injera

Flying this route in a few weeks (and aiming to book a same day connection on another airline GRU->SDU/GIG) and it seems like this flight is almost always delayed. Some days its only 30-45 minutes, others its a couple of hours, last nights flight has a 13 hour delay and is scheduled to leave at 11 this morning.

Can someone in the know explain the reason why this flight is almost always delayed? I know theres runway issues at JFK this summer but it seems like other evening international delta departures have been leaving generally on time. Is this an issue with GRU? Bad luck with mechanicals? The incoming flight always appears to come from Nice, Venice, Madrid or Amsterdam and always arrives o time.

Is there something I'm missing? My goal was to book a connecting flight on a separate ticket for 12:15, giving me 3h50min to handle immigration and check in to the connecting flight; but if i need to build a 2 hour delay into my travel plans then I might be cutting it too close and will have to reconfigure my travel plans (since my final destination is a 2 hour car ride and 30 minute boat ride from RIO).

Thanks.

bubbashow

Misconnecting is a risk you take when you buy two separate tickets. If it is a concern, buy one ticket and then the airline will accommodate you should something go wrong.

injera

Completely understood, both now and when i booked this flight back in March. As I was able to book JFK->GRU for 140,000 skymiles but NYC->ATL->GIG was 280,000 miles I figured it was worth a risk and there's certainly a chance I can miss my next flight. I'm going to buy the 'semi-flexible ticket' on TAM so i'll have some flexibility if i misconnect. Would cost ~$30 to rebook on a flight later that afternoon.

But back to the original question - does anyone have any idea why this flight seems to be frequently delayed?

injera

Delayed again by ~50 minutes last night. Though scheduled to arrive only 20 minutes late this morning. Any ideas?

HDQDD

From past experience at another airline with US-GRU flights (on 767's):

The S.A. flights were some of the most difficult to work on the ramp. Not sure if this relates to DL's issues, but might be interesting to you nonetheless.:

U.S.-S.A. flights are usually very difficult to load. They're often weight restricted, and many times cargo has to wait to the last minute to be loaded, depending on how many pax actually show up. Cargo generally has to be loaded before bags (FILO), so those have to wait also. Loading a widebody isn't something that can be done in 5-10 minutes. It's more like 20-35 minutes.

Additionally, the length of those flights is pushing the flight attendant max duty limits. I recall that if our flights took just over an hour or so of delay, the FAs would time out. Then it would be delayed until the next morning and re-crewed. So if the flight went mechanical for any reason, you could pretty much plan on having an overnight delay.

injera

A lot of this makes sense, and I experienced this a few years back on an AA flight JFK->EZE (delayed due to cargo, then due to a mechanical issue, then the crew timed out so our 8pm departure turned into noon the following day.

That said, both ATL->GRU flights and the DTW->GRU flight seem to always be on time or close to it.

Does anyone have access to Delta systems that would explain why there are delays? last nights flight was 2 hours 5 minutes delayed.

Is there any chance I could convince Delta to reroute me NYC->ATL->GRU? Or even better NYC->ATL->GIG due to these delays? I'm guessing the answer is no (since theres no guarantee my flight will actually be delayed, and then it would be too late anyhow). I'm a GM who used skymiles to book J if that makes a difference.?

Thanks.

avidflyer

It is a late flight and it is departing from the east coast. Any weather or other delays anywhere in the country could cause them to hold the flight for connecting pax. That is just a guess but a good one.

TrojanTraveler

This flight does seem to have a lot of delays recently. Arriving at JFK last Monday night (8/3), I walked by the gate and the flight appeared to be delayed and the plane wasn't even at the gate. It was after departure time but the flight was delayed. I am on this flight in Jan, with a connection to GOL in GRU, so am also curious about these delays.

clr4t8koff

I saw this thread last week (Aug 7th) and happened to look at the flight that day. It was running behind and on the DL app it said the plane (a 764) was coming in from LHR which departed LHR 7 1/2 hours late.

OpenSky

Another stupid delay on Tuesday of 3+ hours. I am beginning to wonder if its because this flight is operated by 76W as opposed to the A330 which has a higher gross weight.
What surprises me is that the Brazilians were generally calm and civl about the matter.

hi55us

I honestly hate taking a 10 hour international flight worrying about a short connection in an airport I may not be familiar with and customs to deal with. Tight connections on a JFK-ATL-TLH Flight? I can deal with it. Tight connections on a JFK-GRU-GIG ticket -- especially if GRU-GIG is on a different carrier -- Fugettaboutit. Not considering it. I would book a hotel in GRU, rest easy knowing you have a night before your next flight. Even if JFK-GRU has been 100% on time I would book the hotel in GRU. The fact that it's been less than perfect is even more cause for concern.

Cory6188

What was the cause of the delay?

CaliguyNYC

OpenSky

Its easy to connect to GOL, Delta arrives in in the same terminal as GOL. Which has some plusses and minuses. The plus would be the immigration line is kind of short upon arrival, most international airlines use the newer Terminal 3. The minus would be its Terminal 2, kind of old, boarding especially going to the states is kind of chaotic, due to the small gate area, though the Gol lounge was redone recently ( 2 years ago now) and redone to look like the Hotel Fasano inside with orange and brown wood everywhere. History buffs will like that the old VARIG first class lounge is right next to the redone GOL lounge, and still has some of the signs, though the lounge is empty inside.

I don't participate in Delta Skypesos, so I would use GOL only if it makes sense, I don't use GOL out of loyalty. In this instance I was connecting to LATAM, which leaves out of Terminal 3 .On separate tickets. And we all know what DL's policy on interlining is…I took a risk, and lost.

My next flight on this route is on the A330, which does have the higher gross weight, and generally better seat than the 76W, which looks like its kind of old/falling apart at this point. The smalll screen is outdated. The 767s are kind of old….not my favorite DL aircraft.

I am hoping for no delay next time. The last few times its been late and once even late, and even 10+ hours due to "weather", last year, while I might add LATAM and AA both left on time that evening. Of course DL always blames the weather……but somehow AA, LATAM and Avianca depart just fine. Call me cynical…or maybe I'm just unlucky.

DL471's greatest hits :

quasihumanist

The plane sits at GRU all day for an evening return, so it's the flight that can be delayed with no further operational consequences. If mechanical failures leave them a plane short (or crew re-scheduling due to other delays leaves them a crew short) at JFK, they'll delay this flight rather than any other.

This explanation would also apply to the other GRU flights, so a disparity is an indication that there is less availability of spares (relative to the need for them) at JFK.