This morning VA has quite a few bad delays out of MEL.
VA252, the scheduled 0735 arrival in MEL ex CBR is shown as 'diverted' with a new arrival time of 0915. This E190 flight may have returned to CBR.
VA819, the 0800 to SYD is not expected to depart until 0910 while the following 0830 hours flight to SYD, VA823 has been delayed until 1007. It is relatively unusual for Australian airlines to post a forecast departure time on websites that is not a multiple of five. QF do it a bit, presumably when ATC give its operations staff an exact time of planned (delayed) departure right down to the minute. VA don't often do it.
VA1291, the 0855 to CNS is forecast to be delayed by 130 minutes with a retimed 1105 departure.
UPDATE: As with QF today on its MEL - HBA route, the VA predicted delays were worse than earlier suggested. VA819 did not take off for SYD until 1054. VA823 was right behind it for a 1057 takeoff. VA1291 from MEL to CNS took off at 1213, about three hours late, a 50 per cent greater delay than VA had forecast earlier in the morning.
VA1615 took off for MQL ex MEL at 1306. It is timetabled off blocks at 1020. It wouldn't be much slower to use V/Line's rail and coach service via Swan Hill, and probably much cheaper.
VA223, the 1210 to ADL, is forecast to take off at 1428, about two hours late, while VA1368 from MEL to LST should depart at 1450 instead of 1310.
As VA has 75 departures ex MEL timetabled for tomorrow (Wednesday 17 December) and increasing numbers of the little darlings are travelling now that many classrooms are unoccupied, not to mention planes being fuller than in say mid November, it is unfair to pillory it for one or two delays, but some of the above are significant and follow a previously observed pattern which is that VA does not cope well with delays - instead, they cascade throughout the day, probably exacerbated at this time of year by relatively high aircraft utilisation even on what can at other times of the year be a slack day, passenger loading wise, in Tuesday.