but some records are 'confused.' VH-OQJ also looks to be in DXB.

B789 VH-ZNA on QF96 ex LAX is arriving on 26 December in MEL at an estimated 1151 hours, 101 minutes late.

UPDATE: The delayed QF2 ex LHR on Christmas Day (evening) has just departed at 2246 hours, 121 minutes late.

The QF2 (depart LHR 24/12) has been delayed a further 12 hours for operational requirements.

 

[Melburnian1]

Flyerqf, normally this huge delay to QF2 would mean that one A388 flight ex SYD today (26 December) will have to be cancelled (perhaps QF1, the 1655 hours) or 'downgauging' (reduced capacity) of other flight(s) occur.

However today, given some flights did not operate on Christmas Day, VH-OQC, VH-OQD and VH-OQI are in SYD, which is sufficient for QF117 (1305 hours SYD - HKG), QF7 (1440 to DFW) and QF1 (1655 hours SYD - DXB - LHR.)

QF11 departed SYD 23 late at 1153 but has B744 VH-OEH. Was this meant to be, or has it been 'downgauged' from an A388? It is Tuesday, normally a lower demand day (but not today).

VH-OQA does not appear to have left MEL since it arrived last night on QF10, with VH-OQB on the delayed by QF decree QF9 that left on Boxing Day at 0759 hours. As expected and scheduled at this time of year, none of the A388s of QF are in MNL for maintenance.

Flyerqf, please correct if I have not joined all the dots.

 

[Flyerqf]

Flyerqf, won' this mean that one A388 flight ex SYD today (26 December) will have to be cancelled (perhaps QF1, the 1655 hours) or 'dongauging' (reduced capacity) of other flight(s) occur? QF117, the 1305 hours SYD - HKG is still showing as an A388: sometimes this can be a candidate for substitution with an A333 if the A388 or B744 is not available.

QF11 was scheduled to be a 744 operated flight today so looks like they can still operate the other 388 flights to schedule.

 

[Himeno]

QF11 departed SYD 23 late at 1153 but has B744 VH-OEH. Was this meant to be, or has it been 'downgauged' from an A388? It is Tuesday, normally a lower demand day (but not today).

Tuesday QF11/12 flights have been planned as 744s since the transpac changes of QF7/8 to A380, QF73/74 restart and AA take over of QF17/18.

 

[Flyerqf]

Tuesday QF11/12 flights have been planned as 744s since the transpac changes of QF7/8 to A380, QF73/74 restart and AA take over of QF17/18.

This is correct however normally the Tuesday 11/12 gets upgraded to a 380 during the summer. Not this year though opting for 117/118 to be 380 on Tues & Wed instead.

M1 - there is an extra 380 at MEL due to 93/94 not operating on Xmas Day.

 

[whughes3]

This is correct however normally the Tuesday 11/12 gets upgraded to a 380 during the summer. Not this year though opting for 117/118 to be 380 on Tues & Wed instead.

M1 - there is an extra 380 at MEL due to 93/94 not operating on Xmas Day.

Actually QF117/118 are 388 7 days a week at the moment (since 10/12 in fact).