Virgin Australia Delays/Cancellations

[qf737838]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I was a pax on yesterday's VA1328 ... We departed about 5pm, only about 1/2 an hour late yesterday, ops by B738 VH-VUU.

 

[Melburnian1]

It's an unfortunate pun, but this has hit the news today:

Smelly problem on Virgin flight to Sydney forces plane back to LA

Given that this is one case where passengers such as the lady quoted are unlikely to be incorrect, why did the Virgin Australia public relations employee try to deny that it occurred?

Wouldn't it be preferable to admit that there was a problem and explain why it occurred (if the reason had been established?)

 

[Deleted member 29185]

It's an unfortunate pun, but this has hit the news today:

Smelly problem on Virgin flight to Sydney forces plane back to LA

Given that this is one case where passengers such as the lady quoted are unlikely to be incorrect, why did the Virgin Australia public relations employee try to deny that it occurred?

Wouldn't it be preferable to admit that there was a problem and explain why it occurred (if the reason had been established?)

Are we reading the same article?

The one I just opened in your link has VA stating engineers have determined it was a leaking sink drain and is now cleared to fly, not a leaking toilet. Why do you assume the pax must be correct? IME, pax regularly exaggerate a story. A bit of water around the toilet suddenly becomes human faeces slopping down the aisle (probably wearing thongs to boot). I wouldn't be surprised at all to find the pax jumped to conclusions and/or threw some cough in (pun intended) to make for a better saga.

 

[Melburnian1]

Fortunately not an everyday occurrence, but tonight's event came on top of yesterday's SYD storm that badly delayed flights:

No Cookies | Herald Sun

Northbound, VA871 (the 1730) and VA877 (the 1815) ex MEL to SYD got the gong. One would expect flights on a Thursday night to be pretty full which begs the question: how does VA (with its less frequent Golden Triangle flight schedule than QF) suddenly find seats for 300 to 360 passengers with only seven more flights after 1730 timetabled to operate? That's an average of 40 to 50 seats a timetabled flight to magically pull out of a hat. Maybe on a Tuesday night, yes, but on a Thursday night after a major race meeting (Oaks Day) in Melbourne?

It is surprising that there aren't more trip reports or complaints from affected passengers surfacing on AFF. Presumably some passengers have a sudden, unexpected, enforced stay in MEL overnight to their annoyance, not to mention missed meetings or other appointments the next day at their destination.

What a difference it would make if we had a reliable high speed train on Australia's lower east coast.

 

[KCMil]

How do they find the seats, quite simply they didn't. Take my word for it!!! Of course I'm unimpressed, but I realise it happens and CXL flights are a last resort as it is a major cost to the airline. Still not happy about it or the money forked out for an alternate flight. On a suprisingly positive note, Tigerair did an excellent job, I enjoyed the flight, no hiccups, and I'm gob smacked to see that an airline is selling vegan and gluten free options on board.

 

[Melburnian1]

Due to stormy conditions in SYD, there are many delays tonight.

VA1166 (operated by E90 VH-ZPA) took off from CFS at 1648 but has had a most unusual flight path (including holding patterns north of Lithgow) and is about to land in CBR at about 1855, so it will not be in SYD until 2000 or later by the time it departs CBR. It is normally due in SYD at 1730.

VA863 (the scheduled 1630 ex MEL), VA865 (the 1645), VA867 (the 1700) and VA869 (the 1715) are among those badly delayed, with all except VA863 still in a holding pattern above the Yass - Crookwell - Goulburn area. None will be in SYD before 1910, with many more delays likely to evening departures ex SYD. I just hope that VA (if doing the right thing) can find hotel rooms at short notice in SYD or elsewhere tonight should that be necessary.

Here is a summary of weather including a good photo of a (QF?) plane with lightning nearby:

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/w...understorm-to-hit-sydney-20141203-11zivm.html

Subsequently (prior to 1930), VA claimed to the 'SMH" that 'its flights had returned to normal.'

VA must have a different definition of 'normal' from the rest of us.

Why do these airlines persist in being untruthful to the media when the latter and the general public can verify delays on numerous websites and some apps. or cam do so while ensconsed at SYD or other airports?

 

[Melburnian1]

This morning VA has quite a few bad delays out of MEL.

VA252, the scheduled 0735 arrival in MEL ex CBR is shown as 'diverted' with a new arrival time of 0915. This E190 flight may have returned to CBR.

VA819, the 0800 to SYD is not expected to depart until 0910 while the following 0830 hours flight to SYD, VA823 has been delayed until 1007. It is relatively unusual for Australian airlines to post a forecast departure time on websites that is not a multiple of five. QF do it a bit, presumably when ATC give its operations staff an exact time of planned (delayed) departure right down to the minute. VA don't often do it.

VA1291, the 0855 to CNS is forecast to be delayed by 130 minutes with a retimed 1105 departure.

UPDATE: As with QF today on its MEL - HBA route, the VA predicted delays were worse than earlier suggested. VA819 did not take off for SYD until 1054. VA823 was right behind it for a 1057 takeoff. VA1291 from MEL to CNS took off at 1213, about three hours late, a 50 per cent greater delay than VA had forecast earlier in the morning.

VA1615 took off for MQL ex MEL at 1306. It is timetabled off blocks at 1020. It wouldn't be much slower to use V/Line's rail and coach service via Swan Hill, and probably much cheaper.

VA223, the 1210 to ADL, is forecast to take off at 1428, about two hours late, while VA1368 from MEL to LST should depart at 1450 instead of 1310.

As VA has 75 departures ex MEL timetabled for tomorrow (Wednesday 17 December) and increasing numbers of the little darlings are travelling now that many classrooms are unoccupied, not to mention planes being fuller than in say mid November, it is unfair to pillory it for one or two delays, but some of the above are significant and follow a previously observed pattern which is that VA does not cope well with delays - instead, they cascade throughout the day, probably exacerbated at this time of year by relatively high aircraft utilisation even on what can at other times of the year be a slack day, passenger loading wise, in Tuesday.

 

[VulpesVulpes]

I don't think I have landed on time for flights to MEL or BNE at any time in the last 3 months. Getting Really really sick of 3hrs in the sky for a MEL-BNE because we are doing laps of the gold coast.

 

[Melburnian1]

VulpesVulpes, is this largely due to departing MEL late and hence losing the flight's slot, or is it due to congestion on the single runway at BNE, or a mix of both?

What explanations or excuses (if any) do the 'tech crew' give and does this vary? Do you get the 'air traffic control has slowed us down so I have some bad news for you...' routine?

 

[VulpesVulpes]

or a mix of both?

What explanations or excuses (if any) do the 'tech crew' give and does this vary?

This, it is a bit of everything. I don't just fly BNE-MEL but they are the worst offenders. We have missed push back slots, we have been slowed down, done laps of the gold coast. The BNE delays are mostly due to the singly runway.

I got lucky the other day when we had a medical emergency on board so we got priority (obviously not for the poor pax that was very ill). It is a real shame that it takes that type of incident to occur before we land on-time-ish

We were delayed today on a DRW BNE that came in at 8pm, hardly a busy time you would think.

I realise some are not VA's fault but it gets annoying!

 

[Melburnian1]

On a busy day (Boxing or St Stephen's Day) marked by generally good punctuality, unfortunately passengers on VA679, the 0905 from MEL to PER have only just taken off at 1423.

The aircraft is VH-VOM. I assume that one of the '..XF.' fleet members temporarily expired and that a substitute plane has had to be found, hard when every available aircraft could be expected to be in use.

 

[MichaelD]

On a busy day (Boxing or St Stephen's Day) marked by generally good punctuality, unfortunately passengers on VA679, the 0905 from MEL to PER have only just taken off at 1423.

Not all passengers, either. They substituted a 737 for an A330 and dumped the approximately 100 excess passengers onto VA691 departing at 1735.

Cannot say I was at all happy with the way this was handled when my 2A seating (lounge 1200 - "you are definitely on this flight") turned into "you are not on this flight" at the gate at 1400. No notification whatsoever.

If that's the way they stuff up their J passengers I can only imagine the way they treated all the Y passengers that got bumped.

 

[Melburnian1]

With a severe storm around MEL airport and other cells approaching from the west, some flights such as VA868 (scheduled 1715 ex SYD, E90 VH-ZPC) have been or are in a holding pattern northeast of MEL in the Bright area. Delays at this stage are not severe (at least for arrivals) but with more 'activity' weatherwise on the way, this may change a little.

Departures ex MEL may be being held on the ground, among other reasons perhaps due to delays in loading luggage and freight.

These evening storms must truly be loved by airline operations staff. A high pressure job given that the Bureau of Meteorology has difficulty forecasting with 100 per cent accuracy the geographical coverage, severity and length of such storms.

 

[FreddyFattler]

Bored at work the other day i bought the Flight Radar app, now bored at home while the missus is catching up on MKR i am playing with it and VA1535/Hobart/Syd is doing happy laps around Sydney, currently 50 odd minutes late.

 

[Globetrotter]

Bored at work the other day i bought the Flight Radar app, now bored at home while the missus is catching up on MKR i am playing with it and VA1535/Hobart/Syd is doing happy laps around Sydney, currently 50 odd minutes late.

Too funny

 

[Melburnian1]

VA895, the 2030 hours from MEL to SYD being operated by E190 VH-ZPA must have a dispensation from 'the delegate' to break the SYD curfew as it did not take off until 2200 and is therefore allegedly due to arrive SYD at 2314 (although it will touch down before this time, so may only be a few minutes into curfew.)

 

[Rob.au]

VA895, the 2030 hours from MEL to SYD being operated by E190 VH-ZPA must have a dispensation from 'the delegate' to break the SYD curfew as it did not take off until 2200 and is therefore allegedly due to arrive SYD at 2314 (although it will touch down before this time, so may only be a few minutes into curfew.)

It appears to be heading for 07 now. It might just make it.

EDIT: Looks like it did with less than 60 seconds to spare.

 

[blueturkey]

I had a QF SYD-MEL in 52mins. Felt ripped off I paid for J.

 

[bullerdude]

Lightning send to ground crew on an extended rest break resulting in 1-2hr delays on flights out of Mel.

I was on the 7.30pm VA MEL-SYD which finally took off around 9:30 - We landed in SYD at 10:55pm, so a 2hr delay.

 

[Melburnian1]

VA100 from MEL across the Tasman to CHC has been put back from 1615 today to 0630 tomorrow, Friday 20 February 2015, so it is a case of 'early rise and shine' for the passengers (and crew). If some have been put up in hotels they may have a fairly restless night given the need to wake up at 0400 should they be in a Melbourne CBD hotel. Were any gallant AFFers on this flight?