With COVID-19 vaccines widely available and the holiday season rapidly approaching, chances are you might be doing some traveling in the upcoming weeks and months. If that's the case, you may want to prepare yourself for long lines at the airport and other typical holiday travel woes. But that's not all that could make your travel plans a highly frustrating experience. Depending on what airport you are flying into, you might be more likely to experience flight delays or, even worse, cancellations.
Travel blog The Family Vacation Guide analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) over a two-year period from July 2019 to July 2021 to determine what percentage of flights scheduled to arrive at each of the 50 busiest airports in the U.S. arrived on time, and what percent were either delayed or cancelled. Read on to discover which U.S. airport has the most flight delays in the country.
Editor's note: When citing the number of passengers served at a particular airport, this includes domestic and international passengers flying out of, and arriving into, the airport.
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11 | San Francisco International (tie)
Michael Vi / ShutterstockDelayed or cancelled flights: 18.79 percent
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the largest airport in Northern California and the second busiest airport in California, behind Los Angeles International. It is also a major gateway to Europe and Asia. But make sure you check your flight status ahead of time because nearly 19 percent of the airport's flight arrivals are either delayed or cancelled, according to the latest BTS statistics.
10 | John F. Kennedy International (tie)
Pit Stock / Shutterstock.comDelayed or cancelled flights: 18.79 percent
As is the case with SFO, 18.79 percent of flights into New York's John F. Kennedy International (JFK) are either delayed or canceled. JFK is one of busiest international air passenger gateways into North America and the busiest airport in New York, serving around 60 million passengers per year, according to Statista.
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9 | San Antonio International
Forge Productions / Shutterstock.comDelayed or cancelled flights: 19.03 percent
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is the main airport serving the Greater San Antonio area, and served about 10.4 million passengers in 2019, though far fewer in 2020 due to the pandemic. According to BTS statistics, over the two-year period from July 2019 to July 2021, 80.97 percent of flights into the airport arrived on time.
8 | Orlando International
VIAVAL TOURS / Shutterstock.comDelayed or cancelled flights: 19.22 percent
Located about six miles southeast of Orlando, Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the largest and busiest airport in Florida, serving 50.6 million passengers on a normal, non-pandemic, year. If you are flying into the bustling travel hub—or picking someone up there—keep in mind that more than 19 percent of flights into MCO are either delayed or cancelled.
7 | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (tie)
Elliott Cowand Jr / Shutterstock.comDelayed or cancelled flights: 19.39 percent
Between foreign and domestic passengers flying in and out of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), the airport served over 13 million travelers in 2019. And between July 2019 and July 20121, 19.39 percent of flights arriving at MSY were either delayed or canceled, which is the exact same percentage as the next airport on this list.
6 | Boston Logan International (tie)
Leena Robinson / ShutterstockDelayed or cancelled flights: 19.39 percent
Just like MSY in Louisiana, 19.39 percent of flights flying into Boston's Logan International (BOS) over the two-year period between July 2019 and July 2021 were either delayed or cancelled. And while the East Coast Delta hub only served 12.6 million passengers in 2020 due to pandemic travel restrictions, the airport typically sees many more travelers pass through its doors. In 2019, the number was 42.5 million.
5 | Palm Beach International
ShutterstockDelayed or cancelled flights: 19.66 percent
While Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is on the smaller side compared to others on this list—serving just under seven million passengers in 2019—if you plan on escaping the cold this winter by flying into the airport, plan accordingly because over the last two years, more than 19.5 percent of arriving flights were either delayed or cancelled.
4 | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
YES Market Media / ShutterstockDelayed or cancelled flights: 20.22 percent
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL) is the third and final Florida airport on this list. And with more than 20 percent of arriving flights delayed or cancelled over the last two years, it is the one where you are most likely to experience problems when traveling to the Sunshine State.
3 | Dallas-Fort Worth International
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.comDelayed or cancelled flights: 20.77 percent
Serving around 75 million passengers in 2019, prior to COVID travel restrictions, Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) is considered to be the fourth busiest airport in the U.S. With that being the case, make sure you take into account that over the last two years, nearly 21 percent of flights arriving into the airport are either delayed or cancelled.
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2 | LaGuardia
James R. Martin / ShutterstockDelayed or cancelled flights: 22.52 percent
It may not serve as many passengers as fellow New York airport JFK, but that doesn't mean LaGuardia (LGA) has any fewer problems with delays and cancellations. In fact, over the last two years, 22.52 percent of flights scheduled to arrive at LGA in the last two years were either delayed or cancelled. That's almost four percent more than JFK, according to BTS data.
1 | Newark Liberty International
ShutterstockDelayed or cancelled flights: 24.29 percent
Though located in neighboring New Jersey, Newark Liberty International (EWR) is a bustling airport used by millions of people traveling to New York. EWR served over 46 million passengers in 2019 prior to COVID—more than LGA and fewer than JFK—and is the most likely of the three major airports serving New York City to have delays and cancellations. Between July 2019 and July 2021, nearly 25 percent of flights scheduled to arrive in EWR were either cancelled or delayed.
