Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

In what can only be described as mathematical matching, QF9 has just departed DXB at 1727 local time (2327 AEST), 17 minutes later than the predicted time. The flight spent 92 minutes at DXB instead of the timetabled 95, so it has now picked up a total of 20 minutes since its very late 0812 hours departure from MEL this morning.

The QF computer predicts that the flight will arrive at LHR at 2110, which would mean completing the DXB- LHR gate to gate in six hours 43 minutes compared with the timetable of seven and a half hours. Let's see if it can be done!

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

The QF computer's prediction proved inaccurate. QF009D has just arrived LHR at 2148 local time, a gain of nine minutes on the timetable between DXB and LHR.

The whole trip took 29 minutes less than the schedule, but meant QF009D arrived LHR 16 hours and 18 minutes late. Arriving at night is not a bad idea (although it means getting up extremely early in MEL or SYD), but the only airline to favour this ex Australia is EK with its early morning flight EK415, the 0600 hours from SYD to DXB that offers a 75 minute connection in DXB to EK005, due LHR at 2015 on the same day.

QF9's normal very long 17 hour turnaround to form QF10 ex LHR at 2230 means that QF is now suggesting that QF10 will depart LHR 70 minutes late at 2340 local time (0840 AEST) for an arrival at MEL of 0640 on Thursday 4 July in lieu of the timetabled 0515, as the computer predicts that QF10 will spend a little extra time in DXB. Perhaps it knows something about flight paths or crewing that I do not.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

I do not think expecting taxi vouchers home and back again to airport would be unreasonable considering those sort of delays.

ideally it should go much further... this is another example where we need stringent EU type protection. airlines made to accommodate pax on other airlines or high compensation levels. we'd be looking at a good $1000 per person for this type of 16 delay under EU guidelines.

 

[moa999]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

And that 'cost' would be included in increased airfares.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

And that 'cost' would be included in increased airfares.

which would be kept down by competition

 

[simongr]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

I recall when I was flying SYD-LHR via SIN our aircraft got borked at SIN and we were delayed 24 hours a $1000 travel voucher appeared in the post.

 

[simongr]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

You have a situation where an airline that isn't making any money and you want to increase the cost base?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

You have a situation where an airline that isn't making any money and you want to increase the cost base?

an airline's profits (or not) have no bearing on consumer rights and can't be associated.

airlines should firstly reroute pax (using the money already paid for the fare) and any residual pax get the compensation for the delay.

maintenance and technical issues are considered within the he control of the airline by the EU courts. if you are going to fly around planes that break down then that's fine... you just have to compensate for that.

the airline can always counter claim against the manufacturer of the item.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

The delayed QF009D that arrived LHR at 2148 on Tuesday 2 July 2013 managed to turn around in 100 minutes, departing LHR 58 minutes late at 2328 local time.

En route to DXB this flight lost six minutes on the schedule, arriving at 0924 local time on Wednesday 3 July, 64" late. The computer correctly predicted a longer than timetabled stop which turned into an 1146 local time departure, 116 minutes (almost two hours) behind time. I assume that QF10 changes crews in DXB so it may have been affected by the late arrival of QF9 and the need for the pilots, stewards and hostesses to have a minimum layover in the QF-supplied hotel.

With the prevailing winds presumably being a tailwind, QF's flight status database predicts a MEL arrival on the morning of Thursday 4 July at 0640, an hour and 25 minutes late.

While I could not see QF introducing an 0700 or 0800 departure from MEL to DXB and LHR due to QF's worry that it would not sell as passengers would be unwilling to rise super early to get to the airport by 0600 for checkin (although they do with many domestic flights), this delay episode proves that QF could operate such a schedule. One further issue would be that with the LAX and LHR arrivals coming in at 0630 or later, it would be difficult to operate both an 0700 or 0800 departure to DXB and LHR plus an 0915 winter departure to LAX using the same number of A380s as are currently used by QF on these long distance MEL flights.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

melburnian1... is this the same schedule that arrived into London close on 10pm? I don't think there are many down the back of the plane that would appreciate an arrival that late into london (and forget about connections). if the flight was an hour late you'd miss the last tube out of T3 at 2340.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

Yes, MEL_Traveller.

Good point, but the opposite view is that arriving at night means that one can legitimately go off straight to bed when one arrives at the hotel. Yes, I share your concerns about missing the train as I too prefer to use local public transport (preferably trains) to and from airports; on my last visit, I used the Tube, declining to pay the extra to travel on the Heathrow Express.

By 1905 MEL time on Wednesday, the QF computer predicted that the delayed QF10 will now arrive MEL at 0635 on Thursday 4 July, a five minute improvement on the previous information. This is 11 and a half hours away so we'll see how accurate it is.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

The computer proved a tad optimistic, with QF10 finally having its chocks applied at 0649, 94 minutes late in arriving at MEL on Thursday 4 July. It will now form the 0915 MEL to LAX with sufficient time to turn around, unless detailed maintenance is required.

So the delays show that it is possible to depart MEL at 0812 one morning and be back a little less less than two days later at 0649. However QF will presumably stick with its afternoon departure ex MEL and late night departure ex LHR despite the latter's parricularly gruelling 0515 winter timetable's arrival in MEL - if one has switched to Australian time on one's body clock, who wants to be woken for breakfast at 0300? Asian carriers such as SQ, PR and others have more sensible arrival times in the morning at MEL a little later.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

In turn, the late arrival of QF10 on Thursday 4 July may have resulted in the late departure of the flight it then operated - QF93 to LAX, which departed at 0959 in lieu of the timetabled 0915. In turn, it is shown by the QF computer as due at LAX on the same day at 0655, 20" late.

This shows how QF's long layovers can if need be compressed, although lack of substantive maintenance ability for the engineers means that tighter schedules are probably not ideal even if travellers would stump up for travel at revised times.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

In turn, the late arrival of QF10 on Thursday 4 July may have resulted in the late departure of the flight it then operated - QF93 to LAX, which departed at 0959 in lieu of the timetabled 0915. In turn, it is shown by the QF computer as due at LAX on the same day at 0655, 20" late.

This shows how QF's long layovers can if need be compressed, although lack of substantive maintenance ability for the engineers means that tighter schedules are probably not ideal even if travellers would stump up for travel at revised times.

i don't think compressed layovers are such an issue. the qf30/29 used to arrive in Mel from LHR and turn straight away for LHR again. that's almost 44 hours if flying without too much maintenance.

 

[JohnK]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

ideally it should go much further... this is another example where we need stringent EU type protection. airlines made to accommodate pax on other airlines or high compensation levels. we'd be looking at a good $1000 per person for this type of 16 delay under EU guidelines.

And that is how it should be but somehow I do not think that will be introduced in Australia.

We are gutless and would rather just accept poor service.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

And that is how it should be but somehow I do not think that will be introduced in Australia.

We are gutless and would rather just accept poor service.

its on my agenda! when I get back to Australia at the end of the year I want to start a campaign for it!

stay tuned!

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

JohnK, while many Australians might criticise US ('Americans') citizens, one of the many things they are good at is complaining and ensuring that the treatment of (in this case) airline passengers improves or is acceptable when things go wrong.

I agree that Australians, by and large, are reluctant to complain about airlines even when one might expect that they have a legitimate reason to do so.

Airlines cannot control the weather, but they can invest in good preventive maintenance, newish planes or well maintained older ones, sufficient staff so that when a staff member does not turn up for duty he or she can be replaced in a reasonable time and so on.

Train, tram, ferry and bus commuters would not accept the shocking 'customer service' (oxymoronic term) that on occasion is meted out to airline passengers with airline staff sometimes hiding the real reason a plane is delayed.

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

Once again, the QF software underestimated delays on approach, so QF93 arrived LAX at 0713 on thursday 4 July - 38" late. That should be the end of delays following on from QF9's earlier failure, given long turnaround times in LAX.

 

[mannej]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

Airlines cannot control the weather, but they can invest in good preventive maintenance, newish planes or well maintained older ones, sufficient staff so that when a staff member does not turn up for duty he or she can be replaced in a reasonable time and so on.

You do make it sound so easy. How old was the aircraft in question? December 2008.
Maintenance can only do so much in terms of prevention, there are times where you will have things break down no matter the fact that it was maintained in Germany at Lufthansa Technik.

 

[Fruitcake]

Re: QF9 MEL - DXB - LHR delayed 16 hours

Maintenance can only do so much in terms of prevention, there are times where you will have things break down no matter the fact that it was maintained in Germany at Lufthansa Technik.

Steve Purvinas called. He wishes to remind you that only Australian engineers working in Australia earning Australian wages repairing aircraft crewed by Australians can be expected to maintain aircraft properly. German maintenance is what caused this problem, not what's preventing it from happening more often.