Tassie gets short straw with flights in and out of state among most tardy in country

ABOUT a quarter of all passenger flights to Tasmania last month did not run on time.

Hobart airport check-in

ABOUT a quarter of all passenger flights to Tasmania last month did not run on time.

Flights in and out of Tasmania were among some of the most tardy in the country, the latest Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development figures show.

Of the 507 flights that departed Hobart in December, 26 per cent did not leave on time, and just over 20 per cent of flights arriving at the airport were delayed.

In Launceston, 75.4 per cent left on time and 76.3 per cent arrived on schedule.

Flights are considered to be on time if they arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled timeframe.

The monthly report showed a quarter of the 360 departures from Hobart to Melbourne last month were delayed.

Jetstar, which operated more flights on the route than any other airline, was the worst performer. Just 65.7 per cent of its flights were on time.

Flights to Sydney were even worse, with almost 30 per cent of all services failing to depart on time.

Again, Jetstar was the worst offender, with just 59.5 per cent of flights leaving on time.

A quarter of all flights arriving in Hobart from Melbourne were delayed, with both Jetstar and Tiger under-performing, with just 65.7 per cent and 65.8 per cent of flights on time respectively.

Three Virgin flights and two Jetstar flights on the route were cancelled.

About 76 per cent of flights from Launceston to Melbourne were on time and 72 per cent to Sydney were on time.

Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said while delays were frustrating, the tardy flights were unlikely to deter tourists.

He said Tasmanian flights were often affected by delays or scheduling changes in the major hubs like Melbourne and Sydney.

"We are at the end of the network -- when Melbourne and Sydney sneeze we catch the flu -- and it throws the whole network out," he said.

"Destinations at the end of routes, like we are, are the worst affected."

Mr Martin said Tasmania's flight times were comparable with other regional airports.

He said that from a tourism perspective the more important issues were about the cost and regularity of flights in and out of Tasmania.

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