VA849 Cancellation:Problem?

[grussellt]

VA 849 Melbourne to Sydney was cancelled today -apparently because low cloud in Sydney will prevent landing. Passengers, the lucky ones, will arrive four hours late. Not so good when everyone is waiting in Sydney to celebrate a passenger's birthday. Come on, Virgin, give him one of your earlier business class seats and keep an eye on Twitter!

 

[smit0847]

VA have about 25 flights a day on this route. Its not a big deal if one gets cancelled.

 

[Mogul]

VA 849 Melbourne to Sydney was cancelled today -apparently because low cloud in Sydney will prevent landing. Passengers, the lucky ones, will arrive four hours late. Not so good when everyone is waiting in Sydney to celebrate a passenger's birthday. Come on, Virgin, give him one of your earlier business class seats and keep an eye on Twitter!

Come on Virgin buy him a cake as well !!!!!!

 

[Virgin Bart]

VA 849 Melbourne to Sydney was cancelled today -apparently because low cloud in Sydney will prevent landing. Passengers, the lucky ones, will arrive four hours late. Not so good when everyone is waiting in Sydney to celebrate a passenger's birthday. Come on, Virgin, give him one of your earlier business class seats and keep an eye on Twitter!

Not sure what time that was but I was in the lounge and I think the 1200 and 1400 were cancelled MEL-SYD..

Then again, with one every 15 minutes who cares.

 

[grussellt]

A flight delay of 15 minutes is no problem but a departure delayed from 14.00 to 17.15 is not good customer service. Not exactly many happy returns!

 

[mannej]

A flight delay of 15 minutes is no problem but a departure delayed from 14.00 to 17.15 is not good customer service. Not exactly many happy returns!

How is it not good customer service if it is safety related? I'd rather be late than dead, on time.

 

[grussellt]

How is it not good customer service if it is safety related? I'd rather be late than dead, on time.

It might be good customer service if it were true! However the "low cloud" didn't stop any other planes landing

 

[mannej]

It might be good customer service if it were true! However the "low cloud" didn't stop any other planes landing

And your technical expertise to decipher whether it is true or not?

Why don't you ask the pilot if each of the domestic Australian airlines have different landing capabilities based on their equipment?

 

[grussellt]

My technical expertise is sufficient to make me aware that when a flight from Melbourne to Sydney is cancelled more than two hours before the planned arrival time then there is time for low cloud to dissipate. I don't recall any cyclone warnings in Sydney that day. I understand a 737-800 is quite an advanced plane.

 

[bubblyguy]

If there was a weather issue air traffic control could have advised they are reducing the amount of movements and therefore all airlines need to cancel some flights for the traffic reductions.

This is very normal when there is inclement weather at an airport such as Sydney as you can't always have every airline sending flights there every 15 minutes in peak period from Brisbane and Melbourne alone along with all the other destinations.

 

[mannej]

My technical expertise is sufficient to make me aware that when a flight from Melbourne to Sydney is cancelled more than two hours before the planned arrival time then there is time for low cloud to dissipate. I don't recall any cyclone warnings in Sydney that day. I understand a 737-800 is quite an advanced plane.

Do you have the weather charts for the day in question? I am sorry but your comments don't show any expertise at all apart from an annoyed customer. Not all 737's are created equal, however there may have been other reasons as to why flights were delayed/cancelled on that day (which again doesn't necessarily equal poor customer service).

 

[under the radar]

My technical expertise is sufficient to make me aware that when a flight from Melbourne to Sydney is cancelled more than two hours before the planned arrival time then there is time for low cloud to dissipate. I don't recall any cyclone warnings in Sydney that day. I understand a 737-800 is quite an advanced plane.

your particular aircraft doesn't just magically appear to do your flight.. it usually comes from somewhere!!...weather related probs can also accur at any time during this particular aircrafts daily flying schedule at other ports...the events/weather at previous ports can affect your flight at your port

 

[grussellt]

The reason given for the flight cancellation was low cloud in SYDNEY. All QF flights from 12.30 (QF432) to QF440 (15.00) departed as normal using a combination of B738/A332 and A333. Weather records in Sydney around that time indicate broken cloud with 15km winds. Weather