Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[sydstar]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Neither QF7, QF27 or QF107 from SYD to DFW, SCL or LAX are shown as delayed today (Friday 21 November 2014) so let's hope that QF is able to rustle up a spare 744 in SYD to form one of these three flights. given the unavailability of the inbound 744 from DFW.

QF7/8 are operated by an A380

 

[Lonely Flyer]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Would LAX immigration and customs normally be manned at 0200?

Probably a small crew as there are hardly any arrivals (INT) between 1:00 and 5:00

 

[Mr_Orange]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

QF7/8 are operated by an A380

Isn't the point that QF don't have any spare A380s so they would have to use a 744? Could be round 2 of an involuntary downgrade at LAX .

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Isn't the point that QF don't have any spare A380s so they would have to use a 744? Could be round 2 of an involuntary downgrade at LAX .

Although worth noting that involuntary denied boarding compensation rules don't apply in circumstances where an airline has substituted a smaller aircraft.

 

[sydstar]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Isn't the point that QF don't have any spare A380s so they would have to use a 744? Could be round 2 of an involuntary downgrade at LAX .

I read it to mean that due to QF8 being delayed, there would be a potential issue with a delay to QF7/27/107, but as QF8 is now a 380, there shouldn't be an impact on those flights

A source notes it was a medical diversion, with crew then out of hours

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Would LAX immigration and customs normally be manned at 0200?

Probably a small crew as there are hardly any arrivals (INT) between 1:00 and 5:00

As a departing flight from the USA passengers on QF8 would not have gone through an outwards customs at DFW so I don't believe there would be a requirement for customs to be there on LAX like other countries who do have one where the passport of those affected pax would be stamped "did not depart" or cleared back into the country via the computer.

 

[flychrisfly]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

As a departing flight from the USA passengers on QF8 would not have gone through an outwards customs at DFW so I don't believe there would be a requirement for customs to be there on LAX like other countries who do have one where the passport of those affected pax would be stamped "did not depart" or cleared back into the country via the computer.

I wonder what happens with any duty free...

 

[JessicaTam]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

I wonder what happens with any duty free...

Something to drink in the intervening 24 hours!

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The delayed plane, A388 VH-OQL has departed LAX at 2128 (two minutes earlier than QF had predicted - remarkably accurate for a change so long in advance) on Thursday 20 November and should arrive SYD at 0705 tomorrow morning, 22 November 2014.

SYD to LAX QF11 (this afternoon's 1500 hours) has been delayed until a predicted 2000 tonight and will not arrive LAX until a forecast 1400 today (local LAQX time) in lieu of the timetabled 0945. This would give Qantas lounge passengers an excuse (and the necessity) to enjoy lunch 'on the ground.'

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Continuing recent problems, this morning's QF1503 due to depart MEL at 1140 for HBA did not leave until 1735, almost six hours late. It made up five minutes enroute. No jokes about it being 'quicker to swim' please as it's Monday, a serious working day.

QF1505, the 1525 from MEL to HBA was cancelled.

QF1507, the 1915 departure from MEL to HBA has been delayed until a suggested 2100, but this is impossible as QF1504 (the 1330 from HBA) has yet (at 1936) to depart HBA as far as I can see. Try (perhaps) a 2135 departure from MEL (140 minutes late) as a more realistic MEL departure time, assuming that QF1504 isn't suddenly cancelled.

Reports of how passengers were accommodated (JQ?) would be welcome.

Not a good day for this contracted operation. Unfortunately it is not the first time in 2014 that these B717 flights have had major problems. While delays can occur with any airline, VA seems to be a better performer of late on this route, albeit that the route is not quite as important as 20 years ago due to more nonstops operating from HBA to SYD. It is not always necessary for our northerly cousins to fly via MEL to and from the island capital.

 

[vertisol]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Continuing recent problems, this morning's QF1503 due to depart MEL at 1140 for HBA did not leave until 1735, almost six hours late. It made up five minutes enroute. No jokes about it being 'quicker to swim' please as it's Monday, a serious working day.

QF1505, the 1525 from MEL to HBA was cancelled.

QF1507, the 1915 departure from MEL to HBA has been delayed until a suggested 2100, but this is impossible as QF1504 (the 1330 from HBA) has yet (at 1936) to depart HBA as far as I can see. Try (perhaps) a 2135 departure from MEL (140 minutes late) as a more realistic MEL departure time, assuming that QF1504 isn't suddenly cancelled.

Reports of how passengers were accommodated (JQ?) would be welcome.

Not a good day for this contracted operation. Unfortunately it is not the first time in 2014 that these B717 flights have had major problems. While delays can occur with any airline, VA seems to be a better performer of late on this route, albeit that the route is not quite as important as 20 years ago due to more nonstops operating from HBA to SYD. It is not always necessary for our northerly cousins to fly via MEL to and from the island capital.

I was in the MEL J lounge this afternoon and heard the boarding call for the delayed HBA flight, some long faces trudged out of the lounge.

They cancelled the 1525 717 service to CBR ex MEL as well so a bad day all around in MEL. My 1750 737 was held up by 20 minutes due to late arrival of the aircraft from Cairns. I hate it when I get home late for the kids bed time.

 

[Pushka]

General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Continuing recent problems, this morning's QF1503 due to depart MEL at 1140 for HBA did not leave until 1735, almost six hours late. It made up five minutes enroute. No jokes about it being 'quicker to swim' please as it's Monday, a serious working day.

QF1505, the 1525 from MEL to HBA was cancelled.



Reports of how passengers were accommodated (JQ?) would be welcome.
.

Yep. MrP was on that cancelled flight. Didn't make it HOME to Adelaide tonight and is stuck in Melbourne overnight.

He flew JQ to Hobart to Melbourne two hours late. He arrived 15 minutes after the Adelaide flight departed. They didn't wait. Worse, when he turned on his phone in Melb there was s nasty message on his phone telling him to board the Adelaide flight immediately or he would be refused boarding. The flights were on the same PNR but clearly A does not talk to B. He played that message back to Customer Services and they said that they would call him tomorrow with an apology.

There were several passengers unable to forward travel. Qantas organised a bus to take them to Travelodge in the cbd. The bus arrived but the driver didn't know why he was there. He finally let everyone on. But it sat for another hour as he said he didn't have "the authority" to go anywhere. People started to get off and hail taxis.

It finally moved off.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Pushka, it would be interesting to hear what time (the no doubt well travelled) MrP had to raise his good self from slumber this morning at the Docklands Travelodge, what time the coach or bus arrived and what time his flight was meant to depart MEL.

Was he given any choice as to what time he could rebook for or is it a case of 'Sir, you're on flight QFxx_ that departs at XX.XX so pickup from the hotel will be at XX.XX?'

Apart from cost differences per night in the rooms, one reason that QF conveyed passengers to Docklands may be that the MEL airport hotels could have lacked the necessary number of rooms. However there is now a Quest six kilometres from the airport terminals while Mantra is closer, though neither are within what for most people is walking distance.

I have not done the calculations but given that MEL now handles almost as many domestic passengers as SYD and continues to increase its international passengers at a faster percentage rate than SYD (although still a long way behind for the latter), the number of rooms available within three or four kilometres of MEL must be a lot smaller than SYD, making it harder for airlines who 'need' rooms at short notice for connecting passengers in MrP's situation.

Holiday Inn at MEL (quite an old hotel: perhaps 1970 built) has regular bookings from airlines for crew, as one example of usage.

By the way, as I suggested above, QF1507 on Monday 24 November did not depart at '2100' as the website claimed it would. Departure from MEL was at 2134 with a speedy trip to HBA ensuring arrival at 2243, 133 minutes late.

 

[Pushka]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

I hate to think what time he had to get up. Assuming a seamless arrival into Docklands, he would have forgone dinner just to get some sleep.

He was given no choice but he already had to cancel an early morning business appointment here anyway so the day had to start as early as possible.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

This morning (Wed 26 November) QF1500 due out of HBA at 0600 was cancelled. It may have been defective.

In consequence, QF1501, the 0755 ex MEL and QF1502, the 0945 ex HBA to MEL have also both been cancelled.

Another bad day for what is rapidly becoming QF's least reliable route, although JQ also operate on these sectors.

 

[Pushka]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Glad we can liaise with our Hobart partners via Technology then.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The cancellations continue this afternoon, with QF1503, the 1140 ex MEL failing to run, as did QF1504, the return working ex HBA, and the continuation, QF1536, the 1525 from MEL to CBR that should be departing in nine minutes or so but has similarly got the gong. Presumably a further flight from CBR is also not running but I did not look that up.

With this not being an isolated occurrence, it must be doing QF's reputation (what's left of it) damage in the island state.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

I am assuming due to 'weather' - there has been rain, so wind may have been gusty - due to QF172's departure from WLG being delayed from 1540 to an expected 2330 NZ time, with a consequent forecast arrival in MEL at 0130 on Saturday 29 November in lieu of the usual 1740, the departure of QF155 from MEL has been delayed from 1840 this evening to a forecast 0700 tomorrow morning, with arrival in the (smaller) Harbour City forecast for 1220 on Saturday 29 November, exactly 12 hours late.

A delay of this magnitude on a Trans-Tasman flight like this is fairly rare. An early start for those travelling on QF155 in the morning: perhaps a hotel wakeup call of 0400 if in a QF provided Melbourne CBD hotel.

Once again, QF1507 is delayed, this time from 1915 to a suggested 2005 ex MEL en route to the Apple Isle's capital (the small island south of MEL).

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Presumably due to stormy conditions in SYD, the QF website is most unusually displaying five MEL bound flights as all due to depart from SYD at exactly 1800. While simultaneous pushback might be possible, concurrent takeoff certainly is not.

The flights are QF451 (the 1715), JQ521 (timetabled out at 1725), QF455 (the 1730), QF457 (the 1745) and QF459 (the 1800).

QF542 (the scheduled 1735 to BNE) is also shown as due out in six minutes, at 1800, as is JQ768, the 1725 to ADL and QF571, similarly the 1725 timetabled flight to PER and QF544, the 1805 from SYD to BNE.

Eight flights from two airlines, not counting VA or TT let alone any international flights, due out in a 60 second period: I'd like to see that! The SYD movement cap is not just '80 movements an hour' but also 'no more than 20 movements in any quarter of an hour', the latter having perverse effects on occasion.

Since I wrote this, most of the above MEL flights are now shown as delayed until 1830.

And now three of the MEL bound flights have been put back to a forecast 1845 departure and then a 1900, so the delays just keep building.

QF468, the 1615 timetabled ex MEL to SYD, is being diverted to BNE (most unusual) and is operated by VH-QPB, a domestic configuration A333 if I correctly recall. It is currently south of OOL and supposedly only due for what seems an unrealistic 15 minute stay in BNE from 1755 to 1810, meaning a forecast SYD arrival of 2045, three hours and five minutes late, but this may turn out to be an underestimate of the delay.

Flagship QF1, the 1650 from SYD to DXB and LHR is shown on the QF website as due out at 1820 but has yet to be off chocks at 1833 as far as I can see. It eventually departed at 1847 (VH-OQG).

QF5 departed just under two hours late for SIN.

QF454 (the 1730) from MEL to SYD has been cancelled, as had QF553, the 1825 from BNE to SYD.

A bad time for a storm to hit, because although Wednesday is normally with Tuesday the quietest weekdays, there are still thousands of passengers to get 'home' in the evening. It must be difficult for QF (and others) to find hotel rooms at 2000 at night: there must be a lot of ringing around or looking at booking screens.

Oh for a high speed train on the Australian east coast that unlike the airlines is reliable in such weather conditions, not to mention the many other advantages.

 

[Pushka]

General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Mr P's flight delayed in Sydney as well as two Adl flights before his. Second time in just a week he might be delayed overnight yet he's travelled years with nothing like this.
It's saying estimated at 8.45pm but that's getting close to curfew.