Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

I was on QF63 yesterday (VH-OEJ) and the plane’s APU failed right as we pulled into the gate in JNB. They had to use emergency lighting while we disembarked. I suspect that may have something to do with the return flight QF64’s delay.

I'd not looked it up but you were 27 late at the gate at JNB, a big difference from the delay to the return flight QF64.

 

[Silvia]

In further today, QF9 PER-MEL (B789 VH-ZNE) has a revised arrival at 22 00, 95 min tardy.
As @Melburnian1 indicated, several cancellations across the network. QF477 SYD-MEL 18 15, QF465 SYD-MEL 19 00 hours, QF467 SYD-MEL 19 30 hours, QF492 MEL-SYD 20 30 hours, QF494 MEL-SYD 21 00 hours, QF497 SYD-MEL 22 05.

QF462 MEL-SYD 19 00 hours service has a revised departure at 20 05, similarly QF484 MEL-SYD 19 15 hours now expected to depart at 20 30. QF490 MEL-SYD 20 00 hours has a suggested departure at 21 05.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on 8 November, the 1700 hours SYD - MEL (QF453) was not in the sky until 1833 so arrival for B738 VH-XZI is 1949 hours, 74 minutes behind schedule.

QF719 (1855 hours CBR - PER, VH-VZR) took off at 1936 with suggested arrival at 2106 mid evening, 36 late. On 20 April 2017, competitor VA commenced limited CBR - PER - CBR flights but on 6 December these will end. QF must be laughing all the way to the bank at how it'll be able to charge politicians and public servants even more.

 

[Silvia]

In further, SYD airport as per Melburnian's advise is going through some delays. QF551 BNE-SYD (B738 VH-VZL) is suggested to arrive at 21 08, 58 min late.
QF582 PER-SYD has a worse delay, predicted to arrive at 23 22, 142 tardy (A332 VH-EBC).

Pretty much all flights that were scheduled to arrive post 21 30 hours in SYD have been cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Pretty much all flights that were scheduled to arrive post 21 30 hours in SYD have been cancelled.

Which leads to the question that's rarely answered: 'when and how are all those unable to travel on the busiest night of most weeks - Fridays - accommodated?'

Conveying us on day of booked travel is NOT a condition agreed to by the airlines, but it's an expectation of most passengers (unless they read AFF).

 

[Silvia]

The reality is that it doesn't happen and you get stranded. Particularly for those who may travel interstate for work this is terrible. The last thing you want after a long week at work or meetings is being delayed at an airport.

Also, I have stopped counting on the amount of times Sydney airport has experienced awful weather on a Friday evening this year. It's been pretty often this year. After having been stranded by QF with a full lounge with stand only option and later having to book a last minute accommodation under $200 in Sydney at 10pm on Friday night... I've learnt my lesson and avoid late Friday travel as much as I can.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Also, I have stopped counting on the amount of times Sydney airport has experienced awful weather on a Friday evening this year. It's been pretty often this year. After having been stranded by QF with a full lounge with stand only option and later having to book a last minute accommodation under $200 in Sydney at 10pm on Friday night... I've learnt my lesson and avoid late Friday travel as much as I can.

I researched accommodation availability on a previous occasion when there were 'weather related cancellations' en masse and found quite a few properties, but the majority (under A$200/room) were not of a standard most businesspeople/ public servants would accept - backpacker dorms or other deficiencies - or a fair distance from Sydney's airport (and Central railway station or CBD), such as North Ryde or Parramatta. I have used the latter on occasion but it's not quick to travel to and from the airport, and the last thing many who are tired after a days work want to be doing at 2200 hours.

It's unpredictable and mostly travellers have little warning but sometimes the XPT train in these circumstances overnight can get one home quicker than the airlines. But one train can't replace 10 or 20 cancelled flights.

 

[I love to travel]

Qantas have a banner on their website about Sydney and Melbourne operations tonight.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

QF7 for tomorrow has been cancelled - A380 has gone tech. It was a full flight along with my flight on Sunday to DFW almost full as well....not sure how QF will get out of this one - AJ keep running the fleet tight as can be - great customer experience even from major hub SYD.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF7 for tomorrow has been cancelled - A380 has gone tech. It was a full flight along with my flight on Sunday to DFW almost full as well....not sure how QF will get out of this one - AJ keep running the fleet tight as can be - great customer experience even from major hub SYD.

Understandable that you may have not seen these as one of the mentions was post number 1214, but if you look above, milehighclub kindly filled us in re the cancelation of QF7 and QF8 on Saturday 9 and QF1 tonight departing instead at 0800 tomorrow (Saturday) morning. milehighclub also informed us about some facts about rebookings (notably that undertaking this for F/J/W classes - limited number of seats - is harder than for whY), which stands to reason.

Agree with your sentiments. You could of course patronise an alternative airline like so many of us do.

 

[Melburnian1]

...QF1 is showing as reaching SIN at 1310 hours on Saturday 9 November, 905 minutes tardy. It hasn't (publicly) shown the estimated SIN departure time (1440 at a guess) and likely LHR arrival (around the 2045 to 2130 hours mark if all goes to plan, assuming it operates the second sector.)

If so, this will mean QF2 ex LHR is delayed on Saturday night, and consequently QF2 ex SIN on Sunday night will also be behind time, perhaps a couple of hours in each instance. But too early to tell as it's way off from departing ye olde Sydney town.

QF suggests that on Saturday 9 November, the 15 hour delayed QF1 ex SYD (that ought have departed the latter this afternoon) will ;push back in SIN at 1600 hours after an intermediate stop of almost three hours with LHR arrival at 2225 hours, 970 minutes late.

The usual 2135 hours Saturday mid evening QF2 should depart LHR at 0025 on Sunday morning (230 minutes behind schedule) with the SIN stop from 2140 (235 late) to 2305 (230 late) for Monday morning SYD at gate estimated arrival of 1005, 235 late.

Meanwhile,. the Friday evening QF2 (8 November) is expected to depart SIN at 1940, 25 late for a Saturday 9 half hour late SYD arrival at 0640 hours.

As another AFFer mentioned, QF10 was to be late tonight. It ended up arriving in MEL on Friday 8 at 2206, 96 minutes tardy. As a result, QF95 (2220 hours MEL - LAX) is expected to push back 70 minutes late with same day arrival at 1835, 55 down.

QF43 pushed back in SYD only eight late at 1658 hours but DPS arrival has become 2030, half an hour behind.

 

[milehighclub]

-AJ keep running the fleet tight as can be - great customer experience even from major hub SYD.

Unfortunately can't blame AJ for this one. It was human error that caused the aircraft to be taken out.

 

[jb747]

Unfortunately can't blame AJ for this one. It was human error that caused the aircraft to be taken out.

Don’t keep us in suspense.

 

[Melburnian1]

The overnight delayed QF1D ('D' is the suffix typically used by some airlines when a flight is significantly delayed, and it's useful on a route like this, otherwise there'd be two 'QF1s' concurrently operating) pushed back in SYD on Saturday 9 November at 0814 (A388 VH-OQE) with SIN arrival estimated as 1329 hours this afternoon local time, 924 minutes late. Although as noted above QF had been displaying a later departure time from SIN, it has changed this to suggest 1425 hours meaning LHR arrival at 2035 hours, 860 minutes behind schedule.

Spending less than an hour at an intermediate stop may not be impossible, but based on observation, it'd be unusual, so this may be a tad optimistic.

VH-OQE had arrived in SYD on Saturday 9 November at 0617, 12 minutes late on QF8 ex DFW so to get it away by 0814 (while not quite minimum turnaround time) was still good.

QF has advanced the projected departure for the Saturday night QF2 from LHR to 2230 (115 late) with SIN arrival on Sunday 10 at 1945, an even two hours late. This also may be a little too optimistic but time will tell.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on Saturday 9, QF1580 (morning's 1005 hours SYD - MCY with B717 VH-YQS) took off at 1053. Estimated arrival is 1115, half an hour behind the timetable.

 

[jb747]

QF1 won't suffer any further delays (unless something else random happens) as the QF7 has been cancelled tomorrow.

I think OQB might be out of service for a day or two.

Unfortunately can't blame AJ for this one. It was human error that caused the aircraft to be taken out.

It will be out for more than a day or two. A week or three will be much more likely.

The engineers attempted to push it out of the hangar with a work gantry still attached to an open door, and they've ripped it off.

 

[Melburnian1]

...The engineers attempted to push it out of the hangar with a work gantry still attached to an open door, and they've ripped it off.

We're all fallible, and a work gantry is small compared to the length of an A380, but one wonders how someone didn't see this?

If one person was at fault do they receive a stern talking to and retraining, or face the sack by an airline? A costly mistake with all the rebookings required, and large scale inconvenience to passengers in the thousands should the aircraft be inoperable for that period.

Presumably if the door is unrepairable, a replacement will have to be sourced from Airbus and air freighted in. Happy to be corrected but it may not be the sort of spare part that a stores department carries.

With VH-OQH in Dresden for the much vaunted refurbishment and VH-OQJ in Abu Dhabi for maintenance or repainting, the operable A388 QF fleet is down to nine, not the 10 required by the timetables. Will QF35 MEL - SIN and opposite number QF36 be replaced by a smaller A333/A332, or QF11/12 SYD - LAX and return be operated by a B744 despite only six of these Queens remaining in the fleet?

One small help is that QF7/QF8 do not operate on Tuesdays.

 

[Silvia]

Adding to the list of delays for today, QF108 PEK-SYD (A332 VH-EBS) shows a revised arrival at 16 08, 118 min behind.
Also QF4 HNL-SYD (A333 VH-QPD) is suggested to arrive at 18 36, 61 late.

 

[milehighclub]

It will be out for more than a day or two. A week or three will be much more likely.

Showing November 11th at this stage to operate to DFW.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

Unfortunately can't blame AJ for this one. It was human error that caused the aircraft to be taken out.

Certainly AJ can be blamed - not a single back up aircraft available in a major home hub? Mistakes happen, aircraft break down etc