These are the worst airports for spring break delays and cancellations

Alex Mitchell
·2 min read
Airports at popular spring break destinations are a buzzkill this time of year with flight delays and cancellations.
Airports at popular spring break destinations are a buzzkill this time of year with flight delays and cancellations.

Talk about killing a spring break buzz.

A new report highlights airports around the U.S. that are notorious for delays and other bad service for the months of March and April.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, several popular spring-break destinations like South Florida and Las Vegas earned spots atop the 10 worst in the nation, according to Department of Transportation data analyzed by aGamble.

First and worst is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, with a reported 39.5% rate of delays during the two-month time span. On top of that, 4.6% of its flights get canceled.

At nearby Miami International, the sixth worst on the list, about 30% of flights succumb to delays around those weeks, too.

Travelers heading to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International are also out of luck as it’s the second worst in the U.S. for spring break — with just two-thirds of flights departing on time from there.

Spring break partygoers need to keep airport delays and cancellations in mind at these popular destinations. likoper – stock.adobe.com
Spring break partygoers need to keep airport delays and cancellations in mind at these popular destinations. likoper – stock.adobe.com

In addition, the Nevada transit hub saw 465 flights canceled in both March and April.

Those in Disney World’s home city likely don’t find Orlando International to be the happiest place on Earth: the third-worst springtime airport sees a third of flights delayed and 436 canceled.

Things aren’t much better in the tri-state area, either. Newark-Liberty Airport was ranked seventh with about 26% of its flights delayed, and JFK ranked 10th with 25% stalled departures.

Las Vegas is one of the worst airports when it comes to delays during spring break. AP
Las Vegas is one of the worst airports when it comes to delays during spring break. AP

The worst 10 airports during spring break

1. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International

  • Delay rate: 34.87%

  • Cancellation rate: 4.63%

2. Harry Reid International — Las Vegas

  • Delay rate: 31.44%

  • Cancellation rate: 1.47%

3. Orlando International

  • Delay rate: 31.06%

  • Cancellation rate: 1.52%

4. Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall

  • Delay rate: 31.26%

  • Cancellation rate: 1.22%

5. Chicago Midway International

  • Delay rate: 29.04%

  • Cancellation rate: 1.32%

6. Miami International

  • Delay rate: 29.22%

  • Cancellation rate: 0.88%

7. Newark Liberty International

  • Delay rate: 25.81%

  • Cancellation rate: 2.53%

8. Dallas/Fort Worth International

  • Delay rate: 25.11%

  • Cancellation rate: 2.49%

9. Denver International

  • Delay rate: 26.51%

  • Cancellation rate: 1.04%

10. John F. Kennedy International

  • Delay rate: 25.06%

  • Cancellation rate: 2.23%