Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

QF74 (Thu 14 departure) is delayed nearly 24 hours due to mechanical reasons. OEI is the aircraft.

Flyerqf, the delay expected may have risen as this 2035 hours timetabled ex SFO on Thursday 14 February is displaying as a 2100 hours on Friday 15. QF's site is not showing any delays to outbound B744 flights on Saturday 16 February.

Friday's QF3 departed SYD 50 late at 2015 so same day HNL arrival is suggested as 0843 hours, 43 minutes later than the timetable states.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF151, the Saturday 16 February 0730 hours MEL - AKL took off at 0816 with B738 VH-VZT. Arrival should be at 1344, 34 minutes late.

Although the MEL - HKG QF29 arrived 17 minutes early at 1558 hours on Friday 15, QF30 (B744 CVH-OEG), the scheduled 1900 hours back down to MEL failed to depart HKG until 2046 hours. Saturday arrival was 0824, 54 late, meaning that the northbound QF29 has its predicted departure at 1015 hours, half an hour tardy.

QF12 (LAX - SYD) should arrive on Saturday at 0916, 41 late. 'The 94' is similar, with MEL arrival suggested as 1039, 49 late (as it did not take off until 0007 on Friday morning) meaning that QF35 (1220 hours lunchtime MEL - SIN) is likely to be at least 15 minutes late pushing back this afternoon.

The LAX - BNE is worst, with its 40 minute tardy departure becoming an expected 0826 hours arrival, 71 late. However given that QF15 jas a timetabled departure of 1120 hours, it should be unaffected.

 

[Himeno]

QF25 delayed ex SYD last night. Fuel ended up in wrong tank. Had to be removed.

Arrived HND early.

 

[Melburnian1]

In more on 16 February 2019, QF81 (1130 hours late morning SYD up to SIN) departed 25 late; arrival should be 38 minutes behind at 1723 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Saturday 16 February...
Although the MEL - HKG QF29 arrived 17 minutes early at 1558 hours on Friday 15, QF30 (B744 CVH-OEG), the scheduled 1900 hours back down to MEL failed to depart HKG until 2046 hours. Saturday arrival was 0824, 54 late, meaning that the northbound QF29 has its predicted departure at 1015 hours, half an hour tardy.

QF29 (B744 VH-OEG for the second consecutive day) was delayed far more than predicted. Pushback at 1122 hours (97 late) means forecast arrival at 1733, 78 minutes late.

The BNE - NRT QF61 is mostly on time but Saturday was an exception as it departed 59 late at 1019 with suggested arrival for A333 VH-QPJ at 1800, half an hour late.

QGF97, the 0930 hours BNE - HKG departed 31 late so its at gate time in the latter has become 1706, 36 minutes behind the timetable.

The 1550 hours SYD - HKG, QF117, is forecast to depart half an hour late so quite a number of delays to Hong Kong today.

 

[Melburnian1]

The overnight, 24 hour delayed QF74D (originally due to depart SFO on Thursday 14 February 2019 at 2035 hours) departed at 2114 hours on Friday 15, so SYD Sunday 17 arrival should be at 0621 hours. This is about five minutes behind the Friday 15 SFO - SYD QF74.

Friday early evenings transcontinental USA QF12 departed JFK at 1832, 32 late, arriving LAX at 2157 hours, 62 late and in turn delaying the A388 on QF12 (VH-OQB) from LAX to SYD. Departure for the latter occurred at 2328, 58 late so on Sunday 17, arrival should be at 0948 hours, 73 minutes tardy.

QF94 is a little ahead of 'the 12' with 'the 94' forecast to arrive in MEL on Sunday at 1020, half an hour behind. QF16 (LAX- BNE) is again worse, with Sunday at gate arrival suggested as 0801, 46 late.

None of these three ex-USA delays should result in flights ex OZ tomorrow being delayed, at leat in theory, although QF94 seems to take a long time to 'make' QF35 to Singapore, the 1220 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF36 arrived MEL at 0633, 33 late on Sunday 17 February 2019.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Saturday 16 February, QF63 (B744 VH-OEH) arrived JNB six minutes late at 1641.

However it did not depart at 1850 hours on QF64 back to SYD, as the flight has been delayed overnight to an expected 1930 hours ex JNB on Sunday 17. SYD arrival should be 1620 hours on Monday 18, 1485 minutes late.

SFO one night...JNB soon after...many problems with these B744s (although we don't know if, for instance, a flight crew member had to go off sick, in which case it's not the aircraft's "fault".)

QF29 (0945 hours MEL - HKG) is displaying as reverting to its normal B789 this morning (Sunday 17) although VH-ZNG, the aircraft that had to be repaired after a VA catering truck collided with it, has not operated any recent flights. If it is a B789, the B744 ex QF30 may have to operate a 'ferry' (empty) flight from MEL to SYD this morning.

 

[Flyerqf]

ZNG is back operating QF29. OEG is operating a positioning flight to SYD.

 

[moa999]

ZNG is back operating QF29. OEG is operating a positioning flight to SYD.

Should hopefully get things back to normal.

 

[Flyerqf]

Should hopefully get things back to normal.

Except if these 744s keep breaking down. And less options to cover now with 1 less in the fleet from today with OJS’s last flight today.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Friday early evenings transcontinental USA QF12 departed JFK at 1832, 32 late, arriving LAX at 2157 hours, 62 late and in turn delaying the A388 on QF12 (VH-OQB) from LAX to SYD. Departure for the latter occurred at 2328, 58 late so on Sunday 17, arrival should be at 0948 hours, 73 minutes tardy....

In an unusual diversion, QF12 stopped in BNE on Sunday 17 February from 0755 to 0842 - a fuel topup due to adverse winds?

Arrival in SYD for A388 VH-OQB should be at 1120 hours, 165 minutes tardy. Its next flight should be QF7, the 1440 hours SYD - DFW so in theory, still an on time departure as 200 minutes is more than sufficient to undertake a turnaround for this large aircraft.

 

[Melburnian1]

Except if these 744s keep breaking down. And less options to cover now with 1 less in the fleet from today with OJS’s last flight today.

The median age of the remaining eight (soon to be seven) B744s in the QF fleet is 17.7 years (that figure includes OJS, the ninth one finishing today, so strictly median age is a little 'younger'). Some airlines have even older fleets of B744s.

Is this shoddy maintenance by QF - 'spend as little as we can on these given they'll all be gone in a couple of years' thinking - or is it just a question of age, and many cycles flown?

Is obtaining spare parts for B744s increasingly requiring stripping of mothballed aircraft in various deserts or other graveyards, or do airlines like QF have a substantial inventory of spare parts to hand (in its case in Sydney)?

There are complaints on various sites where passengers suggest the interior of the QF B744s is decaying. Others complain about delays. Hardly a world class product when competitors ranging from LATAM to Cathay Pacific and Hawaiian Airlines, to name a few, manage to have a much better timekeeping and reliability record. On the B744 QF routes, the only exception might be South African Airways (although it flies to PER not QF's JNB to SYD route).

By the way, you mean one 'fewer' not 'less'.

 

[moa999]

and less options to cover now with 1 less in the fleet from today with OJS’s last flight today.

I assume retirements and scheduled maintenance are considered in the timetable.

 

[Melburnian1]

I assume retirements and scheduled maintenance are considered in the timetable.

True, but doesn't get away from how during school holidays, Christmas and so on, the QFi timetables seem to need every available aircraft to be in service. This is a pretty unrealistic assumption, especially if QF flight crew are allegedly more focused on the 'minimum equipment list' than some other airlines' staff.

Granted that small airlines find it impossible to justify having a spare, because of the capital (and recurrent) costs, but one might think a large airline such as Qantas could borrow from the British Airways book of tricks and have a spare larger aircraft.

This wouldn't solve every problem - it has two types of high capacity planes, and if a B744 breaks down in JNB it doesn't assist if a spare A388 is in Sydney - but at times it would get QF out of the severe delays to which it so often subjects long distance passengers.

I rarely look at the QF or other airlines' Facebook page but I doubt it has zero complaints about these delays. Some using international airlines have tight schedules and are really hit badly by a 24 hour or longer delay. Generally doesn't worry me as I have the luxury of building in a buffer but some simply cannot do this: some business travellers, those attending a short notice funeral or with limited holiday time.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on Sunday 17 February 2019, QF426, the 1100 hours MEL - SYD (B738 VH-VXF) took off at 1143, so arrival should be 1256 hours, 31 late.

 

[moa999]

where passengers complain that the interior of the B744s is decaying

Other than OEB (which is next to be retired), the 747 product is the same as the A380 and generally installed later.

 

[Melburnian1]

Other than OEB (which is next to be retired), the 747 product is the same as the A380 and generally installed later.

When I've been on the A388s, the interiors look dated...and are about to be refurbished. No such luck for the B744s.

 

[Flyerqf]

I assume retirements and scheduled maintenance are considered in the timetable.

True however this 787 issue was not planned for. Just like the 747 maintenance issues at SFO and JNB. You’re right though, 787 repair and back in service should get things mostly back to normal.

 

[Melburnian1]

...OEG is operating a positioning flight to SYD.

It ran as QF6007, arriving SYD at 1103 hours, so in good time for one of the remaining B744 schedules departing this afternoon or evening.

QF107 (1335 hours SYD - PEK) is predicted to depart 25 late.