Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Melburnian1]

There's also travel insurance.

There is, but typically with a $100 or often $200 excess. If QF cannot operate a flight due to mechanical issues, that's its problem, so it - not a travel insurer - should pay the delayed passenger or otherwise compensate him.

 

[Quickstatus]

[Start call]

Hello Qantas,

So last night's QF74 (VH-OEE) was cancelled due to a problem with the PA system.
Yep these things happen and yes the vast majority of passengers prefer to be down here wishing we could be up there than the other way around.

But can you make sure the call centre (wherever it is) knows whats going on.

I rang up the USA number (USA 1800 227 4500) to check on the status of the flight and was told:

"flight departed last night" (no it didnt)
"didnt the airport counter rebook you on another flight?" (no they didnt but it's not relevant as the aircraft is still here. I just want to know the status of the flight, is it still leaving at 2325hrs) "As far as we can see the aircraft departed last night"
"the flight was delayed not cancelled" (well we are playing with semantics)
Just annoying thats all.

/[End call]


The root cause would be the inoperative PA system. The flow on effect is that caused the crew hours to tick away requiring an overnight rest. The cancellation (or delay - depending on your POV) was announced at 0115am

I don't think QF73 (SYD-SFO) operated on 7Feb so there should only be one B747 in SFO today.

 

[Quickstatus]

There is, but typically with a $100 or often $200 excess. If QF cannot operate a flight due to mechanical issues, that's its problem, so it - not a travel insurer - should pay the delayed passenger or otherwise compensate him.

I have a $200 excess plus the hassle of next years insurance potentially going up due to a claim?

I don't really want to put in a claim to QF and an insurer.
I think so long as expenses are "reasonable" then the airline will cover it.

Ive got a 2 night booking at Parc55 because checkout is 1100 stretched to 1230 and I dont want to be sitting around in the lobby for several hours. Im saving the airline a bit due to HHonors Diamond- free hot breakfast and high speed internet and free bottles of water (which expires in about 2 weeks). Ironically The Hhonors Diamond was a short term benefit of Velocity haha!!!



Edit: no excess on travel delay.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

There is, but typically with a $100 or often $200 excess. If QF cannot operate a flight due to mechanical issues, that's its problem, so it - not a travel insurer - should pay the delayed passenger or otherwise compensate him.

For travel delay many insurances have no excess (ANZ credit card insurance as an example pay $250 per day for accommodation and $50 a day for meals, nil excess, kicks in once delay is over 6 hours).

Agree insurance companies shouldn't have to pay out where a travel provider is responsible, but if hotel costs are high this would soften the impact for the passenger.

Edited to add: TID also no excess for travel delay.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Wednesday 8 February, QF1425, the 1125 SYD - CBR hs been delayed until 1210.

 

[Quickstatus]

Update on QF74 VH-OEE. PA system still being fixed. Obviously a safety issue. Offered a reroute SFO-LAX-BNE-SYD. I should have taken the QF12(747) option last night. Decided to accept offer .
The PA system may or may not be fixed - if fixed then QF74 will depart, if partially fixed will depart with less passengers (no passengers in cabin section with no PA) as I understand it.
But now my car is in SydT1 not SydDom. What a hassle!.

 

[flydoc]

QF1937 DRW-ASP daily 0710 service still showing as delayed. Normally heavily booked. Onward QF1937 ASP-PER has been cancelled.

 

[docjames]

Update on QF74 VH-OEE. PA system still being fixed. Obviously a safety issue. Offered a reroute SFO-LAX-BNE-SYD. I should have taken the QF12(747) option last night. Decided to accept offer .
The PA system may or may not be fixed - if fixed then QF74 will depart, if partially fixed will depart with less passengers (no passengers in cabin section with no PA) as I understand it.
But now my car is in SydT1 not SydDom. What a hassle!.

Interesting it is the PA system.

We had a 2.5hr dealy on QF15 back in 2008 for the same reason!

Are the PA systems known to be problematic?

Agree it's a safety issue and no-fly without it.

 

[Quickstatus]

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong I guess. At least it went wrong on the ground or maybe it went kaput in the air as QF73 and was past the last divert point

OEE is 15 years old. Middle aged but still with many years of potential service

 

[TheInsider]

QF9 from the 7-02-2017 was delayed once again for over 15 hours.

 

[Ansett]

Ouch thats not good so we can presume people were sent home or put up in hotels. So what will happen with todays schedule QF9 08/02/2017?

 

[milehighclub]

QF9 was hit by a catering truck last night I believe. It's leaving at 1840 tonight.

 

[Pushka]

QF9 was hit by a catering truck last night I believe. It's leaving at 1840 tonight.

Not sure about that. They are calling people in Mel QP who might be on that flight to the service desk right at the moment.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Wednesday 8 February, QF117, the 'second flight' from SYD to HKG departed at 1353, 28 minutes late but estimated arrival is not until 1950, 40 late.

A388 VH-OQG on QF2 from DXB this morning departed at 1107, 92 minutes tardy with Thursday 9 SYD arrival suggested as 0750, 80 late.

Meanwhile the Wednesday 8 February QF2, the 2045 hours evening departure from LHR has been altered to depart at an estimated 0845 hours on Thursday 9. Arrival in DXB should be at 2005 hours in lieu of the timetabled 0745, with consequent departure from the Middle East at 2145, 730 minutes behind schedule and arrival in ye olde Sydney town at a predicted 1830 on Friday 10 February, exactly 12 hours late.

This is because QF9 on Monday 7, the 2325 hours late night departure has been delayed until 1840 tonight (Wednesday 8) as per milehighclub's post above - more or less as I type this - with DXB arrival suggested as 0130 hours on Thursday 9, 19 hours late, departure from there at 0315 hours on Thursday 9 (18 hours 45 minutes late) and eventual LHR arrival of a predicted 0715 Thursday, 18 hours 35 minutes late. Quite often a bit more time than indicated can be picked up on the DXB - LHR sector but it is arriving at a peak time in the morning - granted though, LHR is extremely busy most of the time. This flight looks to be VH-OQK and is operating as QF9D - 'D' for 'delayed.'

90 minutes is a quick turnaround in LHR but if the flight arrives earlier than predicted it will have longer to depart at the predicted 0845 hours.

On Friday 10 February, QF2 looks - and I stress 'at this stage' - to be arriving at gate 24, the same gate from which QF127 from SYD to HKG (the 1100 shown still as an A388) is allegedly departing.

If I am not mistaken, the QF2 lengthy 12 hour delay may leave QF an A388 'short' in SYD on Friday 10 February, so will QF127 be changed (reduced) to an A333 or will it depart late, or will a QF60XX empty working operate (or one miraculously come down from MNL after maintenance) to fill what may be otherwise a void in availability of aircraft?

Perhaps with one cancellation already this week between DXB - LHR - DXB, it is difficult to continue with cancellations (as in terminating tonight - Wednesday's - delayed by 12 hours plus QF9 in DXB instead of operating it as scheduled through to LHR and back as QF2) - due not only to the buildup of passengers waiting for 'uplift' but also crew considerations. Presumably it is far from ideal for future roster availability (and morale) to have crew stuck in say LHR for days on end, far more than the scheduled layover.

 

[Pushka]

No more news on what happened with QF9 other than they kept paging a specific person for around 30 minutes. They mentioned the flight was slotted for 6.40pm so delay already factored in. My flight was eventually called.

 

[Quickstatus]

QF74 VH-OEE update.
It's still stationary. No departure time yet.
I'm taxiing in QF16. May miss my 0830 BNE-SYD connection . Seems like subsequent flights to SYD are full

 

[Melburnian1]

...I'm taxiing in QF16. May miss my 0830 BNE-SYD connection . Seems like subsequent flights to SYD are full

Quickstatus, QF asserts that on Thursday 9 February QF16 will arrive in BNE half an hour late at 0735. Please correct me, but getting through immigration and any customs queue plus transferring to the QF domestic terminal in say 52 minutes or less (bearing in mind that if gate arrival is at 0735 you won't be off the plane for a minimum three minutes even if you're first off as befits your importance) sounds to me like mission impossible.

There are always 'no shows' on flights, although I don't know if domestic QF flights are routinely or often overbooked. You may have reason to be a tad more optimistic about not waiting too long in the Sunshine State should you have to be reallocated to another southbound domestic flight tomorrow morning.

On Wednesday 8, the much delayed QF9D from MEL to DXB and LHR departed MEL at 1904 and took off at 1922 - VH-OQK as indicated above.

It is now estimated to arrive in DXB on Thursday 9 at 0205 and quickly depart for LHR at 0315 - not impossible, but a pretty hard ask based on previous observed minimum tarmac time for this intermediate stop - arriving LHR at 0715 as previously predicted above.

QF2048 (Wednesday 8 1910 hours SYD - DBO, Q300 VH-SBT) was airborne at 2006 with arrival suggested as 2100 tonight, 40 minutes tardy.

 

[Flyerqf]

If I am not mistaken, the QF2 lengthy 12 hour delay may leave QF an A388 'short' in SYD on Friday 10 February, so will QF127 be changed (reduced) to an A333 or will it depart late, or will a QF60XX empty working operate (or one miraculously come down from MNL after maintenance) to fill what may be otherwise a void in availability of aircraft?

There is no 380 at MNL at the moment. The delayed QF2 will turnaround to operate QF1 albeit some 4 hrs behind schedule.

The A380 that diverted to SIN is still on the ground in SIN.

 

[milehighclub]

The aircraft in SIN departs tonight at 2100 as QF6003 to SYD.

due not only to the buildup of passengers waiting for 'uplift' but also crew considerations. Presumably it is far from ideal for future roster availability (and morale) to have crew stuck in say LHR for days on end, far more than the scheduled layover.

Crew don't stay in London because there is a London base.

But the London crew would be having an extended stay in DXB by a night or so.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Crew don't stay in London because there is a London base...

Thank you milehighclub: as I have been on QF9 (and 10), I now recall that.

However the pilots are based in Oz, and so the flight - as distinct from cabin - crew may spend longer in LHR.