Not long ago, we posted a list of the 10 worst & best European airports for delays & cancellations. It was a very interesting list, with a mix of airports where you’d say “Well, of course THAT airport is having problems,” along with a bunch of “Really? THEM?”
However when it comes to flights originating in the U.S., domestic vs. international travel is at a rate of over 3:1 (811 million domestic passengers vs. 421 million international, as per the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for 2019, the last full “normal” year of travel we currently have). So knowing how European airports are doing is nice, but doesn’t affect nearly as many people in the U.S. as would statistics covering U.S. airports.
Don’t worry, I got your back. 😉
It goes without saying that several factors are causing these delays. Short staffing due to The Great Resignation and absenteeism due to COVID are two of them, although weather plays a role as well. Whatever the case, not having enough pilots, flight attendants, etc., have caused cancellations galore. Understaffing on the tarmac, in the airport, etc. has played a role in both delays and cancellations, as well. And Florida has its own, unique problems when it comes to flight delays. Anyway, here are the 5 most-common reasons for flight delays in the U.S.
All that being said, some airports tend to have more problems than others. Not surprisingly, an analysis of FlightAware data was conducted for CNN for the period of May 28 through July 13. Here’s what was discovered:
U.S. Airports With The Most Cancellations
10. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina: 3.4% of flights are canceled
9. John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York: 3.5%
8. Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts: 3.6%
7. Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania: 3.6%
6. Pittsburgh International Airport, Pennsylvania: 3.7% (tie)
5. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio: 3.7% (tie)
4. Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina: 4.3%
3. Reagan National Airport, Washington, D.C.: 5.4%
2. LaGuardia Airport, New York: 7.4%
1. Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey: 7.9%
U.S. Airports With The Most Delays
10. Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas: 26.7% of flights are delayed
9. Denver International Airport, Colorado: 27.2%
8. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Florida: 27.2%
7. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina: 27.8%
6. Miami International Airport, Florida: 28.3%
5. Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Maryland: 30% (tie)
4. Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey: 30% (tie)
3. John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York: 31.1%
2. Orlando International Airport, Florida: 33%
1. Chicago Midway International Airport, Illinois: 36%
Takeaway
- All 3 of the NYC-area airports have some of the most cancellations in the country, but only 2 (EWR and JFK) also have enough flight delays to be in the top 10
- All of the top 10 airports for delays are on the east side of the country (7 of them are in states on the Atlantic coast)
- The airports with the most delays also tended to be on the east coast, save for #10, 9 and 1
- Florida’s “unique” problems helped get MCO, MIA and FLL onto the list for the most delays
- Virtually every airport on the list is based in a medium-large to large city
- Anyone else notice that some of the airports with severe numbers of delays/cancellations are the very same as the worst airports in the country according to Frommers?
- As bad as our numbers are, Europe’s are worse 😉
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