Departure delays from Hobart and Launceston airports among the worst in Australia

RUSTRATED airline passengers flying out of Tasmania are dealing with some of the worst flight delays in the country, new data reveals.

People queuing to check in at Hobart Airport. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

FRUSTRATED airline passengers flying out of Tasmania are dealing with some of the worst flight delays in the country, according to new data.

Hobart and Launceston airports have topped a list of Australia’s most delayed airports.

Finder.com.au analysed Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics data and found Hobart Airport had 17,994 departures last year with 4858 of those flights (27 per cent) delayed — the worst of any capital city.

Hobart Airport was the second most delayed airport overall, after the Sunshine Coast (31 per cent).

A spokesman for Hobart Airport said: “While we are unsure of the veracity of the survey, as Hobart Airport is at the end of the network, a delayed flight arrival inevitably delays the outbound flight.

“As a result we are working closely with the airlines to reduce delays for the travelling public and are confident improvements have been made this calendar year.”

Launceston Airport had 24 per cent of its 10,126 departures delayed, making it the fourth most delayed airport overall. Rounding out the top five most delayed airports in Australia were Gold Coast (24 per cent) and Rockhampton (20 per cent).

More than 21,600 flights were cancelled across Australia last year, with one quarter (25 per cent) of these coming from Sydney.

Travel insurance expert Bessie Hassan said it was interesting to note the smaller airports experienced more delays.

“In fact only three of Australia’s capital cities made the top 10 list,” she said.

“Flight delays are never ideal, and even for a domestic trip a significant delay can put an inconvenienced traveller hundreds of dollars out of pocket.”

She said usually a delay had to be more than six hours for an insurance claim to be approved.