cbrboy From Australia, joined Apr 2007, 55 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 8836 times:
Qantas flight QF8 from DFW to BNE on Friday 15 July (arriving Sunday 17 July) diverted to Noumea - the second time this has happened since the route commenced in May. Does anyone know the reasons for the diversion? The previous diversion on 23 May was due to stronger than usual headwinds. I note that this time the aircraft appears to have spent almost four hours on the ground in BNE before continuing to SYD.
qf002 From Australia, joined Jul 2011, 2557 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 8508 times:
They will probably just say it was the winds again. QF appear to have been sending the plane out pretty much full (there is now a trip report of the flight in the db) so they may have become a bit overly ambitious...
The only other thing I can think of is that it was flown by VH-OEJ again (the Wanula Dreaming plane) and had to divert as a consequence of the planes weight (the other NOU diversion was the only other time that -OEJ did the flight back in May)
Baroque From Australia, joined Apr 2006, 15380 posts, RR: 60 Reply 3, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 8436 times:
Quoting fiscal (Reply 2): Winds have been a problem for a couple of weeks now. The QF SYD - JNB flights have been calling in to PER for a top up before crossing the ocean.
But that is a different set of jet streams - I hope!
Auchmithie From UK - England, joined Sep 2010, 117 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 8237 times:
Aircraft is VH-OEH.
Increased stopover time in Brisbane is most likely that the Noumea stop would put crew out of hours
before Sydney arrival so a substitute crew will need to be arranged.
kiwiandrew From New Zealand, joined Jun 2005, 8435 posts, RR: 14 Reply 5, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 8054 times:
Quoting Auchmithie (Reply 4): Aircraft is VH-OEH.
Increased stopover time in Brisbane is most likely that the Noumea stop would put crew out of hours
before Sydney arrival so a substitute crew will need to be arranged.
Sorry, but it doesn't seem very likely to me that the crew which flies DFW-BNE would actually be allowed to fly the final BNE-SYD leg even in the best of circumstances. Surely they would be at the limits of duty time when they reach BNE even without a stop in NOU, so it must be a different crew who fly the final leg and presumably they were already in place. Can anyone from QF confirm this?
Moderation in all things ... including moderation ;-)
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 5341 posts, RR: 11 Reply 7, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 7811 times:
Quoting NZ5 (Reply 6): QF8 today is going to Auckland?
Didn't you hear?
Today is Qantas roulette. Get on a plane, and simply see where you end up.
The REAL gamblers onboard are placing bets on how many of the engines will be running when they get there...
sunrisevalley From Canada, joined Jul 2004, 3954 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 7781 times:
Quoting NZ5 (Reply 6): QF8 today is going to Auckland?
Appears to me that AKL was filed as the destination because of the routing detail of the flight plan. On the face of it it appears QF are loading her up and taking the tech stop if that is necessary
AnsettB727 From Australia, joined Mar 2004, 211 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 7781 times:
Quoting AA737-823 (Reply 7): Today is Qantas roulette. Get on a plane, and simply see where you end up.
The REAL gamblers onboard are placing bets on how many of the engines will be running when they get there...
This is unfortunately the case. I really want to support my country's flagship, but it's starting to get to the point where this is getting beyond the joke.
Hmmn... that is what the QF flight status web page says, too. Very strange. You posted when the aircraft was about six hours into the flight. Seems curious that they would decide to divert so early. Auckland is a long way off the route and Noumea is on the route. Noumea has no adverse weather. Anybody from Qantas able to comment?
COSPN From Northern Mariana Islands, joined Oct 2001, 1473 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7624 times:
Lets see what really happens... Continental used to do this in the Old days on the DC-10 the flight was HNL-SYD but they would file HNL-AKL then if the winds and fuel, and SYD weather were ok the would re-file to SYD never actually stoping in AKL ..
RobK From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2004, 3932 posts, RR: 19 Reply 12, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7623 times:
Quoting fiscal (Reply 2): Winds have been a problem for a couple of weeks now. The QF SYD - JNB flights have been calling in to PER for a top up before crossing the ocean.
Wait. Geography fail? Since when did DFW-BNE route via the Indian Ocean?
flymad From South Africa, joined Jun 2006, 207 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7616 times:
QF seem to be having a rough time of it lately - QF 64 (B744) JNB-SYD had an IFSD two hours out of JNB on Friday night. No. 3 engine - retuned to JNB after dumping fuel - Springbok rugby team on board heading to Aussie for Tri-Nations rugby tests
earlyNFF From Germany, joined Sep 2007, 205 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7563 times:
Quoting cbrboy (Reply 10): You posted when the aircraft was about six hours into the flight. Seems curious that they would decide to divert so early.
Don´t know about operations and procedures at QF, but a possible reclearance decission to intented destination, (not flight plan dest) is normally made much later into the flight.
sunrisevalley From Canada, joined Jul 2004, 3954 posts, RR: 4 Reply 15, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7549 times:
Quoting cbrboy (Reply 10): Auckland is a long way off the route and Noumea is on the route. Noumea has no adverse weather.
The AKL arrivals page is showing an arrival of 0545 which makes the sector time from DFW ~ 14hrs. Based on the sector distance shown in FlightAware of 6509nm this gives an average cruise of ~477k which is a relatively minor nose wind of about 11k. Something in the order of -20 to -30 is more usual.
They were going to take a tech stop anyway so it seems to me they loaded for a DFW-AKL sector based on the relatively favorable winds. Perhaps they had a back log of freight that needed to be moved.
truemanqld From Australia, joined Feb 2007, 1335 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7435 times:
This is the second (unless I am mistaken and the IAH one doesnt count as that was weather) diversion of this flight. I would hardly call it a failure. It has flown roughly 36 flights DFW-BNE so far and 2 have diverted. For such a long route, I dont think it is a particularly bad percentage (only just over 5%). Nor have I heard of any SYD-DFW flights diverting (again IAH doesnt count), so I think, so far, it has been quite successful. Everyone loves to get on the QF hate train, but if you take a look at it, for a brand new route, and the longest flight by a multi class aircraft (SQ is only Business AFAIK), the DFW flights have so far gone quite smoothly. I am sure as they get more experience with the route, that 5% diversion rate on DFW-BNE will lower significantly. I would applaud QF for trying something fairly risky, isnt that what everyone has been complaining about QF NOT doing for years?
EIRules From Ireland, joined Aug 2007, 641 posts, RR: 10 Reply 17, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7433 times:
With all this going on (and assuming its down to either headwinds or excessive loads, or both), are we likely to see the A380 deployed on this route? Is DFW A380 ready?
Next Flights: EI DUB-LHR A320, BA LHR-SFO B744, UA SFO-LAS A320, BA LAS-LHR B744, EI LHR-DUB A320
QANTAS747-438 From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 1804 posts, RR: 2 Reply 18, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7350 times:
Quoting EIRules (Reply 17): are we likely to see the A380 deployed on this route?
Not sure if the A380 has the legs for it. Would be a good 788 route.
My posts/replies are strictly my opinion and not that of any company, organization, or Southwest Airlines.
gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5217 posts, RR: 6 Reply 19, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7350 times:
Quoting EIRules (Reply 17): are we likely to see the A380 deployed on this route?
IMHO, very likely, but probably not until numbers 13 & 14 arrive (2013, I believe), but if loads are so good they might be tempted when 11 & 12 arrive this year.
gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5217 posts, RR: 6 Reply 21, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 7313 times:
Quoting QANTAS747-438 (Reply 18): Not sure if the A380 has the legs for it. Would be a good 788 route.
It does, especially the post 2012 version, but the current one can do it with a payload restriction, just like the B744ER today. If the B774ER is going out heavily loaded the B788 is far too small.
qf002 From Australia, joined Jul 2011, 2557 posts, RR: 1 Reply 22, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 6914 times:
Quoting fiscal (Reply 2): The QF SYD - JNB flights have been calling in to PER for a top up before crossing the ocean.
That's because of lingering ash from the volcano, not the winds.
Quoting EIRules (Reply 17): are we likely to see the A380 deployed on this route?
Quoting gemuser (Reply 19): IMHO, very likely, but probably not until numbers 13 & 14 arrive (2013, I believe), but if loads are so good they might be tempted when 11 & 12 arrive this year.
If we do then I doubt it will be for a good few years. The route is still only at 4 weekly, and I would have thought that getting it up to daily and improving yields (the seats they are flying now were all heavily discounted in their massive sale) would be their number one priorities. Also consider all the other routes QF could direct the aircraft they're getting over the next couple of years towards where they really do need the extra capacity and newer product (ie SYD-HKG).
Quoting gemuser (Reply 21): If the B774ER is going out heavily loaded the B788 is far too small.
4 weekly 747 with all 302 seats open = 1208 seats a week.
Daily 788 with around 240 seats = 1680 seats a week, plus massively boosted cargo capabilities plus benefits of having the route at daily plus economic benefits of the 787 over the 747.
Seems to me that a daily 787 as soon as QF get them (18 months or so??) would be the best way to grow, then going to 788/789/A380 mixture in 5 years (or maybe even, God forbid, a flight from MEL or BNE )
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11711 posts, RR: 52 Reply 23, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 6260 times:
Quoting sunrisevalley (Reply 15): The AKL arrivals page is showing an arrival of 0545 which makes the sector time from DFW ~ 14hrs. Based on the sector distance shown in FlightAware of 6509nm this gives an average cruise of ~477k which is a relatively minor nose wind of about 11k. Something in the order of -20 to -30 is more usual.
I believe the 477 knots is TAS (true air speed). The winds aloft will effect the GS (ground speed). The difference between the TAS and the GS is the wind speed component (+ for a tailwind, - for a headwind). The drift (plus drift or minus drift) indicates the wind direction and how much of the wind is a headwind, tailwind, or crosswind.
happylandings From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2005, 9 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (1 year 10 months 1 week 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 4826 times:
If flight distance is divided by flight time as done in reply 15, this should already be GS.
25 DTWLAX: He was talking about the SYD-JNB flight and not DFW-BNE
26 EnviroTO: I can't help but wonder why QF never ordered 777-200LRs. It seems that their location would make them the ideal candidates for the aircraft.
27 IndianicWorld: ^^ They had their reasons not to order the 777, and that has been brought up numerous times before. I just love the hysteria that goes on around QF fl
28 nonrevman: Indeed there was a whole different flight crew for the BNE-SYD flight when I was on it, at least the flight attendants were different. It does look l
29 Baroque: Which as pointed out is subject to a different jet stream system. DFW-BNE will collect the subtropical streams and the SYD-JNB the polar jet streams.
30 IndianicWorld: ^^ As stated by a user before, the SYD-JNB route is not a jetstream issue but an ash related one.
31 aa61hvy: Thank you. People think the sky is falling. Oh my God we have to stop for fuel. There are worse things in this world to have to deal with.
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