Wirraway
17th Mar 2003, 04:56
Mon "The Daily Telegraph"
The cancelled kangaroo
By BRUCE McDOUGALL and MATTHEW DENHOLM
17mar03
UP TO 43 Qantas flights a day are cancelled or seriously delayed around Australia as the airline struggles to fill the void left by the Ansett collapse.
The travel turmoil has led to a raft of complaints from angry domestic passengers who have missed weddings, business meetings and work commitments.
Aircraft mechanical faults, tougher security measures at Australian airports, bad weather and the financial squeeze on the aviation industry are among the prime causes, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
Qantas, which made a record $352 million half-yearly profit, works on a "pain threshhold" of 15 minutes or more for delays affecting business people and a little more for leisure travellers.
Inquiries over a week show a catalogue of delays and cancellations – both arrivals and departures – has become the norm almost every day.
On one Friday more than 40 flights in and out of Sydney were cancelled or delayed for 20 minutes or more.
The cancellation come as fares continue to rise.
A SUNDAY night Brisbane-Canberra flight carrying MPs took more than seven hours because runway hazard lights were broken;
PASSENGERS spent a day in the Melbourne terminal after their aircraft developed door problems;
AN insurance executive was forced to return to work after his 7am flight from Melbourne to Sydney was delayed for hours; and
A FLIGHT from Sydney to Coffs Harbour was forced to turn back after 20 minutes when hydraulic problems were discovered.
One source with intimate knowledge of Qantas operations said there had been a recent increase in deliberate flight cancellations to save money.
Under a practice known as "collapsing" flights, airlines fold two flights into one, often because of poor sales, the source said.
"If there are two flights to the same destination within a few hours of each other and both are only half full, they collapse the early one into the late one."
"They have been doing that more of late. Generally, at this time of year flights are not as busy."
The source, who could not be named for fear of recriminations, said the measure was seen inside the company as an acceptable way to "maximise yields per passenger".
Qantas executive manager for aircraft operations David Forsyth said the airline had improved and was trying to lift its performance further.
He conceded there were probably more delays now than there would have been prior to the collapse of Ansett but added that Qantas now was running more flights.
Mr Forsyth said security was having a major impact on schedules because there were longer queues in the terminals.
============================================
Pic: Qantas 737-800 VH-VXE on finals to BNE
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=39386
Photo by Wirraway
============================================
The cancelled kangaroo
By BRUCE McDOUGALL and MATTHEW DENHOLM
17mar03
UP TO 43 Qantas flights a day are cancelled or seriously delayed around Australia as the airline struggles to fill the void left by the Ansett collapse.
The travel turmoil has led to a raft of complaints from angry domestic passengers who have missed weddings, business meetings and work commitments.
Aircraft mechanical faults, tougher security measures at Australian airports, bad weather and the financial squeeze on the aviation industry are among the prime causes, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
Qantas, which made a record $352 million half-yearly profit, works on a "pain threshhold" of 15 minutes or more for delays affecting business people and a little more for leisure travellers.
Inquiries over a week show a catalogue of delays and cancellations – both arrivals and departures – has become the norm almost every day.
On one Friday more than 40 flights in and out of Sydney were cancelled or delayed for 20 minutes or more.
The cancellation come as fares continue to rise.
A SUNDAY night Brisbane-Canberra flight carrying MPs took more than seven hours because runway hazard lights were broken;
PASSENGERS spent a day in the Melbourne terminal after their aircraft developed door problems;
AN insurance executive was forced to return to work after his 7am flight from Melbourne to Sydney was delayed for hours; and
A FLIGHT from Sydney to Coffs Harbour was forced to turn back after 20 minutes when hydraulic problems were discovered.
One source with intimate knowledge of Qantas operations said there had been a recent increase in deliberate flight cancellations to save money.
Under a practice known as "collapsing" flights, airlines fold two flights into one, often because of poor sales, the source said.
"If there are two flights to the same destination within a few hours of each other and both are only half full, they collapse the early one into the late one."
"They have been doing that more of late. Generally, at this time of year flights are not as busy."
The source, who could not be named for fear of recriminations, said the measure was seen inside the company as an acceptable way to "maximise yields per passenger".
Qantas executive manager for aircraft operations David Forsyth said the airline had improved and was trying to lift its performance further.
He conceded there were probably more delays now than there would have been prior to the collapse of Ansett but added that Qantas now was running more flights.
Mr Forsyth said security was having a major impact on schedules because there were longer queues in the terminals.
============================================
Pic: Qantas 737-800 VH-VXE on finals to BNE
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=39386
Photo by Wirraway
============================================