Along with seeing a customs officer reach for a rubber glove and sitting next to a screaming baby on a plane, a delayed flight has to be the worst start to a trip you can get.

Last week, the Government released figures for the on time performance of airlines in Australia, with Qantas leading the way with 83 per cent of departures and 81.9 per cent of arrivals on time.

A spokeswoman for the airline hailed the figures as a victory over the other tardy airlines, saying: “One of the main reasons [our passengers] choose to travel with Qantas is they get to their destination on time far more often than with other airlines.” (Isn’t that just another way of saying we’re the ‘least worst’ of all the airlines…?)

The reality is that one in five flights in Australia is delayed by more than fifteen minutes, with the number of cancellations in 2011 reaching 1.8 per cent, double the figure of the year before. Simply put, every third return trip you make by plane will be delayed in some way.

Unfortunately, delays and cancellations are part and parcel of air travel, but how do you deal with them? How do you make sure you don’t miss the next flight? And how do you handle the boredom of having to spend multiple hours in a departure lounge?

Here are few tips on how to survive a delayed flight.

Plan Ahead

While there’s no predicting how and when a flight will be delayed, you can help yourself by taking the earliest flight on an airline’s schedule. While it doesn’t guarantee you won’t be delayed, it does mean you will avoid the domino effect early delays have on the rest of the day’s departures.

Be a twit

If your flight is delayed, follow your airline on twitter and check hashtags with the airline’s name. Not only will you get official updates from the airline but you might also be able to share information with other travellers.

Don’t believe the airline's website

If you’re at home and your airline’s website states the flight is delayed, don’t think it gives you an excuse to be late. Even if the flight is not going to leave on time, it is your responsibility to ensure you are ready to travel when the flight is scheduled to depart. Failure to be at the gate - or worse, check-in on time - could lead to you losing your seats altogether.

Call the airline

Usually when a delay or cancellation is announced, a mass of humanity descends upon the departure gate, as everyone scrambles for information. A good tip is to hang at the back so you can hear any announcements but also phone the airline - sometimes getting through to an operator is faster.

Try another desk

If your departure gate is swamped and you don’t have a phone, try quickly heading over to another of the airline’s gates and asking if they might be able to help. Usually they’ll tell you to head back to where you came from, but you may get lucky with a helpful employee who is willing to help you out.

Go discovering…

If you know you’re going to be there a while, treat any airport like you would a foreign city and go out and explore. Most big airports have shops you can browse, showers for freshening up and video game/internet kiosks for wasting time. If you’re lucky enough to be in Kansai International in Osaka or Sao Paolo, you can even get your teeth whitened at the airport’s dentist!

…but don’t go too far

If you’re unsure about how long the delay will be or information isn’t forthcoming, don’t stray too far from the departure gate. Announcements about delayed flights are usually made on the local tannoy and not throughout the airport. What good are sparkly teeth if you miss your flight?

Be polite

Put yourself in the shoes of the airline rep for a second. Who are you more likely to put on the next available flight? The person loudly making demands and shouting about how much the delay is going to cost them, or the polite, calm traveller who is willing to take a later flight. Project a calm demeanor and there’s a better chance the person at the gate will be willing to help you.

Recharge your batteries

Quite literally. Find a power socket near the gate (there’s always a couple at each for the cleaning crew’s equipment) and put a charge into your laptop, iPod or electronic device of choice. Definitely worth the effort if you’re delayed in the middle of two long flights.

Head online

Most airports offer free wifi, so use your internet access wisely rather than to check up on party pics or ‘stalk’ your ex on Facebook. Check-in regularly on the airline’s web page for info and keep a twitter window open, but also think about your destination. Do you need to tell a relative coming to pick you up that you’re arriving late? How about your hotel? Make sure you have Skype downloaded on your laptop/smartphone so you can make all the calls you need for a smooth arrival.