Australian travellers face ongoing flight disruptions with cancellation rates climbing above long-term averages, according to the latest Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) data.
February 2025 data revealed the national flight cancellation rate reached 2.6 per cent (or over 1,050 flight cancellations), exceeding the long-term average of 2.2 per cent, while on-time performance for both arrivals (80.3 per cent) and departures (80.5 per cent) fell below historical benchmarks.
In response to this data, RACV is advising passengers to understand their rights and prepare contingency plans when travelling.
“These figures confirm what many travellers are experiencing—flight disruptions remain a significant challenge despite some improvement over last year,” said RACV travel insurance manager Judith Gamble.
“With one in five flights not arriving on time and cancellations trending upward, so understanding your travel insurance policy has never been more important.”
RACV’s tips for travellers include comparing different travel insurance plans before purchasing, reading the product disclosure document carefully in order to understand what is and isn’t covered under each policy and monitoring flight status regularly before departure.
For more information on passenger rights or assistance with travel bookings, visit racv.com.au/travel.
