Travel

These are the best and worst airports for flight cancellations and delays — with NYC earning a surprising spot

By
Social Links for Andrew Court
Published June 4, 2024, 5:04 p.m. ET

Get outta town!

John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia were ranked among the airports with the lowest number of flight disruptions in May, surprising new data showed.

According to AirHelp, only 21.8% of flights at JFK were disrupted — meaning they were cancelled or experienced delays of two hours or more.

According to AirHelp, just 21.8% of flights at JFK were disrupted — meaning they were cancelled or experienced delays of two hours or more.
According to AirHelp, just 21.8% of flights at JFK were disrupted — meaning they were cancelled or experienced delays of two hours or more. AFP via Getty Images

While that might seem like a fairly high number, only two other major airports across the country experienced fewer flight disruptions — Salt Lake City International Airport (18.6%) and Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport (20.8%).

Meanwhile, at LaGuardia, 23.6% of flights were disrupted. JFK and LaGuardia are two of the busiest transport hubs in the country.

Several other bustling airports also fared relatively well — Seattle-Tacoma, Boston Logan and Los Angeles (LAX) managed to keep things under 25%, per the data.

However, it was a different story in the Lone Star State.

It turns out that everything is bigger in Texas — including delays.

The stats might be surprising, given that JFK and LaGuardia are two of the busiest transport hubs in the country, but several other bustling airports also fared relatively well.
The stats might be surprising, given that JFK and LaGuardia are two of the busiest transport hubs in the country, but several other bustling airports also fared relatively well. Getty Images
A passenger is pictured at LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
A passenger is pictured at LaGuardia Airport in Queens. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, almost half of all flights were disrupted last Month (45.6%), while Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport didn’t fare much better at 40.6%.

South Florida fliers were also fuming with a high number of disruptions at three different airports.

Miami International Airport (31.7% of flights disrupted), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (30.5%) and Orlando International Airport (30.5%) were also included on AirHelp’s list of worst offenders.

Worst Airports  *based on ‘flight disruptions’ from airports with 10,000+ flights in May 2024  

  • Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – 45.6% of flights disrupted 
  • Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport – 40.6% of flights disrupted  
  • Charlotte Douglas International Airport – 37.8% of flights disrupted  
  • O’Hare International Airport – 34.7% of flights disrupted  
  • Miami International Airport – 31.7% of flights disrupted  
  • Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport – 30.5% of flights disrupted  
  • Orlando International Airport – 30.5% of slights disrupted  
  • Denver International Airport – 28.7% of flights disrupted  
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – 28.4% of flights disrupted  
  • Ronald Reagan National Airport – 27.8% of flights disrupted  

Best Airports *based on ‘flight disruptions’ from airports with 10,000+ flights in May 2024  

  • Salt Lake City International Airport – 18.6% of flights disrupted 
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – 20.8% of flights disrupted 
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport – 21.8% of flights disrupted 
  • Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – 22.1% of flights disrupted 
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport – 23.3% of flights disrupted 
  • Boston Logan International Airport – 23.4% of flights disrupted 
  • New York LaGuardia Airport – 23.6% of flights disrupted 
  • Philadelphia International Airport – 23.6% of flights disrupted 
  • Los Angeles International Airport – 24.2% of flights disrupted 
  • Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – 24.6% of flights disrupted