SYD cancellations tonight

[Melburnian1]

Presumably due to storms in SYD, a large number of flights have suddenly been cancelled from MEL to SYD tonight, including JQ524, JQ522, QF462, VA885, QF464, VA891, TT504, QF494 and VA897.

In the reverse direction, southbound ex SYD, cancellations include VA876, QF463 and VA878.

The BNE airport website does not list any arrivals as cancelled ex SYD but some are 'rescheduled', meaning 'delayed.'

With these late night cancellations do QF and VA (legacy airlines) inform local residents of the departure port in question and suggest that they go home - are return or at least one way taxi vouchers routinely given if the passenger still wants to travel by air when he or she can next obtain a seat on a flight?

What about out of towners, given the finite number of hotel rooms? I assume that on a Friday night the number of passengers booked cannot be found seats on flights that operate because these flights may have already departed, and in any case would be full or close to it at the end of the working week and the commencement of a weekend.

The conditions of travel with all domestic airlines do not include guaranteed same day carriage if I recall.

What about TT and JQ - do they merely say as little as possible and leave passengers to fend for themselves?

The overnight train between MEL and SYD in each direction has departed by 2100 if on time, as have interstate coaches - not that either mode would have room for 2000 airline passengers.

Are any passengers settling in for a long night 'under the lights' at MEL airport (with presumably this not possible at SYD due to the curfew, meaning closure of the terminal for a few hours).

 

[quick_dry]

it was fun and games at SYD tonight.

was on a delayed SYD-OOL eventually cancelled at 7:50pm, long walk from 40 back to the desk, got through to the GCC who told me they'd worked around the cancellation and rebooked on 8:00pm to BNE then down to OOL. It was 8:10pm when they told me. GCC saying zero availability, but desk staff still rebooking - mass confusion.

Apparently head office made the call to run flights that had been showing as cancelled, and the FA on the flight I got onto said they were opening the lounge 24hrs due to number of people.

One guy with boarding pass on the phone only.
a boarding pass with wrong name,
and 3 pax to MEL got on the plane to BNE too, fortunately the FA picked that all up on boarding.

up in BNE waiting for the bus to OOL, big mess up here as well. Ground staff directed to Conxion bus, but conxion didn't know about that so back to service desk to get the right story. Now we play the waiting game...


Lots of hotel vouchers - not bad being out up at the Sofitel Brisbane, in Sydney people were given Ibis.

on the plus side it was a J flight and I have boarding passes for the SYD-BNE, and BNE-OOL - staff are pretty positive about getting SC for both flights.

edit: plenty of baggage issues up here now.

 

[mindthegap2154]

Mindthegap Senior was delayed an hour on the ground in ABX then circled for an extra hour in the air apparently landed and waited onboard for 3 hours before they could taxi to terminal 3 and disembark. All in all 7 hours from arriving at ABX to leaving the plane at SYD. Then 45 minutes waiting for his bag and he's only just gotten home! All in all would of been quicker renting a car and driving back!

 

[Melburnian1]

quick_dry and mindthegap2154, were both of these flights Qantas or QantasLink?

 

[mindthegap2154]

quick_dry and mindthegap2154, were both of these flights Qantas or QantasLink?

Dad's was a QF Link. Apparently T3 was just getting slammed. As was everything else. Seemed to suggest that possibly was at a T2 stand but couldn't confirm as he wasn't paying attention and just got on the bus no questions asked.

 

[Melburnian1]

mindthegap, sometimes it really is better to book your father on NSWTrainLink's XPT from Albury to Sydney. It might even be sometimes cheaper.

You imply that there were insufficient aerobridges. That creates a further reason for delays, if say the weather changes for the better and arrivals and departures are suddenly possible before the 2300 hours curfew commences.

All difficult to imagine when Melbourne has had another glorious Spring day. Yet Fairfax's Sydney Morning Herald has the temerity to call Melbourne 'Bleak city!'

 

[quick_dry]

quick_dry and mindthegap2154, were both of these flights Qantas or QantasLink?

Mine were Virgin.

On a 25 seater BNE OOL now... at least no 'turn off your devices' when your flight path is Logan motorway

1am edit: dumped at OOL which is all closed up, it is like something from a zombie movie, with half asleep people wandering aimlessly or sleeping on tables, chairs, and the ground outside the terminal.

i know that things go wrong, but the consistent message coming from everyone across multiple flights was the communication problems.

 

[Orca]

34R was out of action for quite a while during the afternoon/evening due to all gates being occupied and the overflow of aircraft having to park on taxiways whilst waiting. Certainly made for a fun evening at work!

 

[Melburnian1]

Orca, one strange thing is that MEL airport website is not showing any domestic flights cancelled tomorrow at this stage (five hours before departures begin, if one ignores the 0145 VA to DRW).

Is it simply that because fewer aircraft left MEL than were timetabled, there are excess planes stabled in MEL overnight?

Saturday is not as busy as Monday to Friday, but surely there must be planes out of position given that operators such as QF do not use the same equipment for every flight around the nation.

There do not seem to be any overnight 'deadheading' flights planned (although they might not appear on public airport websites).

 

[markis10]

You imply that there were insufficient aerobridges. That creates a further reason for delays, if say the weather changes for the better and arrivals and departures are suddenly possible before the 2300 hours curfew commences.

All difficult to imagine when Melbourne has had another glorious Spring day. Yet Fairfax's Sydney Morning Herald has the temerity to call Melbourne 'Bleak city!'

The OP is not implying a lack of aerobridges, but handstand parking areas, most QF link aircraft use hard stands.

 

[Simo]

Sounds like a fun night for all.

I missed it all as I had a early to bed night...

 

[Foreigner]

Hotels would have been rubbing their hands with glee, I bet. And cab operators, with the many vouchers given away for travel in both directions.

I doubt if it were just airport hotels that would have benefited. Maybe as far south as Miranda or west as Liverpool, or north across the harbour bridge.

 

[Grooba]

Certainly wasn't pretty at SYD last night
First time I've seen the QF J lounge closed due to overcrowding.

 

[JohnK]

i know that things go wrong, but the consistent message coming from everyone across multiple flights was the communication problems.

I have had constant delays for the past ~6 years but this year the weather has been the worst by far.

Communication isn't a strong point at the best of times. Some airport staff must think they just have to turn up to work and they have fullfilled their obligations.

 

[Melburnian1]

One difficulty I have always found when lots of flights are cancelled or delayed at airports is that there can be so much happening that the localised gate PA system is overwhelmed, particularly when gate changes are made then changed again.

That said, some staff adopt a siege mentality and make themselves as scarce as possible. Gate lounges mysteriously become unattended.

 

[mono88]

All difficult to imagine when Melbourne has had another glorious Spring day. Yet Fairfax's Sydney Morning Herald has the temerity to call Melbourne 'Bleak city!'

Fairfax,or whoever, is not referring to the weather, although that may be an example

 

[mono88]

That said, some staff adopt a siege mentality and make themselves as scarce as possible. Gate lounges mysteriously become unattended.

That's what I would do when faced with an "angry mob"

 

[mindthegap2154]

mindthegap, sometimes it really is better to book your father on NSWTrainLink's XPT from Albury to Sydney. It might even be sometimes cheaper.

You imply that there were insufficient aerobridges. That creates a further reason for delays, if say the weather changes for the better and arrivals and departures are suddenly possible before the 2300 hours curfew commences.

All difficult to imagine when Melbourne has had another glorious Spring day. Yet Fairfax's Sydney Morning Herald has the temerity to call Melbourne 'Bleak city!'

Hes not a train man at the best of times so a friday night would certainly not be of appeal! haha Plus I think if he mentioned to someone in his office that he was catching the train anywhere, it would be met with laughter! Also its very rare that such bad weather events occur in SYD.

The reality is I think last night they ran out of every hardstand, gate, parking bay and runway slot imaginable which only compounded the delay.

Right now apparently they are on the verge of shutting T2 as its so packed its becoming a safety issue and T3 is just as bad. Apparently OOL were hit with just as many cancelations as MEL last night which is going to screw over the schoolies changeover period.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Certainly wasn't pretty at SYD last night
First time I've seen the QF J lounge closed due to overcrowding.

Did they run out of booze?

 

[Melburnian1]

mndthegap2154, when you refer to T2 and T3 SYD closures, do you mean particular airline operated lounges or the passenger terminal as a whole? There's a lot of space for passengers to stand in the terminals if all seats in public waiting areas are occupied.

By the way, there's a day train from Albury to Sydney which is what I was referring to, not the overnight train. Same train - XPT - but twice a day. Yesterday, faster than flying from ABX to SYD according to your report of the flight delays.