Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[BD1959]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

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

... and Derby's only 2hrs by truck!!

Regards,

BD

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Just to remind anyone if they are affected by delays from London... get your EU261 claims in! If successful you could end up with some extra pocket money!

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

What sort of timeframe is one typically looking at to change over an engine? Five days? I assume that it's not just about swapping, but comprehensive testing and certification must occur.

 

[BD1959]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

What sort of timeframe is one typically looking at to change over an engine? Five days? I assume that it's not just about swapping, but comprehensive testing and certification must occur.

Certification?

Isn't the engine-type certified for use per aircraft type?

Regards,

BD

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Here is a guide to EU261 compensation:

How to claim EU flight delay compensation|(EC) 261/2004 | This is Money

The QF1 arrival from SYD into LHR is an hour late due to overtime at DXB, and hence is not forecast to arrive until 0755 on Tuesday 31 March. It is hard to see the delayed QF2 from Monday evening departing at 0930 as the QF website suggests: 1000 is more likely assuming that QF1 does not suffer further delays as it approaches LHR.

 

[jb747]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

What sort of timeframe is one typically looking at to change over an engine? Five days? I assume that it's not just about swapping, but comprehensive testing and certification must occur.

The swap takes a couple of hours. Then it simply needs a reasonably quick run. But, A380 engines aren't just lying around all over the place, and they can't be shipped by the old 747 method.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Thank you jb747. That explains why it hasn't just taken a day or so.

 

[BD1959]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The swap takes a couple of hours. Then it simply needs a reasonably quick run. But, A380 engines aren't just lying around all over the place, and they can't be shipped by the old 747 method.

Surely the logistics of replacing a bad A380 engine at "remote" outstations such as DXB, LHR and LAX have been mapped and costed (I could understand it if a diversion had been required to somewhere like Armenia!)? The limitations of not having the 747 pylon method were known long before even the first A380 delivery.

Is the Trent common with the BA version? Wouldn't Nigel be willing to swap ... or are the the QF plants so old that Nigel would be afraid of never seeing his shiny, new engine again? Have QF cutback their maintenance agreements to such an extent that Royces wouldn't come to their rescue??

This must be costing QF a fortune.

Regards,

BD

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The Monday 30 March delayed QF10, VH-OQF, is just climbing out of DXB and has managed with a fast trip from LHR and a bit less time at DXB to already gain on its timetable by an hour and a quarter. It will still however be about three hours late into MEL when it touches down after midnight tonight. Poor Princess Fiona!

No one has yet indicated at what hotels in London QF is putting QF2 passengers up at who have been delayed overnight on more than one flight now. These hotels may be on relatively cheap contract rates, far less than I would pay as an individual, but nonetheless as BD1959 suggests, the bill to QF must be substantial. The crews may need additional rooms given the changed arrangements. Future rosters may need to be tweaked.

It's the planning and operations staff that I feel for in these circumstances. While they'll have experienced it before, it must be an enormous amount of unexpected work and that's before dealing with individual passengers' needs such as having to somehow transport disabled passengers to hotels and back to LHR airport.

 

[Ansett]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Surely with its numerous daily flights Emirates would be more than happy to accommodate people that are in need to fly, as part of the exceptional relationship and partnership between EK and QF. This should reduce the cost impact.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Ansett, that may be so, but we are presuming it has sufficient empty seats.

This morning's (Tuesday) QF1 arrival into LHR has just been put back further to 0815 so that means a further delay for those travelling on the much delayed Monday evening QF2 ex LHR to DXB and SYD, probably to roughly 1015 ex LHR not 0930 as the website continues to suggest.

The good news is that QF10 for Tuesday ex LHR is not shown as delayed on the QF website so that may mean that the A388 requiring an engine changeover has been attended to and is fit for service.

 

[jb747]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Surely the logistics of replacing a bad A380 engine at "remote" outstations such as DXB, LHR and LAX have been mapped and costed (I could understand it if a diversion had been required to somewhere like Armenia!)? The limitations of not having the 747 pylon method were known long before even the first A380 delivery.

Is the Trent common with the BA version? Wouldn't Nigel be willing to swap ... or are the the QF plants so old that Nigel would be afraid of never seeing his shiny, new engine again? Have QF cutback their maintenance agreements to such an extent that Royces wouldn't come to their rescue??

Rolls Royce manages and maintains the engines. Ask them. I think you'll find that it's cheaper, for this particular engine, to freight them in as needed.

I'd be extremely surprised if BA have even one spare engine.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Wiki claims that in 2000 QF was quoted US$12.85 million per engine, so that cost must have substantially increased in the last 15 years. A most expensive 'spare part' to have lying around.

 

[jb747]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Wiki claims that in 2000 QF was quoted US$12.85 million per engine, so that cost must have substantially increased in the last 15 years. A most expensive 'spare part' to have lying around.

Especially as the engine wasn't in service until 2008.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

jb747, given that these are multi-million dollar pieces of equipment, if the engine is swapped over would the removed one generally be repaired and reused in the future? I am assuming that the failure is not what laymen like me would call 'catastrophic' if you get the gist of what I am trying to say.

 

[jb747]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

jb747, given that these are multi-million dollar pieces of equipment, if the engine is swapped over would the removed one generally be repaired and reused in the future? I am assuming that the failure is not what laymen like me would call 'catastrophic' if you get the gist of what I am trying to say.

It would be pulled, refurbished, and put back into service. Engine swaps, at any age, can happen for any number of reasons.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

The delayed QF1 ex SYD passengers and crew are currently enjoying the sights of Chigwell or close to it in a holding pattern, so LHR arrival has been put back from 0815 to 0831, so it is increasingly unlikely that the Monday 30 March 2015 QF2 will be able to depart until 1030 today (Tuesday), London time.

Monday's QF9 is slightly delayed and forecast to arrive LHR at 1410, 20 minutes late. Tuesday's QF10 is now appearing as delayed from its usual 1330 ex LHR to 1600, so the defective A388 that has been under maintenance at LHR may still not be ready to reenter service as QF9 looks to be again forming QF10.

 

[Dalek]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

QF2 finally got away 15 mins ago (10:40am London Time). Apparently there was chaos at the Qantas check-in, then they had to have a special security line set up as people had boarding passes with the wrong date on (30th instead of 31st). Ms Dalek is totally over flying without her WP parents there to help her jump the queues.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

Dalek, yes, the QF website suggests 1033 to be precise.

Once again (and I'm happy to be corrected if my maths are wrong), the QF website is asserting that QF2 (A388 VH-OQD) can depart LHR at 1033 and be at DXB's gate at 1915. With the time difference, that is a total trip time including taxiing at both ends of 5 hours and 42 minutes. Yet it is about 5498 kilometres, and at 1111 London time, QF2 has yet to take off. The delayed QF2 that departed LHR yesterday at 1014 took until 2003 local time to reach DXB's gate, so I struggle to see how today's flight could achieve what the website claims.

These website timings are often unrealistic, although sometimes they are changed once an aircraft has levelled out. I acknowledge that it is impossible to know how much 'traffic' there will be as this flight approaches DXB, though.

UPDATE: QF has just altered its site to show a more realistic 2005 suggested arrival time in DXB for the overnight delayed QF2. The forecast SYD arrival time has been similarly altered to a more likely 1815 on Wednesday 1 April 2015.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: General Qantas Delays/Cancellations/etc. Discussion

what might be interesting is the expected arrival time in Australia, and whether that is eligible for EU compensation!?