Virgin Australia Delays/Cancellations

[samas]

Flying CNS-BNE-PER today and just arrived into the VA Lounge BNE.

Just after arrival into lounge heard an announcement along the lines of "for passengers from the cancelled VA928 Sydney service utilizing the bus service please proceed downstairs"

ouch.

 

[Melburnian1]

Mattg has written about how VAi flights from Oz to DPS are (northbound) refuelling in DRW due to 'alternative' Indonesian airports being closed, and VA not restricting the number of passengers on board.

However as a side issue, VA65 (1745 hours SYD - DPS) seems to be cancelled every day it's meant to operate.

 

[AviatorInsight]

However as a side issue, VA65 (1745 hours SYD - DPS) seems to be cancelled every day it's meant to operate.

I believe that's because they've renumbered the flights to VA63 to accommodate for the DRW stop-over.

 

[Melburnian1]

I believe that's because they've renumbered the flights to VA63 to accommodate for the DRW stop-over.

The SYD (Airport) site today shows VA65 as 'cancelled', which AviatorInsight kindly explained above.

It also shows VA63 as a 1630 hours departure, but with the status of 'diverted', perhaps strictly not correct as VAd has planned for this flight to have an intermediate DRW stop for reasons previously explained on AFF (unavailability of some 'alternate' airports in Indonesia).

To complete the confusion, Google Flights shows VA63 with a line through '5.45pm' and a new time of '4.30pm'.

 

[Melburnian1]

With a brief look one couldn't see any obvious adverse weather around Fiji (it's not cyclone season), but competitors QFi/JQi have had SYD - NAN flights delayed this morning, as has VA.

The latter's flight VA181 (B738 VH-YIT), the 0945 hours, took off at 1118 with expected arrival 1657 hours, 67 minutes tardy.

 

[Melburnian1]

'The Weekend Australian' has a long article this morning suggesting 'hopes high' for school holidays, discussing how many passengers are to pass through the nation's airports over the weekend.

VAd doesn't have as many cancellations as QFd ex MEL on Saturday 2 July, but ones to get the boot include VA251, the 0610 hours to CBR, VA1029 (0620 hours) to MCY, VA1316 (0840 hours down to HBA), VA833 up to SYD (the 1000 hours) and VA741 to OOL at 1210 hours.

In contrast, QFd is badly affected on the #1 route, MEL -SYD (and presumably SYD down to MEL in the reverse direction).

Some fog was expected in Melbourne (not overly apparent from where I reside many kilometres from Tullamarine) but staff shortages due to influenza/COVID-19 are more likely as the cause.

 

[Melburnian1]

From limited sampling, today's SYD delays have not been quite as bad as feared due to the absymal weather with heavy rain, but it's variable.

VA888, the Sunday 3 July 2022 SYD - MEL at a scheduled 2000 hours with B738 VH-VUZ had not pushed back by 2216 hours, so will be extremely late into the southern capital.

 

[Melburnian1]

A few VAd flights are cancelled today: there's a writeup in 'The Oz' re staff being off sick due to winter ills.

VA1419 (B738 VH-YVD, the 1230 hours lunchtime SYD - CNS) took off at 1409 hours. Single runway operations in Sydney (the east-west runway) are not assisting timekeeping to say the least.

 

[aaronm]

Anyone know what the story was with yesterday’s VA761? Flight seems to have turned around at Wagga and returned to Melbourne, at low speed. VA761 (VOZ761) Virgin Australia Flight Tracking and History 10-Jul-2022 (MEL / YMML-MEL / YMML) - FlightAware

 

[Melburnian1]

Maybe due to staff absences from influenza and COVID-19, there continues to be quite a lot of late running with VAd.

On Monday 18 July, VA752, the 1925 hours evening OOL - MEL (B738 VH-YVC) was in the sky at 2043 with estimated arrival an hour late at 2250.

The 2000 hours SYD - MEL was airborne at 2114 with VH-YIP. Arrival at gate should be 54 minutes tardy at 2229.

 

[Melburnian1]

Despite it being a relatively quiet Wednesday (not school holidays) and mid winter with mostly benign weather, VAd continues (like QFd and JQd) to have many flights unacceptably late.

On 27 July 2022, VA813, the 0715 hours MEL - SYD peak period flight did not take off until 0848 hours. B738 VH-YFJ looks to be arriving 80 minutes late at 1000 hours.

VA815 (VH-YWE, the 0730 hours MEL - SYD) was not in the sky until 0910 hours, so arrival should be at approximately 1019, 83 late.

The 0745 hours MEL - SYD, VA817 (VH-YQH) pointed skywards at 0924, so its gate arrival is predicted for 1036, 86 late.

Not the sort of excellent timekeeping on our major route if Oz had high speed rail as a growing number of nations in Europe and Asia enjoy!

The delays on the #1 route will inevitably impinge on other flights during the day, and a side issue is that some passengers will miss connections. It's especially bad if one is connecting to a mid or late morning international flight whose airline uses VAd as the domestic leg into Sydney.

VA401, the 0600 hours from ADL did not take off until 0707 hours (fog?), so VH-YIW should be at its gate at about 0916 hours, 56 late.

The 0810 hours MEL up to BNE, VA313 (VH-YFS) was in the sky at 0859 with mooted arrival becoming 1054 hours, 34 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

VA181, the 0945 hours Saturday 30 July 2022 midmorning from SYD up to NAN is expected to push back 90 minutes late. There's been a lot of tardy running lately on this route, with weather sometimes one major factor.

 

[Melburnian1]

The weather has been great for ducks in the past 24 hours in Canberra and more recently in and around Sydney and a part of rural NSW.

Amongst the gloom, it's nice to see a little symmetry.

VA341, the 1710 hours late afternoon Thursday 4 August 2022 MEL - BNE was airborne at 1818 with B738 VH-YFC. Expected at gate arrival is 2010 hours, 50 minutes late.

Southbound, VH-IWX is on the 1755 hours BNE - MEL in the sky at 1856, with predicted arrival also 50 behind at 2110 hours.

VA977 (1830 hours SYD up to BNE with VH-VUL) took off at 1931 so its at gate time in the Queensland capital should be at about 2036 hours mid evening, 36 minutes tardy.

VA434 is the 1730 hours SYD across to ADL that pointed skywards at 1803, so VH-YIU should be 33 late arriving at its designated Wine City gate at 2038 hours.

The 1740 hours ADL (VA236) down to MEL took off at 1851 with VH-IJU and is an expected 55 late in projected arrival at 2025 hours.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 5 August, VA878 (B738 VH-YFS, 1830 hours SYD down to MEL) and the following 1845 hours, VA880 (YFE) were still taxiing towards the runway at 1954 hours, so the first should be more than an hour late and the second maybe 10 minutes better.

VH-IJQ on the 1915 hours VA884 had yet to depart its gate. The 1930 hours flight was ahead of it, already taxiing. Fun and games!

 

[Melburnian1]

VA49 (1755 hours BNE up to DPS, Sunday 7 August) is predicted to depart 50 minutes late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Tuesday 9 August's VA717 (A320 VH-YUD, the lunchtime 1220 hours ADL across to PER) was airborne at 1728 hours so arrival should be 1921, 301 minutes late. It was similarly late on this morning's 0720 hours VA712, the 0720 hours PER - ADL in the sky at 1231 as first off this morning it had to operate mining flights from PER to an airport I'd never heard of, OCM.

 

[Melburnian1]

Earlier today (Friday 12 August), VA181 (0945 hours SYD - NAN) was eventually cancelled.

 

[Melburnian1]

Sunday 14 August sees VA830 (B738 VH-VUX, the 1000 hours SYD - MEL) not airborne until 1054 so suggested at gate arrival is 1210 hours, 35 behind.

VH-VUO on the 0850 hours BNE down to CBE, VA1210 did not take off until 1040 hours so arrival should be at about the 1215 hours mark, 95 minutes late.

VA367 is the 0850 hours BNE up to TSV with VH-VON. Gate arrival will be a similar 92 late at 1232 hours.

Timekeeping has improved in the last few days, but remains far from perfect even if one only regards a 30 minute or more late gate arrival as 'officially late' compared to the airline standard of 15 minutes. Sunday morning is a quiet period domestically and weather has been benign for winter, yet there's still a fair amount of late running.

 

[Melburnian1]

There was allegedly a gunman who fired three shots into the exterior (glass) of CBR airport on Sunday 14 August 2022: he's been arrested, but some planes were apparently held at CBR.

At least one VAd flight bound for MEL, VA268 at 1335, was held at CBR with passengers on board.

 

[Melburnian1]

That delayed VA flight (268) due to the unusual incident took off from CBR at 1546 hours so MEL arrival should be 1646, 121 minutes late. Goodness knows why it took so long to be given the OK to push back.