The Stats Don't Lie: Worst and Best Airports for Flight Delays
A holiday passenger waiting at Chicago’s Midway Airport, the tardiest in the U.S. (AP Photo/Vyto Starinskas)
By Sarah L. Stewart
A word of advice for anyone who dreads being stuck in the purgatory of an airport terminal, gazing wistfully at the departures screen: avoid Chicago.
We analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for 29 major U.S. airports to highlight which have experienced the least and most delayed departures over a 12-month period (July 2013 to June 2014). And both of the Windy City’s major hubs are among the worst offenders.
At the other end of the spectrum, Salt Lake City International held on to its No. 1 spot as the most punctual of American airports, with less than 13 percent of departures behind schedule.
Airports, admittedly, are largely at the mercy of air traffic control and weather when it comes to delays, says aviation consultant Mike Boyd. “The airport itself has really no control whatsoever on reducing delays,” Boyd says. “They care, but they can’t do anything.”
Nor can you always control which airports you fly through. Yet you can plan your travel in a way that lessens your chance of sitting at the gate. For each airport, we identified the time of day to depart. Hint: the times to avoid are often in the afternoon and evening, thanks to the domino effect of cascading delays. “An earlier flight always makes more sense than a later flight,” Boyd says. “But that’s still not a guarantee.”
Here are the top five worst and best:
Worst: No. 1 Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago
Midway got the worst marks for the second straight year. (Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Images)
Flights Delayed: 35.7%
If the percentage of flights leaving the Windy City’s original airport on time were a grade on a math test, it’d be a D. Midway has the unfortunate distinction of being the nation’s tardiest airport for the second consecutive year—and even worse, delays increased by 8.4 percentage points.
Best Time Window: Before noon.
Worst Time Window: 10–11 p.m.
Related: Dirty Bathrooms, Large Crowds, and Bad Food: the World’s Worst Airports
Worst: No. 2 Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
(Courtesy: Baltimore/Washington International Airport)
Flights Delayed: 28.7%
Bring a travel pillow: a whopping 71 percent of flights departing Baltimore in the late evening hours do so behind schedule. Despite a decent start to the day, a cascade of delays begins in the early afternoon; by 8 p.m., you’re actually more likely to be stuck at the gate than not.
Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 10–11 p.m.
Worst: No. 3 Denver International Airport (DEN)
Denver International Airport (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
Flights Delayed: 27.9%
A 4.6 percent surge in delays moved DIA from fifth place on last year’s naughty list to third this year. Leave by lunchtime to avoid a Rocky Mountain meltdown: starting at 2 p.m., nearly a third of flights depart later than planned, a figure that only gets worse as the day wears on.
Best Time Window: Before 9 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 8–10 p.m.
Worst: No. 4 O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago
Chicago O’Hare (Photo: Nick Harris/Flickr)
Flights Delayed: 26.5%
Last year’s second-worst airport lost another half point off its on-time percentage, but O’Hare still managed to improve two spots in the rankings—thanks to declining performance at other locales. More than 80 percent of flights leave this United hub on time until mid-afternoon, though by late night less than half do.
Best Time Window: Before 10 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 11 p.m.–midnight.
Related: Airport Review: Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
Worst: No. 5 McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas
McCarran International Airport (Photo: Thinkstock)
Flights Delayed: 26.4%
A late night on the Strip isn’t the only culprit for that headache you may get when leaving Las Vegas. In Sin City, the deck is stacked against you: either crawl out of bed early for an a.m. departure, or gamble on an afternoon or evening flight, when more than a third of departures are delayed.
Best Time Window: Before 10 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 6–9 p.m.
Related: Thank You for Not Screaming: the Most Terrifying Airport Runways Around the World
Best: No. 1 Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
(Photo: Michael Schoenfeld/Courtesy of Salt Lake City Department of Airports)
Flights Delayed: 12.9%
This Delta hub retained the top spot for punctuality for the fifth time since 2008, despite a 1.2 percent uptick in delays year over year. More than 90 percent of flights depart on time for 12 hours each day at SLC. Just avoid the dinnertime twilight zone, when nearly a third fall behind schedule.
Best Time Window: 6–10 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 6–8 p.m.
Best: No. 2 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington D.C.
(Courtesy: Washington Reagan Airport)
Flights Delayed: 14.3%
Up three spots from last year, the oldest airport serving the nation’s capital is also the one least likely to keep you there longer than planned. While the other two D.C.-area gateways both rated among the worst for delays (BWI at second worst and Dulles at eighth worst), DCA posted an on-time score better than 85 percent.
Best Time Window: Before 1 p.m.
Worst Time Window: 8–10 p.m.
Best: No. 3 (tie) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Sea-Tac. (Photo: Hemis / Alamy)
Flights Delayed: 14.6%
Although delays increased by 1.5 percentage points compared with last year, Sea-Tac still held on to its third-place position. Just over 40 percent of the airport’s total passengers arrive and depart via Alaska Airlines, which operates its primary hub here—and was recently rated the second-best airline for avoiding flight delays.
Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 4–5 p.m.
Best: No. 3 (tie) Portland International Airport (PDX)
(Courtesy: Port of Portland)
Flights Delayed: 14.6%
A 2.1 percent bump in delays cost PDX the No. 2 ranking that it’s owned for six previous years. But the airport—which introduced in-line baggage screening in 2010—still managed an on-time percentage of 90 percent or higher for half of each day. It has also won praise for its food selection and free Wi-Fi.
Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.
Worst Time Window: 2–3 p.m.
Best: No. 5 Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
Minneapolis–St. Paul airport. (Photo: Aerial Archives / Alamy)
Flights Delayed: 15.6%
One of three Delta hubs among the 10 most punctual airports, MSP transports nearly half of its passengers via the legacy carrier, which holds the title of best major airline for avoiding flight delays. Travelers will appreciate MSP’s consistency; its percentage of on-time departures dips below 80 percent for only four hours daily.
Best Time Window: Before noon.
Worst Time Window: 6–7 p.m.
See all of America’s Best and Worst Airports for Flight Delays
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