Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[RooFlyer]

Always welcome to see engineers smiling when they come on board. Should push back before 16:30.

 

[Melburnian1]

Pilot just announced that engineers couldn't measure fuel properly. Need to order more, add it in, then put the dipstick back and have a look...

Other AFFers can make atrocious puns - I'll stay clear - but what technical reason would there be why they couldn't (rather than 'did not') properly measure the fuel?

Our aviators may be able to confirm that this is a very unusual problem.

Full marks to the pilot for being so specific. He's treating passengers well, not like mushrooms.

 

[Melburnian1]

Always welcome to see engineers smiling when they come on board. Should push back before 16:30.

QF117 on 25 September departed SYD at 1620, two hours late.

 

[docjames]

QF636 the 2010 mel-bne delayed tonight to an atd 2048 but made up time to arrive 21m late. No good for the “on time” arrival stats however which allow 15m.


Mrsdoc was therefore pleased to get moved to QF634 which left “3m late” at 1913 but arrived 7m early!

 

[nonscenic]

Qf80 Nrt to mel on 26th September has been delayed until 0830 on 27th.
Fortunately I have rebooked on qf26 haneda to Syd for a nostalgic last flight in a B747

 

[Melburnian1]

QF636 the 2010 mel-bne delayed tonight to an atd 2048 but made up time to arrive 21m late. No good for the “on time” arrival stats however which allow 15m...

Indeed, and contrary to what some patrons think, it's the arrival 'at gate' (or tarmac space in substitution) that matters, not the landing time. Typically one adds five minutes to any landing time to give an 'at gate' time even though on occasion with domestic flights it may take a wee bit less to taxi to the gate. jb747 previously commented that engines need to run for five minutes after landing in any case.

The last couple of months' statistics re timekeeping on a lot of east coast routes haven't been marvellous. The busiest route, SYD - MEL, is the worst, but Melbourne - Brisbane wasn't great either. AviatorInsight ranked MEL as the worst of the 'big Oz three' for delays when I asked him.

 

[jb747]

jb747 previously commented that engines need to run for five minutes after landing in any case.

5 minutes applies to the A380. The 747/767 were both 3 minutes. I don't know any of the other aircraft, but I'd expect it to be in that range. The clock starts when we come out of reverse and select forward idle. It's quite common to reach the gate within that 5 minutes, but we try to juggle the taxi speed so that there's no time waiting at the gate, as they won't start to move the bridges if the engines are still running.

On chocks is actually the time at which the first door opens, be it cabin or cargo.

 

[flydoc]

Announcement in the MEL QP just now - due to projected storm-related delays in SYD this evening, customers with HLO are being offered complimentary ‘fly forward’

 

[flydoc]

And QF452 (1700 MEL-SYD) cancelled due to a mechanical issue, passengers being re-booked.

 

[Melburnian1]

Announcement in the MEL QP just now - due to projected storm-related delays in SYD this evening, customers with HLO are being offered complimentary ‘fly forward’

Great info. I know airlines have a wide range of different 'fare buckets' (fare classes within what we call F, C, R, W or Y) and don't want to imperil revenue (so often they want to charge higher fares for last minute bookings if their yield management says that'll work) but it's bad that all airlines don't routinely offer this.

If a flight's got vacant seats 20 minutes before departure, there's no chance of filling them with revenue passengers but if flydoc and others are allowed to "fly forward", then that frees up seats on the next flight for possible (albeit at long odds) sale.

It also pleases passengers who have presented early at check-in and/or the lounges/ general waiting areas and hence helps to turn them into positive influencers not naysayers.

 

[Melburnian1]

A332 VH-EBV on the 1210 hours SYD up to MNL departed 77 minutes late with arrival suggested as 1929 hours, 59 late. This will delay departure of the Wednesday 26 September QF20 back down to SYD until at least 2035.

Earlier, the overnight delayed QF79D (MEL - NRT, A333 VH-QPE) commenced pushing back at 0732, much as advertised, with arrival at 1625 today instead of 1835 hours yesterday.

The stablemate that had become defective after arriving in MEL on QF80 two days ago (24 September) in VH-QPG operated the 'normal' QF79 without incident, and was about 22 minutes early at the NRT gate.

The mobuile phone catching fire behind a seat incident this morning on QF94 (A388 VH-OQD) from LAX to MEL did not cause any delay (and the fire was extinguished on board, but allegedly the seat wrecked) as that flight arrived five minutes late at 0735 this mrorning, but QF35 from MEL up to SIN was 52 late away at 1247 this afternoon. SIN arrival was at 1831, 36 minutes late.

One of the B744s, VH-OEB on the afternoon PER to SYD QF582 (1430 hours ex PER) is again delayed with takeoff at 1629 meaning expected arrival in the harbour city at 2152 hours, 87 minutes tardy. The plane earlier arrived PER 27 late on QF581 but has lost further time on the ground.

Polar opposite QF583 (1945 hours SYD - PER that took off at 2036 with colleague B744 VH-OEG) is also tardy with arrival anticipated as 2310 late tonight, 40 late. This will delay the redeye back across to SYD.

It's a good idea for QF to operate the B744s on transcon flights but their punctuality doesn't seem A1. Not good if they lose further time turning around in PER (or SYD).

QF73, the 1245 hours SYD - SFO (B744 VH-OEI) did not depart until 1751 so same day arrival is predicted as 1407 hours, 302 minutes late.

QF7 (1235 long trip SYD - DFW) was off blocks at 1328 so arrival is deferred until 1335, 35 late.

The 1420 hours afternoon SYD - HKG (QF117) pushed back 124 late with arrival suggested as 2345 tonight, 105 late. This will delay redeye QF118.

 

[Melburnian1]

Thursday 27 September sees QF94 (A388 VH-OQA) likely to arrive ex LAX in MEL at 0832 hours, 62 late.

The HKG - SYD QF128 did not depart on Wednesday 26 until 2230, 150 minutes late so SYD arrival on 27 is estimated as 0922, 147 minutes past the allotted.

QF118 departed HKG at 0102 hours, 97 minutes tardy with SYD arrival forecast for 1215, 85 minutes behind the timetable.

The MNL - SYD QF20 pushed back 67 late at 2107 last night, arriving SYD at 0721, 71 late.

QF19, the 1210 hours lunchtime SYD to MNL is expected to depart 70 minutes late at 1320 hours meaning arrival at about 1935, 65 late.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

The HKG - SYD QF128 did not depart on Wednesday 26 until 2230, 150 minutes late so SYD arrival on 27 is estimated as 0922, 147 minutes past the allotted.

This was the knock on affect resulting from the 3hr 41m delay in departure of the QF127 SYD HKG service on Wednesday morning. The aircraft was VH-OEJ which did the QF127/128 service on Tuesday morning landing back into Sydney Wednesday morning. The 744 ER may have arrived into Sydney on Wednesday morning needing some items fixed up before heading back up to HKG on the QF127 service - hence the delay.

I went up on QF127 on Tuesday morning and was scheduled to return on Wednesday evening's QF128 Service. The QF SST did a good job in connecting with some passengers scheduled on the delayed Wednesday evening QF128 HKG SYD service giving them the option of moving across to the earlier departing CX111 service departing HKG at 1850.

 

[Quickstatus]

My friend who is travelling on the 1035 SYD-SIN complains he can’t find a seat in the FLounge.

I think 0935 QF11 is yet to depart resulting in a lounge jam. You can just see an A380 at the gate in the pic. (Today’s QF127 is a 747)

Edit: no QF11 was not delayed. Just a very busy FLounge from all the DSC WP

 

[Melburnian1]

Excellent photo Quickstatus.

While I vastly prefer the style and don't want to go off topic for long, a problem with many restaurants/cafes is that seating is designed for two (or four) at a table so if there are (in this case) many travellers on their lonesome, the number of available seats takes a nosedive given that many Westerners do not like to share a table with stranger(s). In fact most of us would do anything to avoid that I reckon.

On Thursday 27 September, QF19 departed SYD at 1333, later than predicted. Anticipated MNL arrival is 1923 hours, 53 late, meaning at least a half hour delay to the 2000 hours returning redeye QF20.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on 27 September, QF453 (1700 hours SYD - MEL) was in the sky at 1755 with A332 VH-EBA. Arrival should be at 1917 hours, 42 minutes tardy.

 

[Melburnian1]

Later on a busy Thursday 27 September, QF455, the 1730 hours SYD down to MEL did not take off until 1843 so arrival is expected for A332 VH-EBJ at 2000 hours even, 55 late.

 

[Melburnian1]

Also on 27 September, QF848 (2020 hours SYD - DRW, A332 VH-EBQ) departed at 2035 and took off at 2059, so arrival has been put back to 0052, 37 late on Friday 28.

B738 VH-XZA on QF467 (1839 hours SYD - MEL airborne at 2018) should be at its destination gate at 2139 hours, 34 late.

Stablemate VH-XZF on westbound MEL - ADL QF701, the 2040 hours, took off at 0128 with arrival suggested as 2207, 37 late.

 

[nonscenic]

Further to the qf80 delay from Nrt on 26 Sept. Flightaware shows if finally left Nrt at 1202 on 27th but then diverted to per mid flight are per about 2250
I can only guess that all the pax had been transferred to other flights and it was being ferried for extra Grand Final traffic.

 

[jb747]

Other AFFers can make atrocious puns - I'll stay clear - but what technical reason would there be why they couldn't (rather than 'did not') properly measure the fuel?

Our aviators may be able to confirm that this is a very unusual problem.

It's not common, but certainly not rare. The fuel is measured in a number of ways, and all are compared. If any differences can't be resolved (i.e. by allowing for APU burn on a long stop), then the tanks will have to be physically measured (a stick check). On aircraft with redundant fuel measurement computers, they must also agree.

Fuel loading is measured at the truck, by the aircraft fuel management system, and by the tank volumetric measurement. There is a sliding scale of allowed deviation, and it is checked on every load.

In flight, fuel is measured volumetrically, and also calculated by comparing burn to the loaded figure.