Don't forget to pack plenty of patience

It's midnight in the middle of the South Pacific and they're arguing how much gas went into the tank.

And we're talking more than your 30 litres of unleaded. This is a Boeing 767 and the next gas station after Rarotonga is several thousand kilometres away in Honolulu.

All the passengers can do is sit and watch as the refueller's crumpled fuel logs are consulted until the captain is satisfied he isn't going to run out of gas. What's an hour's delay when lives are at stake?

Airlines have an inbuilt advantage over other forms of transport when it comes to technical delays. We moan about taxis with flat tyres, buses with hydraulic problems, British trains famously delayed by "leaves on the line."

But nobody objects to having their Boeing made absolutely safe before heading into the unforgiving skies.

Safety is one thing, the trials of travelling through crowded airspace to overcrowded airports are another and travellers are advised to take one essential prerequisite for a pleasant holiday - patience.

No travel agent is going to emphasise the potential delays and you may be super lucky and never have a problem. But forewarned is forearmed.

Check in, say goodbye to your friends, do the duty-frees, the immigration and board on time. The world beckons. But whoa. The doors aren't shut, the crew are counting and recounting the passengers.

Twenty minutes after departure time the missing passenger arrives, apparently unconcerned. Terrorism has a lot to answer for. Thirty years ago the plane would have left on time, leaving the slowcoach behind while his luggage made the trip.

By now your flight's slot in the takeoff queue will be long gone and you'll have to wait for a vacancy.

But not to worry, airlines print their schedules with generous flight times and the captain reckons he'll still get you there on time.

And he does, a little early in fact, and you land but have to sit around waiting for a gate to be available. The plane still sitting at your gate is probably waiting for a late passenger.

That's a minor hassle. More frustrating is the long but pleasant flight which just gets longer and longer as the airport struggles to cope with a rush of traffic. Over London, New York or even Sydney, planes can be stacked up for long periods waiting their turn to land.

Frustratingly you circle, catching glimpses of your destination then wheeling away for another circuit. At this point you hope the refueller's log erred on the generous side.

The sad fact is that these delays are routine at some airports and schedules are amended to factor them in.

When murky weather slows landings at Heathrow, planes making the short hop from Paris or Amsterdam may opt not to take off, preferring to save fuel and take their delays on the ground.

The amazing thing is that with more and more planes using the available airspace and landing areas, so many keep to their schedules.

Down on the ground there are plenty of hassles to try the patience. You may have been the first person to check in, but that can mean your bag is the last one unloaded.

Immigration and customs checks vary the world over, but there is always the chance you are next in line behind a Russian-speaker with hearing difficulties. Getting agitated will likely see you in the strip search lane for Bangkok commuters.

And just when you thought you were home free with a friendly shuttle into town, you sit and sit while the driver rustles up enough fares to make the journey worthwhile.

No point in worrying. It's all part of the holiday experience. And how boring those traveller's tales would be without some triumphs over adversity.