Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Dmac6345]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

You have got be kidding!
I am dumbfounded by this article. If Qantas has to pay compensation to this turkey, the world has gone mad.
It will be great to see how he fares on Virgin if he doesn't like the customer service and delays on Virgin.

Sorry about that post.
I meant customer service and delays on Qantas not Virgin.

 

[Flyerqf]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

A380 VH-OQG arrived at LHR on Sunday but is now out of service due to a tech issue.
This has thrown the 9/10/1/2 schedules all well behind, with inbound aircraft at LHR turning around as quickly as possible. An A380 will position down to MEL this evening to operate QF9, as the inbound 10 isn't arriving until 4am.
As a result 744 OEB operated today's QF11.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Flyerqf, many thanks. Can you remind us with the 'normal' roster (that is, excluding the seasonal additional flights such as between SYD - YVR - SYD in a June or July), how many 744 'spares' does QF have and how many are in regular scheduled use? Furthermore, how many are in the hangar undergoing planned maintenance at any one time?

In the past when QF has had problems with its A388s it mostly seems to be able to substitute a 744, albeit with some shuffling of passengers on board if flights are full in particular.

The breakdown to which you refer has indeed led to some long delays.

Saturday 28 March 2015's QF2 (VH-OQL) was more than 12 hours late departing LHR at 0950 on Sunday 29 March for a forecast 1845 hours arrival tonight in SYD. The Sunday night flight (nominally timetabled ex LHR at 2125 not 2115) has been revised to an 0930 Monday 30 March 2015 departure ex LHR so it has not even left that great city yet.

 

[Flyerqf]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Flyerqf, many thanks. Can you remind us with the 'normal' roster (that is, excluding the seasonal additional flights such as between SYD - YVR - SYD in a June or July), how many 744 'spares' does QF have and how many are in regular scheduled use? Furthermore, how many are in the hangar undergoing planned maintenance at any one time?

In the past when QF has had problems with its A388s it mostly seems to be able to substitute a 744, albeit with some shuffling of passengers on board if flights are full in particular.

Take today as an example, there are two 744s on the ground at SYD. Three if OEB wasn't covering for the A380.

However keep in mind that OJI was due to be retired last year and is still around, plus there are no A380s or 744 in heavy maintenance at the moment.

What seems to happen is that they have one A380 or one 744 in maintenance at one time, so they operate with one spare. When the A380 is in mx the 744 is spare and when the 744 is in mx, SYD HKG gets upgraded to 380 and the 744 is still the spare.

Once OJI goes, it will be tight especially when YVR is thrown into the mix. I think Tokyo will go 333 instead, once a large majority of the refurbs are done, as they will have flights from BNE to NRT as well.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

I'm on QF10 from LHR today and it's scheduled to depart at 1730.
Rookie mistake by me as I didn't find out until I got to check-in

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thank you again, Flyerqf.

Another delay is to Monday 30 March's QF10 that should normally depart at 1330, in about two and a half hours from now. It has been put back to 1715 with the QF website a tad optimistically predicting a MEL arrival at 0040 on Wednesday 1 April - and that's no joke - in lieu of the normal 2155.

However, given that the Sunday night QF9 that departed MEL almost two hours late at 0149 this morning is not expected to arrive LHR until 1555, the 1715 website or 1730 claimed at checkin to Princess Fiona must be unachievable. Two hours seems to be the minimum in which an A380 can be turned around.

One wonders if the late running is affecting tech and cabin crew slip time and hence eventually leading to further delays on top of the actual timekeeping of the aircraft.

The Tuesday night QF2 ex LHR is not yet shown as expected to incur any delays.

Princess Fiona, none of us would ever describe you as a 'rookie.' A 'Queen-in-waiting', perhaps, or even a 'Princess Consort', but a mere commoner-like 'rookie' - never!

A friend who travels on QF2 claimed to me that the SYD QF flights ex LHR routinely have many more passengers in the superior classes than do the MEL-bound lunchtimes out of LHR for DXB, so you may be one of a select few in such luxury on QF10 if true.

 

[Flyerqf]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The Tuesday night QF2 ex LHR is not yet shown as expected to incur any delays.

The Monday night is also showing on time. Will only happen though if OQG is repaired in time.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Flyerqf, was it a fuel pump issue, airconditioning problems or does history (not yet) relate that sort of detail?

 

[Flyerqf]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Flyerqf, was it a fuel pump issue, airconditioning problems or does history (not yet) relate that sort of detail?

Not sure. Qantas just stated "mechanical issue"

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Which hotel(s) is QF using in London to put up the many QF2 passengers affected by the roughly 12 hour overnight delays? If you live in London, are you merely receiving rail or taxi vouchers and asked to present yourself next morning at 0630 or so at check-in if you turn up not knowing for what you believe will be a 2115 or 2125 departure?

 

[Flyerqf]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The Monday night is also showing on time. Will only happen though if OQG is repaired in time.

Mon night is now delayed 12 hours. OQG is still u/s

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The Sunday 29 March QF2 did not depart LHR until 1014 today (30 March) as QF1 arrived more than an hour late at 0809 this morning.

Today's QF10 has been put back to a forecast 1750 departure, which remains a little optimistic as QF9 from Sunday night ex MEL is now not arriving at LHR until 1610 - meaning roughly an 1810 departure ex LHR for QF10 if nothing goes awry. The delays just keep on increasing...

 

[Hvr]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

A little late but worth telling.

Sunday afternoon QF153 MEL-AKL due to depart 1300 but was delayed to approximately 1420 hours. The reason cited was 'administrative error'.

The actual reason, the crew thought they were paxing to AKL and didn't have their uniforms with them.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

I have a colleague on tonight's scheduled QF2. Just texted him the bad news. The First Host is in the process of contacting affected passengers.

 

[Dalek]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thanks Princess Fiona, my daughter is on QF2 tonight and hadn't heard about the delay

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The delayed QF10 on Monday 30 March departed LHR at 1828, four hours and 58 minutes late. QF expects it to pick up time en route including by spending just an hour in DXB, far less than normal and probably another optomistic call, and then arrive MEL at 0055 tomorrow morning, Wednesday 1 April. Tonight's 2355 hours QF9 departure is still shown on the QF website as departing on time. Unless another aircraft is brought down from SYD to substitute - and I don't believe that there are any spare A380s - this cannot be.

Monday's QF2 is still expected to depart LHR at 0930 today (Tuesday 31), a tad over 12 hours late. Beyond that, QF10 and QF2 departures are shown as on time but this depends on the progress of repairs to the defective A380 that is in LHR.

 

[Flyerqf]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Tonight's 2355 hours QF9 departure is still shown on the QF website as departing on time. Unless another aircraft is brought down from SYD to substitute - and I don't believe that there are any spare A380s - this cannot be.

They do have a spare at MEL. Last night OQL positioned to MEL to operate QF9 as OQA (as QF10) wasn't due in until 4am. Therefore OQA is on the ground in MEL and will operate tonight's QF9.

DFW doesn't operate on Tuesday's, so looks like QF1 will still be able to operate on time today, even though the inbound QF2 is delayed.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thank you again Flyerqf. Do you have any news as to the progress of repairs to the defective A388 at LHR? In these circumstances, which contractor does QF use at such an 'outstation?'

Let's hope that this situation of an aircraft becoming unexpectedly defective does not occur when QF is operating its A388s more frequently to HKG, or the extra YVR flights (744s if I recall) are operating as at those times the 'heavy' fleet will be under just a bit more pressure in terms of fewer spares.

 

[BD1959]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thank you again Flyerqf. Do you have any news as to the progress of repairs to the defective A388 at LHR? In these circumstances, which contractor does QF use at such an 'outstation?'

It must be a pretty serious "technical issue" for it to have been out for so long ... they could have dismantled it and shipped to Toulouse by now!!

Regards,

BD

 

[ABC1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

#1 engine on OQG is the issue. I think they are swapping it