2018 Holiday Travel Report: Most Stressful U.S. Airports
Last updated on 03/28/2023
WARWICK, R.I., Dec. 13, 2018 -- To help empower travelers to make more informed decisions when it comes to holiday travel, researchers at InsureMyTrip reveal which airports to possibly avoid and how the latest data trends can aid travelers when comparing travel insurance benefits.
Summary
- InsureMyTrip predicts New York's LaGuardia (LGA) will be most stressful for travelers this Christmas. LGA reports the highest percentage of canceled flights (4.9%) so far this year.
- Flights scheduled for departure between 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm are more susceptible to delays and cancellations.
- If a flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook travelers on the next available flight at no additional charge. However, airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight.
This is the list of the most stressful airports this Christmas, based on flight cancellation rates:
|
Rank |
Code |
Airport |
|
1 |
LGA |
New York, NY: LaGuardia (Worst) |
|
2 |
ORF |
Norfolk, VA: Norfolk International |
|
3 |
CHS |
Charleston, SC: Charleston AFB/International |
|
4 |
ROC |
Rochester, NY: Greater Rochester International |
|
5 |
PHL |
Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia International |
|
6 |
EWR |
Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International |
|
7 |
PVD |
Providence, RI: Theodore Francis Green |
|
8 |
DCA |
Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National |
|
9 |
BUF |
Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International |
|
10 |
JFK |
New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International |
|
11 |
BOS |
Boston, MA: Logan International |
|
12 |
BDL |
Hartford, CT: Bradley International |
|
13 |
RDU |
Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International |
|
14 |
RIC |
Richmond, VA: Richmond International |
|
15 |
CLT |
Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International |
|
16 |
MDW |
Chicago, IL: Chicago Midway International |
|
17 |
BWI |
Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall |
|
18 |
GRR |
Grand Rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford International |
|
19 |
ORD |
Chicago, IL: Chicago O'Hare International |
|
20 |
CLE |
Cleveland, OH: Cleveland-Hopkins International |
|
21 |
CMH |
Columbus, OH: John Glenn Columbus International |
|
22 |
PIT |
Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh International |
|
23 |
SDF |
Louisville, KY: Louisville International-Standiford Field |
|
24 |
CVG |
Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International |
|
25 |
JAX |
Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville International |
|
26 |
PBI |
West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL: Palm Beach International |
|
27 |
BHM |
Birmingham, AL: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International |
|
28 |
MKE |
Milwaukee, WI: General Mitchell International |
|
29 |
IAD |
Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International |
|
30 |
IND |
Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International |
|
31 |
MEM |
Memphis, TN: Memphis International |
|
32 |
DFW |
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Dallas/Fort Worth International |
|
33 |
BNA |
Nashville, TN: Nashville International |
|
34 |
BUR |
Burbank, CA: Bob Hope |
|
35 |
STL |
St. Louis, MO: St Louis Lambert International |
|
36 |
HOU |
Houston, TX: William P Hobby |
|
37 |
OMA |
Omaha, NE: Eppley Airfield |
|
38 |
RSW |
Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International |
|
39 |
DAL |
Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field |
|
40 |
MCI |
Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International |
|
41 |
SFO |
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International |
|
42 |
MSY |
New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International |
|
43 |
OKC |
Oklahoma City, OK: Will Rogers World |
|
44 |
TPA |
Tampa, FL: Tampa International |
|
45 |
MCO |
Orlando, FL: Orlando International |
|
46 |
OAK |
Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International |
|
47 |
MIA |
Miami, FL: Miami International |
|
48 |
MSP |
Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis-St Paul International |
|
49 |
FLL |
Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International |
|
50 |
DTW |
Detroit, MI: Detroit Metro Wayne County |
|
51 |
AUS |
Austin, TX: Austin - Bergstrom International |
|
52 |
ANC |
Anchorage, AK: Ted Stevens Anchorage International |
|
53 |
IAH |
Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston |
|
54 |
SAT |
San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International |
|
55 |
SJU |
San Juan, PR: Luis Munoz Marin International |
|
56 |
SAN |
San Diego, CA: San Diego International |
|
57 |
LAX |
Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International |
|
58 |
ABQ |
Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque International Sunport |
|
59 |
DEN |
Denver, CO: Denver International |
|
60 |
TUS |
Tucson, AZ: Tucson International |
|
61 |
SJC |
San Jose, CA: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International |
|
62 |
PHX |
Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix Sky Harbor International |
|
63 |
LAS |
Las Vegas, NV: McCarran International |
|
64 |
HNL |
Honolulu, HI: Daniel K Inouye International |
|
65 |
ATL |
Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International |
|
66 |
ONT |
Ontario, CA: Ontario International |
|
67 |
GEG |
Spokane, WA: Spokane International |
|
68 |
SNA |
Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County |
|
69 |
RNO |
Reno, NV: Reno/Tahoe International |
|
70 |
SMF |
Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International |
|
71 |
PDX |
Portland, OR: Portland International |
|
72 |
OGG |
Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport |
|
73 |
SEA |
Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International |
|
74 |
BOI |
Boise, ID: Boise Air Terminal |
|
75 |
SLC |
Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International |
Data Source: This table contains data for non-stop domestic flights by major air carriers collected in 2018 thus far by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Flight Cancellation Policies
Flight cancellation policies vary by airline and circumstance. When an airline cancels a flight, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight.
Airlines are also not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight, such as prepaid, non-refundable:
- Hotel room
- All-inclusive vacation or resort
- A cruise
- A tour or safari
- Concert or entertainment tickets
Travelers concerned about protecting any trip expenses should buy travel insurance.
Dealing With Flight Delays
Each airline has its own flight delay policy for passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements. Travelers concerned about delays should be aware of the following:
- Generally, early departures are less likely to be delayed.
- Book a non-stop flight (no stops).
- When booking, ask the airline about the on-time performance percentage for an individual flight.
- Closer to departure, check real-time airport data. This will provide timely information on weather concerns or air traffic delays.
- Be aware of "creeping delays." This is when an airline continues to push back a departure time it can sometimes be extended for hours or lead to a cancellation.
- If a flight is delayed, try to learn the reason why to better gauge if the flight is in jeopardy of being canceled. Reasons for delays may include maintenance, fueling, crew issues, weather, previous flight with the same aircraft arrived late, causing the present flight to depart late, or security issues.
- Some flights will be delayed on the tarmac before or after take-off. As a general rule, DOT prohibits flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours.
Passengers with departing flights at busier airports should consider travel insurance with robust travel delay benefits.
Contact:
[email protected]
Methodology
Rankings were based on the flight cancellation rate per airport. Airports on the list also reported 13,000 or more scheduled flights for 2018 thus far. Researchers also noted other factors, like hurricanes, led some airports to report a high number of canceled flights earlier in the year.
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