"Re-timed" Surabaya flight due to ash cloud?
 

I have seen CX delaying its Surabaya flight from HKG by 11 hr 45 mins consistently over the past 2 weeks and further extend this pattern for the next 7 days, with all the official blame goes to volcano ash cloud. The new flight time is now at 3:15am and arrive Surabaya at 7am.

Here is the magic part. If the delay is due to ash cloud, it should have also affected the whole airport, but not only on CX flight. But SUB is operating normally and most flights arrive and depart within a reasonable time frame. Even CX's flight returning to HKG departs on time at 8:30am consistently.

Since my flight is on Feb 5, which is still officially unchanged as the delay notice only cover flights up to Feb 4. My frustration is whether I should cancel my hotel or reschedule.

I can't think of any solid reason of why this could happen except CX wants to take this opportunity to save cost. Since they are flying A340 on this route, they can also utilize the aircraft during that miserable 11:45 hr for a short haul round trip. If CX is considering changing the departure time permanently, they should just let us know.

Wow, 8th post in 18 years!

Yes, I was just a reader on CP (acquired by AC) forum and then now on CX after moving back to HKG

I hope this doesn't stick and they get back to the original schedule. Flying AMS-HKG-SUB in early March and the 8hr 40 min connection time is long enough as it is without adding and extra 11.5 hours.

If this remains, do you think CX would get me a hotel room? Just asking :p.

Safe & Happy Travels

S

I believe CX took the decision not to fly to Surabaya during the hours of darkness because the ash cloud is hard to distinguish on weather radars. In daylight pilots have a better chance of spotting and avoiding it, since forecasting for a volcano as we all know is rather unpredictable. Hence the consistent delay and retimed - sunrise around 5:30am and arrival time approx 7am).

That makes good sense now and probably this is an easier arrangement for CX though not the pax

Zero chance

What CX have done is retimed the outbound flight so they don;t lose a frame and utilise their fleet as efficiently.

On top of that, the inbound flight remains uninterrupted so SUB pax can connect as normal to other destinations from HKG.

Hope that makes sense.

But does it mean other airlines flying into SUB after sunset are taking risk? Not to mention the local carriers including Garuda, BI and CI also have flights landing in the evening

Perhaps. CX has always prided itself on taking minimum risks. But it's also a win-win in terms of aircraft utilisation it seems.

AFAIK it's about not staying overnight and not using the fuel there. The fuel quality... Well we all know what happened.

I wouldn't be so sure… missed my connection by 15min late last year in HKG, and had to wait 9hrs. Got a Hotel voucher with meal voucher at the Regal (airport Hotel). However, in the end asked to go to the lounge instead, due to long immigration queues, and was ushered into the First Class lounge with private cabins.

CX decides to further extend this delay until Feb 21. Luckily I cancelled my hotel booking yesterday in anticipating this to happen.

Ha-ha good.... but as generous as that was, that's not really relevant to the guy's question right? The guy I was responding to is asking if he could get a hotel due to this SUB flight retiming/ash cloud issue, referred in this thread's topic. Not a missed connection. CX is indeed good about those types of things for delays and missed connections (helps if you're either elite or persistent, IME...already this year CX has done something similar for a delay I encountered last month). But that's kinda a different situation.

I feel pretty good saying there is virtually no chance CX is paying for his hotel, unfortunately, given the SUB situation. It's not the same as a flight delay/missed connection.

I was on the delayed CX781 last week coming from SFO and Cathay gave me a hotel voucher with early checkin at the Regal hotel, along with all you-can-eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
What I did was to call the reservation number before the SFO-HK flight and told them that my flight would be delayed till the next day. They said no problem and I got the hotel voucher when I checked in.