Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

The 15 June QF8 flight out of DFW left the gate on time but then took 87 mins to get off the ground. WX north of the airport caused winds for initial departure to become unacceptable after takeoff clearance. Clearance cancelled, airport changed patterns and QF8 had to circumnavigate the airport on the ground for another hour before getting clearance again. Saturday is potentially another shocker for WX at DFW.

Thanks. By 'WX' do you mean 'predominant weather?' Perhaps a good idea not to use non-aviation abbreviations that many may not understand.

 

[alphawhiskey]

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/Aero_Data/7900.2D-WX/

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/cnt_html/chap2_section_1.html

WX

Weather

ICAO

 

[Melburnian1]

A388 VH-OQK on the overnight delayed QF12 (originally the Thursday 15 June 2023 scheduled 2340 hours from LAX to SYD) has just departed LAX at 1451 hours on Friday 16, 911 minutes late. Gate arrival in SYD on Saturday 17 (today) should be at about 2240 hours, so 'cutting it fine' for the 2300 hours curfew. The past six trips have ranged from 14:33 to 14:48 in the air, but I'm guessing that the pilots will be able to take a few minutes out of that.

UPDATE: The plane was airborne at 1518 hours.

As a result of this delay, today's 1510 hours SYD-SIN-LHR flagship QF1 has been delayed to a shocking new departure time of 0600 hours on Sunday 18 June. Just awful to have to check in at say 0300: one hopes the lounges will be especially opened early for passengers. This should mean approximate SIN times of 1225 to what QFi claims (extremely optimistically) a 1350 hours Sunday pushback with LHR arrival (again, probably will be later) at a forecast 2100 hours on Sunday 18.

At this stage, QF2 ex LHR on Sunday night (18 June) is suggested as departing two hours late at 2255 hours. I suspect that's also not going to be the case, with a longer delay likely. Will Heathrow give a dispensation for a midnight or 0100 hours Monday morning large passenger aircraft departure?

FURTHER UPDATE: FR24 estimates a SYD landing time of 2256 on Saturday 17 for the overnight delayed QF12, so adding an arbitrary five minutes for taxiing gives a gate arrival at 2301 hours late tonight. Phew!

 

[Melburnian1]

Adding to alphawhiskey's contribution above, on Saturday 17, QF8 from DFW arrived SYD at 0809 hours, 114 minutes late, with B789 VH-ZNE.

A388 VH-OQL arrived MEL this morning on QF94 (ex LAX) at 0719 hours, 34 minutes tardy.

The BLR-SYD overnighter QF68 (A332 VH-EBQ) should arrive at gate later this morning at about 1043, 38 minutes behind.

Friday 16 June's QF63 from SYD to JNB was altered to a 1000 hours schedule pushback but it was not airborne until 2215 hours (after pushing back at 2201) late last night, so it's still on its merry way, with arrival suggested at gate at around 0404 hours, 714 minutes late for B789 VH-ZNH.

Unfortunately the return 1740 hours QF64 ex JNB on Friday 16 is then to be delayed until 1400 hours on Saturday 17 in pushback (crew rest requitrements?) so SYD arrival should be 0950 hours on Sunday 18's midmorning, 1225 minutes late.

Today also marks the resumption of the rather brief, seasonal SYD-PER-FCO and return Italian flights, QF5 and then QF6, the former showing on time ex SYD at 1820 this evening.

 

[Melburnian1]

Saturday 17 June's QF63 has been given the number QF63D, probably because yesterday's is still in transit.

B789 VH-ZNF on today's 0940 hours departed at 1024 and became airborne at 1047, so expected at gate arrival is 1640 hours, half an hour behind.

A388 VH-OQH on QF11 (1020 hours SYD-LAX was expected to be off blocks at 1120 but it usually makes up a lot of time in this direction so may only be marginally late arriving in the City of Angels.

The A333 on Saturday's QF35 (1200 'high noon' MEL-SIN) is predicted to depart at 1245 hours.

Sunday 18's QF63 (1000 hours SYD-JNB) is displaying as delayed until 1115 hours, so if true, QF64 ex JNB on Sunday night may be at least an hour late pushing back.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF11 on Saturday 17 (A388 VH-OQH), the 1020 hours SYD-LAX has just departed at 1154 hours. QF suggests its arrival (same day) will be 0835 hours, 90 minutes late.

 

[Quickstatus]

Will Heathrow give a dispensation for a midnight or 0100 hours Monday morning large passenger aircraft departure

Its "summer" in London (well except that officially summer in London is only 2 days in August)

All aircraft produce more noise on takeoff than on landing. Under the LHR Qouta Count system, The A380 has been measured to have a QC2 for departures. Interestingly its certified noise level gave it a QC0.5 for arrival but was found to be QC1 when actually measured.

There are 2 periods during the night restriction:
For the 2300-0700 period QC8 and above aircraft are banned
For the 2330-0600 period QC4 aircraft are banned.
The A380 technically can operate night flight into and out of LHR because of its QC1 or QC2

LHR has a night flight movement limit
This is 3250 flights for the total summer season and 2550 flights for the total winter season
The summer season is 26March to 29 October. Only 3250 flights are allowed to take off or land during the summer period. This equates to about 17 flights a night

LHR also has a Quota count limit
The Qouta count limit is 2735.

Putting it all together. 3250 aircraft can operate at night during the summer period but are limited to a total QC 2735. In order to maximise use of the allowances, this suggests that the average QC of operating aircraft needs to be 0.8 or better - on average.
There are no aircraft with a QC of 0.8. The QC are 0.125/0.25/0.5/1/2/4/8

Then there are unscheduled night flights.
These are flights which are usually scheduled to operate outside of the night period but due to circumstances are now operating within the night pero=iod - such as a delayed aircraft.
The mixture of QC and total number of allowed flights are used to control these flights. I understand dispensation needs to be provided for these flights to occur.

i think....

 

[Melburnian1]

FR24 contends that not just today's QF1, but the next day's (I.e. Sunday 18's) will also be delayed a day, in the latter case to Monday 19 departure at 0600 hours ex Sydney. QF's flight status page doesn't agree: it shows Sunday's flight as departing on time (tomorrow) at 1510 hours mid afternoon. One would expect the QF site to be correct, but sometimes for whatever reason it's not updated, and occasionally third-party websites such as FR24 seem to "know" about delays prior to QF updating its own aircraft timetabling.

However if booked on this I wouldn't panic, as you'll receive a text or other means of communication if it is delayed overnight. Perhaps FR24 is simply incorrect.

 

[Melburnian1]

A332 VH-EBR on Saturday 17 June's morning 0905 hours SYD-BLR (QF67) took off at 1109 hours, so arrival should be at about 1823 hours, 123 minutes late. The previous four QF67s were also significantly delayed. This flight operates 4x weekly. QF68 back overnight will be tardy.

EBQ is on the 1215 hours lunchtime Saturday QF19, SYD-MNL, airborne at 1400 hours. Expected gate arrival is 1951 hours, 61 behind.

 

[Melburnian1]

Its "summer" in London (well except that officially summer in London is only 2 days in August)

All aircraft produce more noise on takeoff than on landing. Under the LHR Qouta Count system, The A380 has been measured to have a QC2 for departures.

Thank you for a most informative piece.

I take it (reading between the lines) you're suggesting it doesn't really matter what time QF2 on late Sunday night/super early Monday morning looking to push back and take off: somehow it'll manage to be approved?

 

[Quickstatus]

somehow it'll manage to be approved

I dont know
I do know that dispensations are required for unscheduled flights in the night quota period

The other piece of info which I forgot to mention above is LHR does not schedule any departures between 22:50 and 06:00 or any scheduled arrivals between 22:55 and 04:30
This means generally there are no scheduled flights effectively between 22:55 and 04:30.
Flights scheduled to arrive after 04:30 which arrive before 04:30 due to say a tailwind, also abide by this voluntary ban for no aircraft before 04:30 - so they stay in a holding pattern in the air

So most of the scheduled flights in the Night Quota period (max limit on number and total Qc) are actually arrivals and they mostly come in after 04:30

Note that LHR does not operate freighter flights during the Night quota period either.

 

[Melburnian1]

In post #15004 above I briefly remarked that the first SYD-PER-FCO in a few months (QF5) was showing on time ex SYD at 1820 hours, in 65 minutes' time as I tap away.

Sadly no longer: it's suggested as departing SYD at 2000 hours. It could be B789 VH-ZNL that's arriving in SYD shortly four minutes early at 1756 hours as QF28 ex SCL. Alternatively, VH-ZNB has been in SYD since arriving at 0630 hours this morning (Saturday 17 June) as QF18, the once weekly ex LAX, or VH-ZNC that's been sitting in Sydney since arriving on Friday 16 at 1826, also as QF28 ex SCL.

PER departure will also (obviously) be tardy, while the 1050 hours FCO-PER-SYD on Sunday 18 is unlikely to depart punctually, even if QF5 makes up some time from SYD via PER.

 

[789nerd]

In post #15004 above I briefly remarked that the first SYD-PER-FCO in a few months (QF5) was showing on time ex SYD at 1820 hours, in 65 minutes' time as I tap away.

Sadly no longer: it's suggested as departing SYD at 2000 hours. It could be B789 VH-ZNL that's arriving in SYD shortly four minutes early at 1756 hours as QF28 ex SCL. Alternatively, VH-ZNB has been in SYD since arriving at 0630 hours this morning (Saturday 17 June) as QF18, the once weekly ex LAX, or VH-ZNC that's been sitting in Sydney since arriving on Friday 16 at 1826, also as QF28 ex SCL.

PER departure will also (obviously) be tardy, while the 1050 hours FCO-PER-SYD on Sunday 18 is unlikely to depart punctually, even if QF5 makes up some time from SYD via PER.

With ZNH hopelessly out of position schedule-wise with the delayed QF63/64 rotation, there are three flights this evening to be serviced by the 3 B789s now in Sydney ZNB, ZNC & ZNL : QF5 now at 20:00, QF75 at 20:25 and QF73 at 21:55 AEST.
Saturday's aircraft arriving with QF28 usually flows on to QF75, while that with QF18 mostly goes on to QF7, however today that has been taken out by ZNE, having just completed a QF7/QF8 rotation. With ZNC possibly still in Sydney maintenance, there is potential for either further delays or a cancellation.

 

[Quickstatus]

Didn't QF say they have a new idea called keeping spare aircraft in case of problems?

 

[Melburnian1]

QF41 lately has been punctual most of the time, but on Saturday 17 June, it took off from SYD at 1547, about 95 late, so gate arrival for A332 VH-EBL should be at 2012 hours, 87 minutes late, delaying the returning redeye QF42 by a similar amount ex CGK.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF5 on Saturday 17 June has been further put back to a proposed 2020 hours ex SYD for the "short" trip to PER and longer 16 hours or so to FCO at wonderful Roma, Italia. This will further delay QF6 ex Rome on Sunday 18.

 

[milehighclub]

\

B789 VH-ZNC is about to take off

Not likely. It only just started boarding. Will be more around 2100 now I reckon.

HND isn't a 787 yet either. HND was QPC

 

[Melburnian1]

\

Not likely. It only just started boarding. Will be more around 2100 now I reckon.

HND isn't a 787 yet either. HND was QPC

Sorry. Deleted.

 

[789nerd]

Saturday's aircraft arriving with QF28 usually flows on to QF75

And indeed it has, with VH-ZNL departing almost on time.

 

[Melburnian1]

QF5 (1820 hours SYD-PER-FCO) has again been given a revised departure from its origin: 2045 hours. QF estimates it'll reach FCO at 1055 hours on Sunday 18, 125 late.

A388 VH-OQB on Friday 16 June's QF12 took off from LAX on Saturday morning at 0206 hours so SYD Sunday morning arrival should be about 0943 hours, 118 minutes late. By contrast, 'the 94' to MEL (B789 VH-ZNG) should arrive tomorrow morning 27 early at 0618 hours.