Sunshine Isn't Everything: Florida Dominates List of Worst Airports for Winter Travel
Why are Florida airports, where you can wear short sleeves in February like this guy in Ft. Lauderdale, such bad places to fly in winter? (Photo: AP)
If you’re looking to avoid winter-related flight delays and cancellations, you probably know not to risk an airport in a town called “the Windy City.” But did you know you could also have winter flying problems in the Sunshine State, too?
Florida dominates a new survey of America’s Top 10 worst airports for winter travel, with four Florida airports making the list.
Overall, the Number 1 worst airport for winter delays was Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where a whopping 42 percent of winter flights were delayed, according to an analysis by travel planning site Hopper and travel insurance provider InsureMyTrip.com.
Chicago’s ranking as the worst airport to fly in the winter surprised no one. But Number 2 is a different story… (Photo: AP)
The surprising runner-up was Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which came in second with 38 percent of flights delayed. Three other Florida airports made the Top 10 list: Tampa International Airport (32 percent of flights delayed); Orlando International Airport (31 percent); and Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers (31 percent).
Related: What to Do When Bad Weather Screws Up Your Flight
So why do four airports that don’t often have to deal with snowy runways and blinding blizzards fare so badly during the winter? Hopper theorizes that since warm-weather areas like Florida are particularly popular winter destinations for people who live in more frigid cities (like, say, New York), winter storms at those cold-weather airports can wreak havoc with flights into and out of Florida.
Fort Lauderdale’s airport often finds itself at the mercy of bad winter weather in other cities. (Photo: AP)
Still there’s some hope for Florida-bound winter fliers: Miami International Airport did not make Top 10 list. And if you want to head to a warm-weather climate without risking a big delay, Hopper has another recommendation; according to its survey, “Hawaii is your best bet for uneventful winter travel.”
Related: The Stats Don’t Lie: Worst and Best Airports for Flight Delays
This is Hopper/InsureMyTrip’s list of the Top 10 Most Delayed Winter Airports.
1.) Chicago, ORD (42 percent)
2.) Fort Lauderdale, FLL (38 percent)
3.) Newark, EWR (37 percent)
4.) Denver, DEN (37 percent)
5.) Dallas-Fort Worth, DFW (32 percent)
6.) Tampa, TPA (32 percent)
7.) New York, LGA (31 percent)
8.) Orlando, MCO (31 percent)
9.) Fort Myers, RSW (31 percent)
10.) New York, JFK (30 percent)
WATCH: LaGuardia Airport Offers Travelers Frustrating Skies
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