A myriad of cancellations today.
I moved to QF436 MEL-SYD as I didn't want to risk my connection to PER. It was 35 minutes late departing, and subsequently arriving.
QF438 MEL-SYD and QF447 SYD-MEL cancelled amongst others.
It shows how on poor weather days, aviation delays often compound, so operators' response is to cancel flights. Sometimes this can be exacerbated by flight deck (and/or attendants) being out of position due to cancellations or delays.
ATC may also impose limits such as controlled departure (amended, later) times or IIRC a cap on how many aircraft can use an airfield, separate from already existing movement caps.
Given that none of Oz's domestic airlines include as part of their contract with passengers that we'll necessaily be conveyed on the day ticketed, I often wonder how many are stranded overnight when they're unable to be accommodated on the remaining flights. Occasionally visual media features this.
Typically this will be at its zenith when bad weather arrives late in the day. The SYD (and others like ADL) curfews complicate matters and don't help. Busier nights like Friday and Sunday can be especially difficult, as often there are few spare seats on the flights that still operate.
The very helpful Silvia is one AFFer who IIRC said she doesn't like to travel at night domestically due to the above risk of being stranded, particularly when she's not in her home city of Melbourne. Sensible if you ask me.
There's few upsides to COVID-19 but one might be, in a perverse way, that with many corporates disallowing even domestic travel, the flights that remain will have lower numbers booked than usual, so a greater number of 'shadow seats' ideal for filling with a posterior at short notice.
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