VA Cancellations, Delays growing?

[Must...Fly!]

I'm not sure it would make a significant difference other than to put even more upward pressure on fares. I'm not convinced 261 would have a positive impact for the consumer in Australia, mostly due to the labour market realities compared to EU.

I could be entirely wrong of course.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm not sure it would make a significant difference other than to put even more upward pressure on fares. I'm not convinced 261 would have a positive impact for the consumer in Australia, mostly due to the labour market realities compared to EU.

I could be entirely wrong of course.

There hasn’t been upward pressure on fares in the UK or EU.

We already have ACL, which provides for full refunds if flights don’t leave within a reasonable time. That hasn’t driven up prices.

And hopefully the competition.. Rex… with an ok OTP would mean others can’t increase fares?

 

[Must...Fly!]

There hasn’t been upward pressure on fares in the UK or EU.

Yes and I cited my personal belief as to the reasons for that. (labour market related)

 

[Harrison_133]

Table 1: Total Industry On Time Performance for January 2024​

Reporting Airlines	Sectors Scheduled	Arrivals On Time %	Departures On Time %	Cancellations %
Bonza	860	78.4	78.0	3.3
Jetstar	9,038	71.5	69.0	2.4
Qantas - all QF designated services	18,375	76.6	77.8	2.5
Rex Airlines	5,221	77.3	80.9	0.6
Skytrans	369	65.4	63.8	15.4
Virgin Australia - all VA designated services	11,965	67.9	69.4	5.3
All Airlines	45,828	73.4	74.2	3.1
Qantas	7,150	76.3	77.0	2.3
QantasLink	11,225	76.8	78.4	2.6
Virgin Australia	11,651	67.5	69.2	5.4
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines	314	82.0	76.1	2.5

Full report including breakdown by individual routes and airports here: https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/BITRE_OTP_Report_January_2024.pdf

 

[elanshin]

Just a heads up, forecasted storm in SYD this arvo is big. Likelihood of huge delays / cancellations is high.

QF is considering running a380 service for SYD - MEL if that is any idea.

 

[andrewpf]

Virgin have cancelled my 17.35 flight from CBR - SYD this Friday afternoon and rebooked me on a Sunday morning flight. I think I might be better off walking.

 

[elanshin]

Virgin have cancelled my 17.35 flight from CBR - SYD this Friday afternoon and rebooked me on a Sunday morning flight. I think I might be better off walking.

Swifties are in town, I expect most routes to SYD for the last few days and tomorrow to be full.

VA better do some quick work. The backlash if Swifties can't make it into town for her concert after the trouble of getting tickets is going to be a big PR disaster even if weather is outside of their control.

 

[ben95]

VA better do some quick work.

What can they do? It's not like VA have any larger aircraft they can substitue in to make more room for affected customers or run extra flights after the storm for recovery due to the movement caps at SYD.
The best they can do seems to be to book any available space on QF/JQ/ZL that's not already locked by them for their own customers or cancel flights on route with lower load to shuffle slots into the hot routes (but are they even allowed to do that?)

If VA really think outside of the box they should be offering interested customers replacement bus to get to Sydney from places like MEL/BNE/OOL. An 8 hour bus ride is better than missing the concert if I'm in that position.

 

[elanshin]

What can they do? It's not like VA have any larger aircraft they can substitue in to make more room for affected customers or run extra flights after the storm for recovery due to the movement caps at SYD.
The best they can do seems to be to book any available space on QF/JQ/ZL that's not already locked by them for their own customers or cancel flights on route with lower load to shuffle slots into the hot routes (but are they even allowed to do that?)

If VA really think outside of the box they should be offering interested customers replacement bus to get to Sydney from places like MEL/BNE/OOL. An 8 hour bus ride is better than missing the concert if I'm in that position.

That's for them to try and figure out I guess. But yeh bus are an option, trying to prioritise the right flights as well for example. If you're from the East coast you have alternative ways to get to Sydney even if it means a coughty time and extra out of pocket costs but at this point from PER for example? you can't even drive if you wanted to.

 

[MooTime]

Ah storm coming that'll mess up flights.... Surely this affects all Airlines. How is it VA specific?

Since when do any Aus domestic airlines substitute larger planes in place of smaller 737's to get pax into Syd or any domestic port? Not in my time.

 

[elanshin]

Ah storm coming that'll mess up flights.... Surely this affects all Airlines. How is it VA specific?

It's not VA specific but VA atm feels like they're the worst placed to recover from weather situations.

Since when do any Aus domestic airlines substitute larger planes in place of smaller 737's to get pax into Syd or any domestic port? Not in my time.

QF has an a380 running at 5pm tonight from MEL - SYD. As you said this is not the norm for Aus domestic and so I can only think of Taylor Swift as being the reason. I've seen them normally just try to cram as many in then roll over the rest of the pax to next day's flights.

 

[p--and--t]

Ah storm coming that'll mess up flights.... Surely this affects all Airlines. How is it VA specific?

Since when do any Aus domestic airlines substitute larger planes in place of smaller 737's to get pax into Syd or any domestic port? Not in my time.

I have experienced it

 

[andrewpf]

VA don't fly 737s CBR-SYD, they contract to Link on Saabs.

I've meanwhile gotten rebooked by my corporate travel agent on Qantas. And will really be reconsidering givibg Virgin any business flights again.

 

[kamchatsky]

I am looking at options from SYD-DPS for 4 in May. How is VA on this route? Does it suffer the same fate as the domestic flights, ie constantly cancelled?

 

[bcworld]

I am looking at options from SYD-DPS for 4 in May. How is VA on this route? Does it suffer the same fate as the domestic flights, ie constantly cancelled?

No I don't think so...international flights are much more protected.

 

[MooTime]

I am looking at options from SYD-DPS for 4 in May. How is VA on this route? Does it suffer the same fate as the domestic flights, ie constantly cancelled?

Now VA had a 5.3% cancellation rate most recent month.... Let's not stretch the elastic too far and say 'constant'.

You'd have to look at that flight number on flight radar 24 to see that flight history.

 

[kamchatsky]

No I don't think so...international flights are much more protected.

That's good, I have $600+ of VA travel bank to use.

QF is expensive, and JQ is cheaper, but I'm not sure how it compares to VA on that route in terms of cancellations. I don't know Batik Air well enough.

 

[bcworld]

That's good, I have $600+ of VA travel bank to use.

QF is expensive, and JQ is cheaper, but I'm not sure how it compares to VA on that route in terms of cancellations. I don't know Batik Air well enough.

If I wasn't plat with VA I would probably take JQ. Although I think the 787 has largely or totally disappeared from DPS routes?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Now VA had a 5.3% cancellation rate most recent month.... Let's not stretch the elastic too far and say 'constant'.

You'd have to look at that flight number on flight radar 24 to see that flight history.

Depends on the route. As a frequent flyer on the MEL-SYD route, which seems to bear the brunt of these cancellations, together with flights to Perth, I’d say it is ‘constant’. And if your flights isn’t cancelled, it’s almost certainly going to be delayed.

 

[Bagpuss]

VA don't fly 737s CBR-SYD, they contract to Link on Saabs.

I've meanwhile gotten rebooked by my corporate travel agent on Qantas. And will really be reconsidering givibg Virgin any business flights again.

If VA didn't do this, there would be no competition on the route and the airfare on Qantas would go through the roof.

It's not as if it's a long flight and the Saab is fine. Though each to their own.