The Best and Worst Airports for Flight Disruptions
The US Airports Faring the Best, Worst for Flight Delays and Cancellations
Air travel in 2022 has proven awfully challenging with passengers oftentimes facing long lines at security, crowded gate areas and flights taking off well behind schedule or sometimes not at all. Fortunately, there’s enough data on hand to determine the airports to target and the ones to steer clear of if you can. The team of travel experts at Price4Limo recently analyzed 2022 U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics data, looking at some of the latest flight delay and cancellation data for the top airports across the country from June 2021 to June 2022 to reveal the hubs travelers can likely depend on or perhaps should avoid if possible this fall. Here are the 10 airports that fare the best and worst when it comes to flight disruptions right now, starting with the latter.
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) canceled the most flights (10,612) across the country from June 2021 to June 2022. That figure marks 3.4 percent of the airport’s total schedule. Additionally, DFW experienced more than 57,400 delays during that time, which was the second most in the nation.
O’Hare International Airport
Perennially one of the nation’s busiest airports, Chicago’s O’Hare International (ORD) has unsurprisingly been hit hard by staffing shortages and the latest spike in demand for air travel, canceling nearly three out of every 100 flights and delaying another 18.1 percent of its schedule (53,641) during the one-year period analyzed.
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport (DEN) saw more flight delays than any other U.S. airport over the period of June 2021 to June 2022, experiencing 61,617 during that time. That means that over one-fifth of flights at DEN were disrupted. In terms of cancellations, only DFW and ORD fared worse than DEN (7,209).
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
While the bustling Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) canceled the nation’s seventh-most flights (4,658) and ranked fourth-worst in terms of delays (49,839), the sheer volume of flights into and out of ATL suggests that this airport is getting by. After all, those cancellations account for just 1.3 percent of the airport’s schedule while the delays account for just 14.3 percent—easily one of the best clips in the country.
Orlando International Airport
While Orlando International Airport’s (MCO) flight cancellation rate (2.8 percent) isn’t terrible given the state of airports across the country, its flight delay rate of 27.1 percent is the second-highest among the major U.S. airports that were examined behind only Dallas Love Field (DAL).
Daniel K Inouye International Airport
Hawaii was among the strictest U.S. states in terms of COVID-related travel restrictions but the islands are as accessible as ever in 2022 and travelers will be pleased to learn that Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) is the nation’s best in terms of flight cancellations and delays, recording only 544 and 8,956, respectively.
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport (OAK) is one of three California airports and four along the West Coast to rank among the best for flight disruptions this fall, experiencing 754 flight cancellations and 9,507 delays from June 2021 to June 2022. While cancellations account for just 1.7 percent of the airport’s schedule, delays are far more likely at 21 percent.
Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, San Jose’s Norman Y. Mineta International Airport (SJC) is one of the best for getting on your way on time, experiencing just 781 flight cancellations and fewer than 10,000 flight delays over the past year. SJC is one of only three major U.S. airports to record under 10,000 delays and one of only four to see less than 1,000 cancellations from June 2021 to June 2022.
Sacramento International Airport
In the California capital, Sacramento International Airport (SMF) saw fewer than 800 flight cancellations over the 12-month period wrapping up in June 2022 and its 11,456-mark for flight delays was the fifth-best in the nation, Price4Limo’s study found.
Portland International Airport
Staying on the West Coast, travelers will typically have good luck flying into or out of Portland International Airport (PDX) as the airport canceled just 1.6 percent of its schedule from June 2021 to June 2022 and experienced delays on fewer than 20 percent of its flights.