Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[RSD]

Actually you would use asymmetric reverse. There is very little yaw, and it's easily countered without any additional considerations. Reverse doesn't actually produce much 'reverse' thrust.

Ah OK - I knew that it didn't create much reverse thrust - one of the many things that were argued for a while at Airbus was whether or not to even fit reverse thrust to the inboard engines as the limited gain vs cost etc was seen as marginal. I wasn't sure what it would be like landing with asymmetrical reverse - or whether the systems even allowed it.

 

[jb747]

Ah OK - I knew that it didn't create much reverse thrust - one of the many things that were argued for a while at Airbus was whether or not to even fit reverse thrust to the inboard engines as the limited gain vs cost etc was seen as marginal. I wasn't sure what it would be like landing with asymmetrical reverse - or whether the systems even allowed it.

As you're aware, reverse thrust isn't really a braking system, and for that reason isn't even considered in most calculations.... But, it is very effective at blasting water off the runway, so that the tyres have greater grip, and so the braking system can work harder. It's well worth the weight for just that benefit.

On landing, (with 767, 747 and 380), you always take the engines to the interlock (i.e. idle reverse). As the locks release (meaning that the translation cowl has stopped moving), you can then select more power. It wasn't uncommon for an engine to fail to release, and after the normal couple of seconds wait, you'd just take whatever you could. Sometimes finger trouble (especially when trying to get four engines) would result in you leaving one behind too.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Seems today’s QF75/76 (SYD-YVR) has been cancelled.

Anyone know the reason why?

 

[Flyerqf]

Seems today’s QF75/76 (SYD-YVR) has been cancelled.

Anyone know the reason why?

QF28 is delayed 12 hours. This was to be the operating aircraft.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

QF28 is delayed 12 hours. This was to be the operating aircraft.

Thanks!

 

[exLXCXFF]

On QF35 MEL - SYD; delayed by about 1 hour due to “a late engineering issue that took later to resolve than expected”. VH-QPD being the operating aircraft.

 

[RSD]

On QF35 MEL - SYD; delayed by about 1 hour due to “a late engineering issue that took later to resolve than expected”. VH-QPD being the operating aircraft.

I hope it is actually MEL-SIN not SYD or else you might be later still!

 

[Himeno]

For a differance, QF800 pushed back early.
Will be nice if that continues once we get to SYD

On the bus over to T1 before QF800 was due to land.

US interview people at the transfer desk didn't care about my US flight (QF3). I guess they do that stuff in AKL.

A bus was unloading as I got to transfer, so only waited a minute.

 

[Melburnian1]

I totally agree and am in the process of writing a complaint to Qantas. My partner had to spend four hours sitting with her luggage before they would let her check in again. The trip was meant to be a birthday present. I booked her business to make it a nice trip. Reality is she landed in MEL at 7.20 am and is still there (7.13 pm) after multiple cancellations and changes. Current arrival is 1.35 am tomorrow.
Delays are forgivable, stuff happens. How they are dealt with is totally within the control of the airline and I am not happy.

I'm slightly amazed at how Qantas are handling the above cancellation. I very seldom fly international so perhaps I'm just an innocent! They kick all the Pax out of the international terminal, complete with baggage, but then they can't check back in until 3 hours prior to the re-booked 18.50 flight. Business class ticket and forced to sit around for four hours loaded down with luggage. How do you even visit the toilet with a couple of large bags?

This is the first time anyone has complained on AFF about such an occurrence.

As @Himeno indicated, it's indeed an odd way to handle a same day delay.

The only reason I can offer is that Border Force require passengers to be rescreened for the (in this case) very late evening/super early next day flight, but that doesn't explain why your girlfriend needed to re-check in with QFi.

Why not just have the baggage handlers alter the tags on their ULDs (luggage containers) to the later flight?

I could cope with going to the loo with a suitcase and backpack but not two suitcases, as the latter might not fit in an airport toilet.

The way you described QFi's handling of this extensive same day delay (albeit to very early the next day as things turned out) adds to QFi's costs, so it doesn't seem to be in the airline's interest to handle it in the way you described.

 

[Melburnian1]

Since it became an A388, QF63 has had very poor timekeeping.

On Thursday 2 January 2025, this scheduled 0930 hours SYD across to JNB departure is expected to push back at about 1110 hours. VH-OQB came in from AUH (having been refurbished?) as QF6014 at 0859 hours, 121 minutes late.

FR24 asserts that originally this positioning flight from AUH was meant to operate a day ago. I have no means of verifying if FR24's claim is correct.

Internally, EK can sometimes turn A380s around in two hours so why can't QFi?

On four of the last seven days, QF63 has been at least an hour late arriving at its JNB gate.

Given it's Christmas holidays, flights will be full and take longer to load passengers/luggage, but EK also operates many A380s that depart the DXB zoo full, yet doesn't always have QFi-type delays.

 

[RB001]

Since it became an A388, QF63 has had very poor timekeeping.

On Thursday 2 January 2025, this scheduled 0930 hours SYD across to JNB departure is expected to push back at about 1110 hours. VH-OQB came in from AUH (having been refurbished?) as QF6014 at 0859 hours, 121 minutes late.

FR24 asserts that originally this positioning flight from AUH was meant to operate a day ago. I have no means of verifying if FR24's claim is correct.

VH-OQD was QF6014 today (I tracked it on my way to work, and beyond in another thread).
It was only in AUH for just over a week, so unsure as to what could have been done in that timeframe.

VH-OQB has been living it up in LAX since NYE.

 

[Melburnian1]

A388 VH-OQD on today's 0930 hours SYD-JNB was airborne at 1153 hours so arrival in JNB on Thursday 2 January 2025 is estimated as 1635, 110 minutes late.

The 1715 hours timetabled JNB to SYD (QF64) might be off blocks by 1835 if all goes well.

A333 VH-QPC as QF19 (the 1205 hours SYD up to MNL) was airborne at 1344 so gate arrival at 1838, 68 minutes behind schedule, is on the cards. This is another constantly late flight during the past week, with gate arrival delays ranging from 25 to 103 minutes.

Stablemate VH-QPH is operating QF35, the 1205 hours MEL-SIN in the sky at 1315 for mooted gate arrival 36 late at 1741 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

Continuing with Thursday 2 January 2025, QF28 ex SCL should arrive in SYD at about 1811 hours early this evening, 31 minutes late with B789 VH-ZNH. Yesterday the 1220 hours SYD-SCL QF27 was not airborne until 1413 mid afternoon but the scheduled 145 minute turnaround in Santiago de Chile helped recover time.

 

[Melburnian1]

Updating Thursday 2 January 2025, QF1, the 1555 hours SYD-SIN with A388 VH-OQK is estimated to depart at 1830 in the early evening, 155 minutes tardy.

The aircraft arrived in SYD this morning at 0855 hours, 90 late as QF12 from LAX.

QF7 (1150 hours SYD-DFW, B789 VH-ZNL) took off at 1825 hours on 2 January with arrival suggested as 1554, 364 minutes late. The aircraft had earlier operated empty from MEL to SYD as QF6013, a scheduled 1430 hours movement that arrived SYD at 1613 hours, 41 minutes late, suggesting that another B789 should have operated 'the 7' (or alternatively given it spent overnight in MEL after doing an Antarctic charter, it should have left MEL much earlier).

UPDATE: QF1 was airborne at 1841 this evening, so SIN arrival should be about 2305, two hours late.