[Homer]

I have been in the QP in CNS on and off for two hours now, along with a whole lot of other unhappy people. We are (or were) off to SYD at 1.10pm. However after boarding (late) the PA system on our 763 had a problem - the best way for me to describe it is constant "squawking" or an interference sound. Initially we went back to the gate so that engineers could take a look at it. Then they told us to de-plane as the delay would be longer than expected.

According to the QP front desk staff, other QF flights out of CNS today have also been affected by maintenance and other issues causing delays of several hours.

I've been reading abput daily maintenance issues with QF planes since the major incident on QF30. I know that some of it is due to a media hungry for negative QF news but as a PAX caught in the middle of an (admittedly minor) maintenance-related problem I can also understand why this sort of thing is newsworthy.

[serfty]

I feel for you guys;

VH-OGI departed CNS at ~4:05pm, nearly 3 hours late, eventually arriving into SYD after 7pm.

[Homer]

Originally Posted by serfty

I feel for you guys;

VH-OGI departed CNS at ~4:05pm, nearly 3 hours late, eventually arriving into SYD after 7pm.

Yes, by way of a postscript SYD ATC held us for 30 minutes so we didn't touch down until just after 8pm.

[Lindsay Wilson]

Homer, ouch. 3.5 hours late when time is money.

Although I am sure that you would have been able to pass the time on mobile/laptop with broadband access; you were still delayed in getting home to your family. Hope QF and the engineers start getting their act together.

[brucek]

Apart from anything else, I'm becoming tired and very suspicious of this topic appearing in the newspapers and electronic media daily. Who within the AME's union is leaking to the media every instance of a QF A/C having as much as a flat tyre?

Speaking as a CPL, I would much rather fly with an airline that detects and then rectifies faults, rather than one that does not detect them at all, or worse, does nothing about them when they do. I recall, when seconded from the DoD to QF in the late 70s, when a Garuda DC10 came into the hanger in SYD with a minor fault. The AMEs discovered significant corrosion in the rear galley/toilet area. So significant in fact that the LAMEs would only sign it out for a ferry flight back to Jakarta B100 without pax!

The only point I will concede about this campagne is that QF should not be sending work offshore.

[simongr]

Originally Posted by brucek

The only point I will concede about this campagne is that QF should not be sending work offshore.

Why? Surely most of the issues that are occurring now are on aircraft serviced in Australia?

[straitman]

Just a little perspective here for those who may have not thought this through.

All aircraft are serviced all over the world every day. ie fuels, oils, oxygen systems, engines, brakes and any other ongoing work.

It is the major work we are discussing.