Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[sqrt()]

I have to say, sqrtO, what a terrific photo! (In)action packed.

FR24 claims QF151 will be commencing its taxiing at 0800 (i.e. 'off blocks' or pushback then). Looks unlikely. This flight is an A332 today, as it seems to be three days a week, the other four days reverting to a smaller B738.

Well it's 0802 and the main cabin door and cargo door are still wide open. Can confirm that ETD is "unlikely."

 

[Melburnian1]

Well it's 0802 and the main cabin door and cargo door are still wide open. Can confirm that ETD is "unlikely."

Our man took off at 0828 so A332 VH-EBM should arrive AKL at 1341 hours, 56 minutes late. A totally avoidable delay if QFi had its act together.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Sunday 24 July, A333 VH-QPA arrived BKK at 1714, 34 late as QF23 from SYD. The return flight (QF24, scheduled to pushback at 1810 hours) took off at 1939, arriving SYD on Monday 25 at 0725, 55 late.

The aircraft then formed another late QF23, taking off at 1118 with expected arrival late this afternoon at 1727, 47 minutes behind, guaranteeing that QF24 tonight will not be punctual pushing back.

The tardy QF151 (MEL - AKL, see above) arrived at 1341, 56 minutes past its timetable, exactly what FR24 predicted.

 

[Anna]

I feel like my dom connection off QF104 next week is not going to work. And it's the last flight home of the day

 

[Melburnian1]

I feel like my dom connection off QF104 next week is not going to work. And it's the last flight home of the day

From what one can see, the biggest problem is even if QF103 arrives at or close to time (0910 hours) in distant HNL, QF104 seems to then suffer a delay much of the time.

 

[Melburnian1]

B738 VH-VZT on QF149 (1145 hours late morning SYD - AKL) did not take off until 1306. Suggested at gate arrival is 1729 hours, 69 late. It had been in Sydney since 2039 hours last night, so unsure why the delay.

QF81 (A332 VH-EBV, the 1110 hours SYD - SIN airborne at 1227) should arrive at approximately 1821 hours, 31 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Continuing with Monday 25 July, QF1, the 1555 hours SYD-SIN-LHR (A388 VH-OQJ) wasn't airborne until 1714 hours so expected arrival at its intermediate stop is 2250, 35 minutes behind the schedule.

QF9 (MEL-PER-LHR, B789 VH-ZNG) is eerily similar with this 1515 hours flight in the sky at 1603 for a suggested 1749 hours at gate PER arrival, 34 minutes tardy.

One omitted earlier was today's SYD across to JNB QF63, the 0935 hours not in the sky until 1122, so predicted arrival is 1648, 68 minutes behind.

 

[Melburnian1]

I feel like my dom connection off QF104 next week is not going to work. And it's the last flight home of the day

Good news, Anna: while tonight's QF104 arrival should be at its SYD gate at 1902, 97 minutes late, the 1925 hours SYD - HNL QF103 is departing from gate 30, not gate 9 where the first mentioned is arriving into, so I strongly opine it's not the same A333.

Logic suggests that after quite a few takeoffs and landings, the aircraft may need some routine maintenance, so it can't be on the SYD-HNL and return roster for 10 concurrent return trips.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF6 creditably arrived SYd (ex PER, and earlier, FCO) on Monday 25 July at 1606, a whole one minute late. It then turned aropund and operated the 1755 'reverse working' QF5, taking off at a delayed 1852, so PER arrival will be about 2125, 35 behind. It could quite easily arrive FCO on time if it doesn't spend excessive time on the ground in the West.

 

[Melburnian1]

Tuesday 26 July 2022 has seen the weekly QF333 (SYD-BNE-APW, A333 VH-QPH, eventually the 0930 hours ex BNE) take off from the latter at 1128 so arrival in the 'unfriendly, mainland Chinese linked neighbour' should be at 1857 tonight, 107 minutes late.

B738 VH-XZF on QF101, the 0835 hours SYD - NAN was up up and away at 0944 so expected at gate arrival is 56 behind at 1531 hours. QFi hasn't been alone with delayed flights to/from Fiji lately: the others (VAi, JQi and I assume FJ) have had their problems).

A388 VH-OQJ on 'the 2' arrived in SYD (from SIN/LHR) at 0727, 137 minute sbehind schedule, this morning.

A333 VH-QPA on QF23 (SYD up to BKK) on Monday 25 arrived at 1740, an hour late, so the 1810 hours redeye was airborne at 1944, arriving SYD this morning (Tuesday 26) at 0732, 62 minutes late.

QF143 (nicely timed 0930 hours SYD across and up to AKL) is back to its standard unpunctual self with takeoff for B738 VH-XZD occurring at 1026, so estimated at gate arrival becomes 1531, 56 behind.

 

[Melburnian1]

Monday 25 July's QF1 ex SYD was in SIN from 2300 hours (45 minutes tardy) to (Tuesday 26) 0122 for takeoff, so LHR arrival should be at around 0731 hours, 56 minutes behind schedule.

Tuesday's QF1 is expected to depart SYD at 1715, 80 minutes late. Luggage loading issues again?

B789 VH-ZNG arrived LHR this morning at 0542 hours, 37 minutes past the timetable as QF9 ex PER and previously MEL.

QF2 on Monday late evening was airborne from LHR with A388 VH-OQK at 2216 so a 1755 hours Tuesday arrival at gate in SIN is suggested, half an hour late.

A333 VH-QPI on QF103 arrived HNL (ex SYD) at 0943 hours, 33 minutes late, but in a repeat of numerous previous trips (with various A333s), QF104, the 1055 hours, did not point skywards until 1227. Arrival on 26 July in SYD should be about 1826, 61 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

'The 9' pre-COVID-19 used to mostly be punctual, but it and return working QF10 have somewhat deteriorated in recent weeks, though not as badly as QF1/QF2 that operate on a different route to LHR.

On Tuesday 26 July, QF9 (B789 VH-ZNJ) took off in MEL at 1627, 72 minutes after the scheduled mid afternoon 1515 hours pushback. PER arrival is suggested as 1808 hours, 53 minutes late.

Monday 25 July's QF1 (A388 VH-OQJ) arrived LHR on Tuesday 26 at 0744, 69 minutes behind its timetable.

A388 VH-OQD departed as QF1 in SYD at 1736 hours, 101 minutes late. In SYD, the east-west runway is in use for arrivals, so it's slowing ops down. While QF1 was waiting for takeoff clearance at the end of runway 34L, QF2230 ex WGA touched down (Q400 VH-QOM) on runway 25 at 1806 hours, 46 minutes late, as did other following flights such as VA530 ex OOL that's about 68 minutes late. QF475 (B738 VH-VZLK, the 1730 hours SYD down to MEL) also used the east-west runway to become airborne at 1815 hours.

SQ242, the A359 9V-SHS as the 1805 hours SYD - SIN was able to use the east-west runway and take off at 1819, ahead of QF1 even though the latter had been off blocks much earlier and was still sitting at the south end of the airfield. ATC will have safety and then orderly aircraft ops as #1 and #2 in their mind, and there was a stack of aircraft behind the SQ flight waiting their turn to take off, plus the usual priority to arrivals over departures, but it seemed a tad incongruous that the 'big bird of the skies', already significantly late, had to be usurped by its chief competitor operating a jet with lower seating capacity.

QF1 was eventually airborne at 1822 hours on 26 July. SIN arrival is estimated as 2356 hours, 106 minutes late, so an on time arrival into LHR tomorrow morning local time is impossible.

In contrast, SQ242 that was (to my eyes) given priority is due into SIN on the stroke of midnight, 20 minutes early.

 

[Melburnian1]

Tuesday 26 July's QF1 (VH-OQD) stopped in SIN on Wednesday 27 from 0003 hours (108 minutes tardy) to takeoff at 0244, so expected arrival becomes 0835, an even two hours behind schedule.

A388 VH-OQK arrived in SYD this morning as QF2 at 0608 hours, 58 late.

While B789 VH-ZNJ arrived in PER on QF9 at 1832 hours last night (77 minutes past the timetable), it then was airborne at 2018 so expected 0533 hours arrival on Wednesday 27 in LHR has reduced markedly to 28 minutes late.

A332 VH-EBM arrived DEL on Tuesday at 1833 hours, 33 minutes late as QF69 ex ADL and MEL, but the return MEL nonstop overnight is much better at a suggested four minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

I assume empty ('ferry flight') QF6014 from AUH to SYD marks the return of A388 VH-OQH to forthcoming revenue passenger service after a 'seat renovation' in the Middle East. It should arrive on Wednesday 27 July at 1214 hours, 35 minutes late after taking off from AUH on Tuesday 26 at 1628 local time.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on Wednesday 27 July, QF23 (A333 VH-QPC, the 0950 hours SYD - BKK) did not take off until 1117 despite the aircraft having overnighted in Sydney post a 109 minute late arrival at 1914 hours as QF104 ex HNL. BKK arrival should be 37 late at 1717 hours today.

The flagship QF1 is again delayed, with this 1555 hours SYD-SIN-LHR flight airborne at 1722 just a few minutes ago, so SIN arrival should be 2301, 46 minutes behind the timetable for A388 VH-OQK.

QF5 (1755 hours SYD-PER-FCO) is expected to depart 25 late.

Earlier, A333 VH-QPB on QF145 (1115 hours SYD up to AKL) did not take off until 1235, arriving at gate 51 minutes late. QF148 back down to SYD is similar, with gate arrival becoming 2008 hours, 48 behind.

'The 2' (A388 VH-OQJ) is predicted to push back in SIN 45 minutes behind the timetable at 2015 tonight, so is likely to be delayed tomorrow morning arriving in the Australian mainland harbour city.

 

[Melburnian1]

The poor domestic punctuality continues to affect some flights.

A bad performer is QF653, the 1955 hours evening SYD across to PER, invariably an A332. On Wednesday 27 July, VH-EBJ was airborne at 2054 so expected arrival is 2335, 45 late.

On the previous six QF653s, the 'best' has been 20 minutes late at the PER gate: the worst, 112 minutes late.

The redeye from PER is similarly unpunctual: QF654 to SYD was a minute late once in the last six trips, the only time it was an uncomfortable B738, but has been up to 119 minute tardy arriving in SYD (due 0605 after curfew lifting). This then means morning delays ex SYD for the rostered A332.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Wednesday 27 July, QF1 (A388 VH-OQK) arrived SIN at 2300, 45 late, taking off on Thursday 28 at 0127. LHR gate arrival should be 0718, 43 minutes behind schedule.

VH-OQJ on the Thursday-arriving QF2 did so in SYD at 0601, 51 minutes late.

The following QF2 ex LHR last night was airborne at 2232 with OQD. Predicted early evening Thursday SIN arrival becomes 1825 hours, an hour delayed.

QF5 (SYD-PER-FCO) mostly has had an excellent timekeeping record in its short life, but the Wednesday 27 July departure at 1755 with B789 VH-ZNC did not see it airborne until 1907, as the B789 had come in on QF6 at 1653 hours, 48 minutes tardy. The intermediate stop was from 2155 (65 minutes behind) to takeoff at 0021 on Thursday, so suggested Rome arrival is 1002, 77 minutes late. This will delay the returning QF6.

A332 VH-EBF on QF72 from SIN to PER arrived this morning at 0027, 37 minutes late.

Yesterday, QF103 ex SYD (A333 VH-QPA) arrived HNL at 0946, 36 minutes tardy. The 1055 hours HNL to SYD QF104 doesn't appear to have yet taken off, even though it's already 1208 hours (Wednesday) in HNL, so on Thursday late afternoon/early evening, expect this flight to be delayed into SYD. In turn, this may inhibit a timely early evening departure though tonight's QF75 is displaying as a different gate number in Sydney, thankfully.

Of the medium distance flights, the QFi HNL offerings rank among the worst for punctuality.

 

[OATEK]

QF1 with VH-OQJ just passed overhead, a little under an hour late out of SYD. Estimated as only 9mins late (eg not late) at SIN.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 29 July 2022, QF151 (0710 hours early morning MEL - AKL) is expected to depart 65 minutes late.

A388 VH-OQD on this morning's arriving QF2 into SYD pulled in to its gate exactly an hour late at 0610 hours.

B789 VH-ZNB on Thursday 28's QF10 (1155 hours ex LHR) took off at 1318 hours so Friday PER at gate arrival becomes a suggested 1244 hours, 64 minutes behind.

Sister ZNC is on QF6, delayed from FCO due to tardy arrival of QF5. 'The 6' took off at 1235, from memory the latest it's been since recent inception, so PER arrival on Friday should be at about 1008 hours, 93 minutes late. It won't be in Sydney at the scheduled 1605 this afternoon.

QF7 from SYD for the long flight to Texas' DFW is normally a mid afternoon 1540 hours but has today been scheduled at 1740. However it is not estimated to depart until 1830 tonight. At this stage, it's being formed by the delayed QF6 so too early to be definitive on pushback as it depends how long 'the 6' spends in Perth.

 

[Melburnian1]

B789 VH-ZNK arrived ex DFW in SYD on Friday 29 July at 0633, two minutes early and has not long pushed back as QF6001 up to BNE, where arrival was scheduled at 0900 so it's about 80 minutes late.

This plane appears to be forming QF305 from BNE to distant EZE in South America, an 1105 hours optimistically retimed to 1130. Is this a Captain's Choice or similar whirlwind tour?