Qantas' Schedule Change Fails MCT at SYD

[moa999]

They have brought that forward to 1835.

Seems to be a 2035 service that evening so you should be able to get that, but why it didn't do that automatically who knows.

 

[Seat0B]

Seems to be a 2035 service that evening so you should be able to get that, but why it didn't do that automatically who knows.

Yes, thanks, I am just off the phone to the lovely Markus in Hobart, who was able to sort it for me. Apparently QF1461 (the 2035 flight) is showing as fully booked, so I suppose that is why they put us onto the earlier one. He said that is ridiculous and unlikely given it is for next February! He had to take about 5 minutes with me on hold to get it sorted, but said he had managed to get us 2 seats on this flight. And as I am typing this, the new e-ticket has just arrived, so all sorted out.

I hope.

I hope that they are not planning to cancel that flight as well! I am not having a good run with flight changes, cancellations and aircraft substitutions at the moment (anyone want to fly MEL-CBR in a Dash-8 instead of the A220 they booked??)

 

[tassie6]

You’re travelling about 10 days before me (coming from Adelaide so on the exempt MCT)

I’ve looked twice now in the last week or so and QF63 has not departed on time on any of the 4 occasions so I’m not bothered at this time

Here’s the latest

View attachment 452721

Agree it rarely leaves on time, but that doesn't mean it wont that day!

Sorry to hijack your thread @tassie6, but QF just gave me this flight change that does not meet MCT at SYD- plus some.

Our original connection from SYD-CBR departed at 2110. They have brought that forward to 1835. Fine, except our incoming flight from Tokyo doesn't land until 1850.

I'm just off now to spend time on the phone getting that sorted out. Arghhhh

View attachment 452758

No worries @Seat0B , at least with yours there is a clearer path

If you received an ETKT with updated flights but the ticket number and issue date hasn’t changed then the ticket has been revalidated and not reissued. Reissues aren’t required for all changes. if Qantas has revalidated a ticket, it is “valid” for travel but as everyone else has mentioned whether you want to chance it just prior to a long haul international flight with limited recovery options is another thing.

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnect/au/en/policies/ticket/policies-and-procedures/ticket-revalidation.html

Yeah I figured it was something like that (only vaguely aware of ticketing policies from what I have read on here, but enough to know that sometimes it doesn't need a full reticket)

After I consult with the fam, I will probably contact via facebook messenger to get Auckland team and ask to be put on the afternoon/night previous day as it doesn't meet MCT

 

[fletty]

Apparently QF1461 (the 2035 flight) is showing as fully booked

I've had similar issues recently with schedule changes, might be a thing at the moment:

Post in thread 'QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic Reward seats?'

Thursday at 3:11 PM

13th Nov 2025, SYD-SIN QF1 F9A9 success for 2pax! Got the domestic connection in J as well which was no issue as discussed earlier in the thread.

QF517 got retimed to 30 min later (9:10 > 9:40) which has reduced my connection. Unfortunately after 2x calls to the WP line I've been unable to not accept this change and ask for the earlier flight at 8:20 :/

Both agents said the prior flights have no availability (they do), and that it's not married. However the second agent said that the system would only let them select the earlier flight if they changed from QF1 to QF291 which I...

• fletty

 

[VeniVidiVici]

There is an exception for QF730, the 6am ADL-SYD departure, which allows international connections off it of 60 minutes instead of 90. But not for QF588.

The minimum connection time for your HBA-SYD-JNB connection is 90 minutes, so I'm not sure the 85 minute connection will even ticket. Either way, I agree with the suggestions to fly to Sydney the night before. Much less stress!

Hijacking, sorry. Matt why is there an exemption for QF730? I'm on that one for a trip connecting to Queenstown and the 65 minute connection time has been stressing me out!

 

[GDSman]

Sorry to hijack your thread @tassie6, but QF just gave me this flight change that does not meet MCT at SYD- plus some.

Our original connection from SYD-CBR departed at 2110. They have brought that forward to 1835. Fine, except our incoming flight from Tokyo doesn't land until 1850.

I'm just off now to spend time on the phone getting that sorted out. Arghhhh

View attachment 452758

I have to assume that that was just a rebooking without a compulsory MCT check (which it should have had)...and would have been picked up at time of re-ticketing

 

[serfty]

Hijacking, sorry. Matt why is there an exemption for QF730? I'm on that one for a trip connecting to Queenstown and the 65 minute connection time has been stressing me out!

Presumably as it's the first possible flight of the day from Adelaide due to the 11pm-6am ADL curfew and is scheduled to arrive 8:20am.

Adelaide Airport - Curfew Information

 

[serfty]

The MCT for QF730 to all flights is 60 minutes. This is also indicated to be the case for (currently moot) connections to QF91 (NOU Dep. 7:00am), QF101 (NAN, 8:45am) and QF191 (POM).

For all other T3-T1 connections generally it is 105 minutes or more:
Results from https://www.ExpertFlyer.com

Minimum Connect Times:
Connecting at SYD, Incoming airline QF, Outgoing airline QF, Flight type Domestic to International

STANDARD.D/D...D/I...I/D...I/I.
ONLINE    .30  1.00  1.15  1.00
OFFLINE   .30  1.00  1.15  1.00
** OR * ARE ALL
QF-QF DI  2.00 CDS N/A -  LA
QF-QF DI  1.15 ALL - FLT 8000 - 8999 TRM 1 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.00 TRM 1 - 1
QF-QF DI  2.00 FLT 5300 - 5999 - FLT 8000 - 8999 TRM 2 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.30 TRM 3 - 1 ARM - ALL
QF-QF DI  1.30 TRM 3 - 1 LDH - ALL
QF-QF DI  1.00 ALL - FLT   91 -   91 TRM 3 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.00 ALL - FLT  101 -  101 TRM 3 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.00 ALL - FLT  191 -  191 TRM 3 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.00 FLT  730 -  730 - ALL TRM 3 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.30 TRM 3 - 1
QF-QF DI  1.15 ALL - FLT 8000 - 8999 TRM 3 - **
**-QF DI  1.15 ALL - FLT 8000 - 8999 TRM 1 - 1
**-QF DI  1.00 TRM 1 - 1
**-QF DI  1.45 TRM 2 - 1
QF-** DI  2.00 FLT 5000 - 5999 - ALL TRM ** - 1
QF-** DI  1.30 TRM 2 - **
QF-** DI  1.15 TRM 3 - **
...

 

[docjames]

Would love to know the stats on mis-connects and/or “held”aircraft (and delayed luggage) from pax transiting from QF730..

Understanding it is first available ex-ADL, but one ponders why 60min is achievable from that flight and not others……

 

[CaptJCool]

Would love to know the stats on mis-connects and/or “held”aircraft (and delayed luggage) from pax transiting from QF730..

Understanding it is first available ex-ADL, but one ponders why 60min is achievable from that flight and not others……

I’m gonna wing it

Haha

 

[equus]

but one ponders why 60min is achievable from that flight and not others…

MCT is all about the airline perception of risk to them of the connection not being made - for all the reasons in their control. The two main factors affecting the time are most probably the physical time to transfer - get off one plane, frequency of transfer bus, get though immigration etc. and the possibilities of the inbound being delayed from schedule - cutting into the margin.

That flight from ADL has the aircraft over nighting in ADL, so that largely removes the element of knock on delays due to late arrival of inbound aircraft. ADL in the morning is probably not assessed as having as many possible environment issues that could impact departure of an already present aircraft. Given the arrival timing, the transfer buses are running at maximum frequency. As a result of all of this, they are considering that they can allow a tighter connection. The other thing they will have factored in is how many people from ADL are connecting, to account for hte impacts if it goes wrong.

 

[moa999]

That flight from ADL has the aircraft over nighting in ADL

But isn't that the same with the first HBA flight, which arrives earlier than ADL? Yet doesn't have it's own MCT rule.

 

[equus]

Ir would be more than just being first flight out using an aircraft that had been parked up over night.

You would need to look at the on-time performance for the flight, how late it might be and anything else.

Other factors could also influence (just speculating), including ability to assign arrival gates at SYD domestic. Having the incoming assigned a gate very close to the International transfers is going to reduce the transit time compared to a Dash 9 that is dependent on getting a bus to the far end of the terminal.

 

[I love to travel]

Surely its mostly about money too - if they didn't offer that connection to a range of international flights, people might book elsewhere.

 

[tassie6]

Ir would be more than just being first flight out using an aircraft that had been parked up over night.

You would need to look at the on-time performance for the flight, how late it might be and anything else.

Other factors could also influence (just speculating), including ability to assign arrival gates at SYD domestic. Having the incoming assigned a gate very close to the International transfers is going to reduce the transit time compared to a Dash 9 that is dependent on getting a bus to the far end of the terminal.

I think the flight out of HBA has near exact same characteristics as flight of ADL:

• Aircraft overnights
• Environmental issues are minimal, especially given it is a takeoff not landing (e.g. can take off in worse vis than land in)
• Having been on this flight many times, on time performance is often dictated by predicted conditions in SYD, which ADL would be the same for
• A220 or 737 that will always have an airbridge at T3
• All the ground circumstances at SYD are the same for both

Surely its mostly about money too - if they didn't offer that connection to a range of international flights, people might book elsewhere.

Agreed, It seems short sighted that they somewhat arbitrarily moved the departure 5 minutes later and increased the block time by 5 minutes to move a connection from 95 minutes meeting MCT to 85 minutes and not compliant. And all thats changed in the travellers eyes is its gone from an A220 to a B737

In reality these are reward seats so I wasnt booking elsewhere, but its easy enough to fly through the ME/SIN to South Africa and avoid Qantas, so making these connections possible surely helps sales

 

[serfty]

But isn't that the same with the first HBA flight, which arrives earlier than ADL? Yet doesn't have it's own MCT rule.

Ir would be more than just being first flight out using an aircraft that had been parked up over night.

You would need to look at the on-time performance for the flight, how late it might be and anything else.

Other factors could also influence (just speculating), including ability to assign arrival gates at SYD domestic. Having the incoming assigned a gate very close to the International transfers is going to reduce the transit time compared to a Dash 9 that is dependent on getting a bus to the far end of the terminal.

It effectively leaves ADL at 6:30am Sydney time.

The carrier is really stretching the limits with QF730 - the scheduled 110 minute time for that 725 mile flight gives an average speed of 400Mph, a little more than the 310Mph of the 85 minutes for most MEL-SYD 439 mile flights.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It effectively leaves ADL at 6:30am Sydney time.

The carrier is really stretching the limits with QF730 - the scheduled 110 minute time for that 725 mile flight gives an average speed of 400Mph, a little more than the 310Mph of the 85 minutes for most MEL-SYD 439 mile flights.

Yes, except the usual SYD-MEL time is aria d 64-70 mins in the air. Much closer to the 400mph.

 

[tassie6]

Surely its mostly about money too - if they didn't offer that connection to a range of international flights, people might book elsewhere.

Now I think about it, HBA is the only capital city where this connection isn't possible on the morning of:

1. PER and DRW - redeyes get you in early
2. MEL, CBR and BNE - first flights of the day get you in with a ~2hr connection (even allowing for DST at BNE on Oct 28th)
3. ADL - has the exemption

 

[serfty]

Yes, except the usual SYD-MEL time is aria d 64-70 mins in the air. Much closer to the 400mph.

If I take the same ground times off QF730 I get a average air ground speeds of 460 to 490Mph

 

[markis10]

If I take the same ground times off QF730 I get a average air speeds of 460 to 490Mph

I am being pedantic here but its ground speeds, not air speeds