It looks like overnight there were some noticeable changes to the MEL-PER and PER-MEL schedules. I am not sure whether this is to make do with A332 (depending on how XFA/B retirement works) or because they thing the flight times work better. I will cover here the flight that affects me most - the afternoon departure out of Perth back to Melbourne which I take on something like 20-25 Fridays a year.
Before: dep 1700 arr 2235 (so I get home about midnight)
After: dep 1730 arr 2305 (get home after midnight, but only an extra 30 mins)
The real problem however comes after daylight saving ends. On last year's schedule (and the schedule when I booked) the 5pm Perth departure was instead a 4pm Perth departure, so the arrival time to Melbourne was maintained.
The 1730 departure time remains, however it becomes a 0010 arrival, which now means a pretty damn late home time for me.
For a moment I was optimisitic, thinking that the current 1400 departure might then become a 1500 departure which would be a better choice for me. No such luck, the daylight savings schedule now is:
VA676 PER 0505 1140 MEL
VA682 PER 0905 1540 MEL
VA686 PER 1205 1840 MEL
VA694 PER 1730 0010+1 MEL
VA969 PER 2235 0510+1 MEL
So I now have the choice of basically not working on the Friday (leave the office at 10am for the 1205 departure) or getting home in the small hours of the morning (0010 arrival, around 0130 at home). Unfortunately (for me) the Qantas schedule is not heaps better, although having 1250 and 1645 departures at least reduces that gap. Tiger also has a 1645 departure, but I am not sure that will still appeal to me.
I am weighing up whether to request refunds on the basis of significant unfavourable schedule change (1.5 hrs is pretty noticeable for me) and rebook on Qantas' best fit option (1645 departure), if I do it's quite a few flights that would have been on Virgin that now will not be. I know schedule changes happen, but this particular change is a real ongoing pain in the backside for me.
Before: dep 1700 arr 2235 (so I get home about midnight)
After: dep 1730 arr 2305 (get home after midnight, but only an extra 30 mins)
The real problem however comes after daylight saving ends. On last year's schedule (and the schedule when I booked) the 5pm Perth departure was instead a 4pm Perth departure, so the arrival time to Melbourne was maintained.
The 1730 departure time remains, however it becomes a 0010 arrival, which now means a pretty damn late home time for me.
For a moment I was optimisitic, thinking that the current 1400 departure might then become a 1500 departure which would be a better choice for me. No such luck, the daylight savings schedule now is:
VA676 PER 0505 1140 MEL
VA682 PER 0905 1540 MEL
VA686 PER 1205 1840 MEL
VA694 PER 1730 0010+1 MEL
VA969 PER 2235 0510+1 MEL
So I now have the choice of basically not working on the Friday (leave the office at 10am for the 1205 departure) or getting home in the small hours of the morning (0010 arrival, around 0130 at home). Unfortunately (for me) the Qantas schedule is not heaps better, although having 1250 and 1645 departures at least reduces that gap. Tiger also has a 1645 departure, but I am not sure that will still appeal to me.
I am weighing up whether to request refunds on the basis of significant unfavourable schedule change (1.5 hrs is pretty noticeable for me) and rebook on Qantas' best fit option (1645 departure), if I do it's quite a few flights that would have been on Virgin that now will not be. I know schedule changes happen, but this particular change is a real ongoing pain in the backside for me.