Regional Express Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

ZL153, the 1830 hours early evening SYD - MEL has been cancelled on Friday 19 March.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Tuesday 23 March 2021, ZL42, the 1000 hours MEL - SYD was cancelled. I can't see ZL50 (1100 hours MEL - SYD) on flight status websites, so it also may have been cancelled. ZL102, the 1200 'high noon' was airborne at 1210 hours, so if this was the 'next flight', it was a long wait in MEL (though not as bad as may occur when an Oz domestic airport is fogbound).

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL050, the 1100 hours MEL - SYD may have been cancelled on Wednesday 24 March. I can't find it on any of the usual flight status sites.

 

[Melburnian1]

It appears that ZL31, the 0930 hours SYD - MEL did not operate on Sunday 28 March 2021.

The REX flights can be hard to track down because they don't necessarily appear as 'cancelled' on airport websites, and unless I've missed it, the redesigned REX website lacks a 'flight status' page.

Most days it appears that REX is not operating its full timetable between Melbourne and Sydney or v.v. I assume there are insufficient passengers booked. With Qantas/Jetstar timetables on some (if not most) sectors down at least 30 per cent compared with a couple of years ago, it too isn't exactly booming, and nor is Virgin Australia 2.0.

The Saturday 1810 hours Facebook post by WA premier Mark McGowan resuming quarantine for travellers from Queensland (despite one brisbane 'party' that a 'positive case' attended turning out to have only five attendees not the 25 originally reported) means that despite no 'cases, someone in Mt Isa or Karumba who travels to Perth must quarantine.

Not exactly an incentive for any of us to undertake interstate travel for leisure or business.

 

[Melburnian1]

B738 VH-RQP on ZL18, the 0700 hours MEL - SYD on Monday 12 April 2021 did not take off until 0754, arriving at 09802 hours, 32 minutes tardy. However, its next flight, the 0930 hours SYD - MEL, ZL31, arrived at 1106, only a minute late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Tuesday 13 April 2021 will see ZL102, the 1200 hours 'high noon' ME: - SYD cancelled.

ZL121 at 1430 hours SYD - MEL balances the cancellations.

 

[Melburnian1]

Fog in Sydney (and perhaps smoke haze from autumn burn offs?) is causing many delays into SYD on Monday 3 May's morning, which as usual will compound and take a while to recover from unless planes have significant timetabled gaps between flights later today.

The 0600 hours from MEL to SYD, ZL10 has VH_RYU. It looks to have attempted to land in SYD but has amazingly diverted back torwards MEL (the closest other major airport serviced by ZL B738s) where arrival should be at about 1000 hours, 150 minutes after passengers were meant to be alighting in SYD.

The small number of B738s ZL has means that its mainline schedules will be badly affected today by this (although one way out is simply to cancel some flights and delay more passengers that way).

ZL18 from MEL to SYD, the 0700 hours, pointed skywards early at 0707 with B738 VH-REX but as with other aircraft had to hold in two locations, one above Gunning NSW and the other northeast of Goulburn, so delayed arrival should be 0939 hours, 69 minutes behind the timetable.

The PQQ - SYD ZL6355 is far worse, as this 0640 hours flight was not in the sky until 0856. SAAB340B VH-ZKU should arrive at 1009 hours, 144 minutes late.

Northbound ZL6954 from SYD up to ARM, the 0700 hours, took off at 0906 so VH-RXQ should arrive at 1005 hours, 110 minutes tardy.

 

[Melburnian1]

Continuing with Monday 3 May 2021, ZL6821 (0630 hours DBO - SYD) did not take off until 0852. As at 0940, it was holding in the favoured north of Wombeyan Caves area for turboprops. SAAB340B VH-KRX is displaying as likely to arrive at 1023 hours, 163 minutes late.

ZL6762 (0630 hours ABX - SYD) was airborne at a similar 0848 hours and has also been holding. VH-ZPN is nominally showing as arriving at 1034, 159 minutes delayed.

VH-TRX on the WGA - SYD ZL6658, 0630 hours, took off at 0851 with an optimistic arrival time of 1022 (162 late) displaying. It's also in the same location in a holding pattern.

 

[Melburnian1]

Still on Monday 3 May, ZL491 (1955 hours MEL across to ADL) was airborne at 2046 hours with B738 VH-PAG. Suggested arrival is 2123, 33 minutes past the allotted.

 

[Melburnian1]

Monday 10 May 2021 has seen a bad start to the morning for B738 VH-RQP as ZL10, the 0600 hours MEL - SYD did not push back until 0653 and hence was not airborne until 0705, arriving at 0815, 45 minutes tardy. Next was ZL520, the 0830 hours SYD - OOL where takeoff was at 0917 for a 33 minute late, 1023 hours arrival. ZL533 returning back down to SYD should be an estimated 23 late arriving so some time is being regained.

ZL6316 (SAAB 340B VH-ZXK), the 0700 hours SYD up to GFN was not in the sky until 0914, with arrival at 1028 hours, 123 minutes tardy. The onwards leg, ZL6317 then flew from GFN the short distance to LSY, taking off at 1047 for arrival at 1112 hours, 117 late. Lastly, the aircraft was airborne at 1135 from LSY with expected SYD arrival 1304, 109 minutes behind schedule.

ZL6954, the identically timed from SYD 0700 hours to ARM took off at 0836 with VH-ZPB. Arrival was at 0941, 86 minutes tardy. From 5 to 8 May inclusive, this flight respectively arrived ARM 51, 137, 97 and 30 minutes late. I assume it's been foggy on the northern tablelands. Today, ZPB arrived back in SYD at 1127 hours, 87 late as ZL6955. This will delay its next flight, ZL6723 from SYD down to wintry OOM, the 1100 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

Tuesday 11 May 2021 sees ZL3656, the 0830 hours MEL - MQL (SAAB340B VH-RXS) not airborne until 0915 so arrival should be at 1022 hours, 32 minutes tardy.

 

[Melburnian1]

Friday 14 May 2021 sees ZL1837, the 1700 hours peak period CBR up to SYD airborne at 1754 with SAAB340B VH-ZXU. Arrival should be at around 1843 hours, 53 late.

Affer flying fan kindly said in the equivalent VA delays thread that a runway has been closed at SYD due to strong winds. The BOM suggests westerlies are gusting at up to 32kmh.

ZL6774 from ABX up to SYD (VH-ZPB) was the 1625 hours in the sky at 1712 for arrival at 1838, also 53 minutes behind the schedule.

VH-ZRY as ZL6472 from GFF up to SYD is arriving at 1848 hours, 48 minutes late. ZL6375 from PQQ should be in at 1852 hours (VH_RXX, 37 minutes tardy.

The WGA - SYD ZL6674 (VH-RXS) is arriving 43 late at 1853, so remarkably similar delays for a few 'from the country'.

ZL6437 from CFS down to SYD has VH-ZLF, with this 1630 hours flight due in at 1731, so arrival has been put back to a suggested 1900 hours, 65 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

On what has been an extremely cold morning for autumn at Tullamarine, ZL3656 (VH-ZRH), the 0830 hours MEL - MQL was airborne at 0928 hours. Arrival should be at 1037, 47 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL6456 (0715 hours NRA - SYD) on Friday 21 May did not take off until 0835 hours, so SAAB 340B VH-YRX is predicted to arrive at 0943, 68 minutes tardy.

 

[AIRwin]

I didn't know Rex was also impacted by the Sabre global outage:

Travellers still facing delays after Virgin and Rex airlines hit by global IT outage

The impact of the global system outage that brought down both airlines' boarding systems is still being felt today as passengers continue to face long wait times and delayed or cancelled flights.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Melburnian1]

In what may be a reflection of its limited schedules, on the MEL to SYD route on Friday 28 May 2021 (first day of a seven day Victoria-wide lockdown), ZL only cancelled two of its five scheduled flights.

 

[Melburnian1]

Reflecting the pariah status of Victorians (with three of the four lockdowns having been the Victorian Government's fault), on Sunday 30 May 2021, from SYD to MEL, ZL is cancelling three of its five scheduled flights: only the 1300 and 1730 hours southbound are to operate.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Monday 6 December 2021, ZL6767, the 0810 hours morning flight from SYD to ABX is estimated to depart at 1110, 180 minutes late.

ZL has only three flights from SYD to MEL today (despite being uni/senior school - VCE/HSC etc. - holidays) at 1230, 1430 and 1730 hours, so no morning departures.

 

[Melburnian1]

ZL6139, the evening meal time 1855 hours SYD - MYA - MIM on Wednesday 15 December 2021 is delayed until an expected 2155 hours in its SYD departure.

This may mean a late departure for ZL6114 (the 0630 hours back to SYD in the morning) if ZL doesn't have any (multiple) MIM-based crew.

 

[Melburnian1]

Friday 28 January 2022 has been especially stormy in Melbourne including around MEL. ZL3682 (SAAB340B VH-RXX, the 1455 hours mid afternoon MEL - MQL) was in the sky at 1600 so with its roundabout route departing, expected arrival is 1709 hours, 54 minutes tardy.