Qantas Delays/Cancellations

[Quickstatus]

Except that it's continuing to BKK despite FR24 saying diverting to SYD

 

[Melburnian1]

Oddly gate 17 does (where it arrived) but for some reason they ended up towing it to 20 and departing from there.

You missed QF59 SYD-HND that took off over 3 hours late today. It'll also make QF60 delayed by about 2 hours. This appears to be a flow on from QF67 yesterday (noted by AIRwin this morning) that went to SIN for extra fuel, putting it late into BLR and then late back into SYD this morning. I guess all this just shows how stretched the fleet is!

November won't have quite the intensity of December Christmas schedules BUT having B789 VH-ZNB and ZND unavailable is one too many not operating.

 

[AIRwin]

November won't have quite the intensity of December Christmas schedules BUT having B789 VH-ZNB and ZND unavailable is one too many not operating.

ZNI "bedbug" hasn't operated since arriving in SYD yesterday morning

 

[henrus]

Today hasn't been a great day operationally.

QF45 MEL-DPS (VH-XZJ) is currently diverting to PER due to a mechanical issue. It appears those onboard are going to be transferred to VH-VZE which is now showing it'll operate PER-DPS as QF45 making for late 1am arrival 4 hours late. QF46 DPS-MEL is also showing this ~4 hour delay.

 

[AIRwin]

Today hasn't been a great day operationally.

I see a pattern in recent diversions QF23, QF45, QF67, next QF89 CPT?

 

[Melburnian1]

A333 VH-QPF on the Monday 9 November QF59 (scheduled 1200 'high noon') took off from SYD at 1519, arriving HND in Japan at 2235 hours, 155 minutes late. It turned around as QF60, with this 2200 hours offering airborne at 0011 on Tuesday 10. SYD gate arrival should be 1127, 87 late. -QPF has had a shocking run of late flights in recent days, not helped by a diversion.

A388 VH-OQI on QF12 from LAX to SYD arrived this morning at 0711, 46 minutes behind the timetable.

Updating @henrus above, the substituted PER-DPS special working of QF45 (ex MEL but change of aircraft in Perth) with B738 VH-VZE arrived DPS's gate this morning at 0029 hours. QF46, the 2205 hours, took off from Bali at 0151 so MEL arrival at gate becomes a forecast 0950 hours, exactly three hours late.

QF74 from SFO to SYD had B789 VH-ZNN, arriving on 10 November 36 minutes late at 0701 hours. It has an interesting day ahead: QF427 (1035 hours) SYD down to MEL, then across to PER on the 1320 hours ex MEL (QF771) then switching to QFi again to operate the 1615 hours PER-SIN QF219.

While there'll be a reason (number of cycles could be one), at face value it is odd that in the opposite direction from MEL to SYD, sister aircraft -ZNE is on empty flight QF6004, an 0625 hours ex MEL airborne at 0711 for a suggested gate time of 0819 hours, 24 late in Sydney. Simpler in theory to use it on 'the 771' and 'the 219', and keep -ZNN in Sydney for a flight ex there today, but I don't have access to why this seemingly wasteful extra trips are undertaken.

In another probable display as to how QFi is short of aircraft even in the non-peak travel month of November, on the 10th (today) A332 VH-EBA is arrived in BNE half an hour early at 0525 AEST as QF52 overnight from SIN: it is to operate empty flight QF6002, a nominally scheduled 0700 hours from BNE down to MEL (arriving at a forecast strange time of 1003 hours) and then QF35, the 1205 hours MEL-SIN 'first division.'

Unfortunately many of these ferry flights run late, so it'll be instructive to observe if QF35 is punctual or delayed.

While A333 VH-QPI arrived as QF23 ex SYD in BKK at 1933 hours, 203 minutes late and close to what @henrus and @Quickstatus opined, the return 1800 hours QF24 was further delayed. It was in the sky from BKK at 0009 this morning meaning likely Sydney gate arrival at around 1250, 315 minutes late.

 

[danielc]

A333 VH-QPF on the Monday 9 November QF59 (scheduled 1200 'high noon') took off from SYD at 1519, arriving HND in Japan at 2235 hours, 155 minutes late. It turned around as QF60, with this 2200 hours offering airborne at 0011 on Tuesday 10. SYD gate arrival should be 1127, 87 late. -QPF has had a shocking run of late flights in recent days, not helped by a diversion.

A388 VH-OQI on QF12 from LAX to SYD arrived this morning at 0711, 46 minutes behind the timetable.

Updating @henrus above, the substituted PER-DPS special working of QF45 (ex MEL but change of aircraft in Perth) with B738 VH-VZE arrived DPS's gate this morning at 0029 hours. QF46, the 2205 hours, took off from Bali at 0151 so MEL arrival at gate becomes a forecast 0950 hours, exactly three hours late.

QF74 from SFO to SYD had B789 VH-ZNN, arriving on 10 November 36 minutes late at 0701 hours. It has an interesting day ahead: QF427 (1035 hours) SYD down to MEL, then across to PER on the 1320 hours ex MEL (QF771) then switching to QFi again to operate the 1615 hours PER-SIN QF219.

While there'll be a reason (number of cycles could be one), at face value it is odd that in the opposite direction from MEL to SYD, sister aircraft -ZNE is on empty flight QF6004, an 0625 hours ex MEL airborne at 0711 for a suggested gate time of 0819 hours, 24 late in Sydney. Simpler in theory to use it on 'the 771' and 'the 219', and keep -ZNN in Sydney for a flight ex there today, but I don't have access to why this seemingly wasteful extra trips are undertaken.

In another probable display as to how QFi is short of aircraft even in the non-peak travel month of November, on the 10th (today) A332 VH-EBA is arrived in BNE half an hour early at 0525 AEST as QF52 overnight from SIN: it is to operate empty flight QF6002, a nominally scheduled 0700 hours from BNE down to MEL (arriving at a forecast strange time of 1003 hours) and then QF35, the 1205 hours MEL-SIN 'first division.'

Unfortunately many of these ferry flights run late, so it'll be instructive to observe if QF35 is punctual or delayed.

While A333 VH-QPI arrived as QF23 ex SYD in BKK at 1933 hours, 203 minutes late and close to what @henrus and @Quickstatus opined, the return 1800 hours QF24 was further delayed. It was in the sky from BKK at 0009 this morning meaning likely Sydney gate arrival at around 1250, 315 minutes late.

Please accept my apologies if this post is slightly off-topic.
I am booked Sunday on QF1330 scenic flight to Antarctica. With the 787 schedule challenges mentioned in other comments here, should I be prepared for a last minute cancellation due to lack of available aircraft?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Please accept my apologies if this post is slightly off-topic.
I am booked Sunday on QF1330 scenic flight to Antarctica. With the 787 schedule challenges mentioned in other comments here, should I be prepared for a last minute cancellation due to lack of available aircraft?

I don’t think so. This is a charter, which don’t seem to get cancelled. I’ve never heard of an Antarctic flight getting cancelled in all my time here in AFF.

 

[Melburnian1]

Please accept my apologies if this post is slightly off-topic.
I am booked Sunday on QF1330 scenic flight to Antarctica. With the 787 schedule challenges mentioned in other comments here, should I be prepared for a last minute cancellation due to lack of available aircraft?

@MEL_Traveller is highly likely to be correct.

Like any transport operator with 'specials' (ranging from a mainline steam train operator to a ferry company, a road coach company or an airline), QFi would be especially sensitive to avoiding at all costs cancellations of these fly-over-Antarctica trips.

It's not just that passengers have paid what in my humble view is an extreme amount when you don't even get to see the continent at ground level, but more so the reputational damage to QFi because (apart from possibly being rescheduled,. which wouldn't suit every traveller) these trips can't be substituted with other aircraft models. For instance I don't believe an A333 could do this day trip.

At least if there's a cancellation on a timetabled QFi route, passengers can be rebooked on a later flight, albeit sometimes with at least 24 hours delay, or on a competitor airline that has spare seats. So these scheduled trips will be the priority if a cancellation is required due to insufficient aircraft.

Your situation does however beg the question: why does QFi continue to accept these charters when it has such difficulty maintaining its everyday schedules? (Presumably the charters bring in a huge amount of moolah).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

@MEL_Traveller is highly likely to be correct.

Like any transport operator with 'specials' (ranging from a mainline steam train operator to a ferry company, a road coach company or an airline), QFi would be especially sensitive to avoiding at all costs cancellations of these fly-over-Antarctica trips.

It's not just that passengers have paid what in my humble view is an extreme amount when you don't even get to see the continent at ground level, but more so the reputational damage to QFi because (apart from possibly being rescheduled,. which wouldn't suit every traveller) these trips can't be substituted with other aircraft models. For instance I don't believe an A333 could do this day trip.

At least if there's a cancellation on a timetabled QFi route, passengers can be rebooked on a later flight, albeit sometimes with at least 24 hours delay, or on a competitor airline that has spare seats. So these scheduled trips will be the priority if a cancellation is required due to insufficient aircraft.

Your situation does however beg the question: why does QFi continue to accept these charters when it has such difficulty maintaining its everyday schedules? (Presumably the charters bring in a huge amount of moolah).

Re your question at the end… i think you’ve answered it in the post.

Guaranteed $$ profit to QF. Undoubtedly helped by the tour company selling a plane with high fares and zero award seats.

 

[danielc]

@MEL_Traveller is highly likely to be correct.

Like any transport operator with 'specials' (ranging from a mainline steam train operator to a ferry company, a road coach company or an airline), QFi would be especially sensitive to avoiding at all costs cancellations of these fly-over-Antarctica trips.

It's not just that passengers have paid what in my humble view is an extreme amount when you don't even get to see the continent at ground level, but more so the reputational damage to QFi because (apart from possibly being rescheduled,. which wouldn't suit every traveller) these trips can't be substituted with other aircraft models. For instance I don't believe an A333 could do this day trip.

At least if there's a cancellation on a timetabled QFi route, passengers can be rebooked on a later flight, albeit sometimes with at least 24 hours delay, or on a competitor airline that has spare seats. So these scheduled trips will be the priority if a cancellation is required due to insufficient aircraft.

Your situation does however beg the question: why does QFi continue to accept these charters when it has such difficulty maintaining its everyday schedules? (Presumably the charters bring in a huge amount of moolah).

Thanks everyone for your input. This week will be the first of several (a total of 8?) Antarctica flights scheduled between now and late-January. The second Melbourne trip is New Year's Eve right in the heart of Christmas travel. Here's hoping the QF 787 fleet has a good holiday season!

 

[Melburnian1]

Thanks everyone for your input. This week will be the first of several (a total of 8?) Antarctica flights scheduled between now and late-January. The second Melbourne trip is New Year's Eve right in the heart of Christmas travel. Here's hoping the QF 787 fleet has a good holiday season!

Hoping may be OK, but the Christmas (and Easter school holiday) periods are when QFi seems most vulnerable.

Unlike say EK with its significant number of spares (though not all the 'spare A380s' may be operable), QFi tends during these two holidays to operate the whole international fleet as much as it can, with no available spares of some models.

An exception is QF23/24 today being operated by an A332 SYD-BKK and return, presumably due to QFi running out of available A333s, the usual aircraft for this route. Similarly at present the popular QF19/20 SYD-MNL-SYD with lots of businessmen travelling due to Philippines replacing so many Australian-domiciled jobs are often A332s despite usual previous practice being an A333 daily.

 

[JessicaTam]

Hoping may be OK, but the Christmas (and Easter school holiday) periods are when QFi seems most vulnerable.

Unlike say EK with its significant number of spares (though not all the 'spare A380s' may be operable), QFi tends during these two holidays to operate the whole international fleet as much as it can, with no available spares of some models.

An exception is QF23/24 today being operated by an A332 SYD-BKK and return, presumably due to QFi running out of available A333s, the usual aircraft for this route. Similarly at present the popular QF19/20 SYD-MNL-SYD with lots of businessmen and women travelling due to Philippines replacing so many Australian-domiciled jobs are often A332s despite usual previous practice being an A333 daily.

There, fixed that for you.