Travel Report: U.S. Airports Prone to Flight Cancellations

Last updated on 03/28/2023

WARWICK, R.I., Mar 21, 2019 -- In an effort to help empower passengers to make more informed decisions when booking flights, InsureMyTrip Research reveals which of the country's busiest airports are more prone to flight cancellations and what passengers should know about airline cancellation policies.

Summary:

U.S. Airports Ranked by 2018 Cancellation Rates

Data Source: InsureMyTrip Research and The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS tracks the on-time performance of domestic flights operated by large air carriers. Rankings were based on the flight cancellation rate per airport for 2018. Airports on the list also reported 18,500 or more scheduled flights for 2018.
  • New York's LaGuardia reports the highest percentage of canceled flights for the second year in a row. Winter Storm Grayson was a contributing factor in 2018, forcing the airport to temporarily shut down.
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) makes an on-time performance comeback in 2018. A power outage at ATL steered higher cancellation numbers in 2017.
  • Roughly one percent of scheduled flights at Fort Lauderdale International called it quits in 2018. That's an improvement from 2.7 percent in 2017.
  • Severe weather was to blame for most cancelation blocks in 2018. Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Michael, and Winter Storm Grayson forced groundings at many Eastern U.S. airports and residual delays nationwide.
  • Salt Lake City International maintains a consistent reputation for punctuality. The airport celebrates another year of shocking low cancellations.
  • InsureMyTrip anticipates the grounding of Boeing Max 737 aircraft will result in a higher number of reported flight delays and cancellations for hub airports in 2019. Those on-time performance records have yet to be submitted.

This ranking shows U.S. airport with the most and least percentage of flights canceled. This updated list is based on new data released this week, which now includes all of 2018.

Rank

Code

Airport

1 (Most)

LGA

New York, NY: LaGuardia

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

RIC

Richmond, VA: Richmond International

10

RDU

Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International

11

BUF

Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International

12

CLT

Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International

13

JFK

New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International

14

BOS

Boston, MA: Logan International

15

BDL

Hartford, CT: Bradley International

16

MDW

Chicago, IL: Chicago Midway International

17

GRR

Grand Rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford International

18

ORD

Chicago, IL: Chicago O'Hare International

19

BWI

Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall

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

DFW

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Dallas/Fort Worth International

26

BHM

Birmingham, AL: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International

27

JAX

Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville International

28

PBI

West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL: Palm Beach International

29

MKE

Milwaukee, WI: General Mitchell International

30

IND

Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International

31

MEM

Memphis, TN: Memphis International

32

BUR

Burbank, CA: Bob Hope

33

IAD

Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International

34

BNA

Nashville, TN: Nashville International

35

HOU

Houston, TX: William P Hobby

36

STL

St. Louis, MO: St Louis Lambert International

37

OMA

Omaha, NE: Eppley Airfield

38

MCI

Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International

39

DAL

Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field

40

SFO

San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International

41

RSW

Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International

42

OKC

Oklahoma City, OK: Will Rogers World

43

MSY

New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International

44

ANC

Anchorage, AK: Ted Stevens Anchorage International

45

OAK

Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International

46

TPA

Tampa, FL: Tampa International

47

MCO

Orlando, FL: Orlando International

48

MIA

Miami, FL: Miami International

49

MSP

Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis-St Paul International

50

FLL

Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International

51

DTW

Detroit, MI: Detroit Metro Wayne County

52

IAH

Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston

53

AUS

Austin, TX: Austin - Bergstrom International

54

ABQ

Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque International Sunport

55

SAT

San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International

56

SAN

San Diego, CA: San Diego International

57

SJU

San Juan, PR: Luis Munoz Marin International

58

SJC

San Jose, CA: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International

59

LAX

Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International

60

HNL

Honolulu, HI: Daniel K Inouye International

61

TUS

Tucson, AZ: Tucson International

62

GEG

Spokane, WA: Spokane International

63

DEN

Denver, CO: Denver International

64

ONT

Ontario, CA: Ontario International

65

PHX

Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix Sky Harbor International

66

LAS

Las Vegas, NV: McCarran International

67

SNA

Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County

68

SEA

Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International

69

RNO

Reno, NV: Reno/Tahoe International

70

ATL

Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International

71

PDX

Portland, OR: Portland International

72

SMF

Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International

73

OGG

Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport

74

BOI

Boise, ID: Boise Air Terminal

75 (Least)

SLC

Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International

Data Source: InsureMyTrip Research and The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS tracks the on-time performance of domestic flights operated by large air carriers. Rankings were based on the flight cancellation rate per airport. Airports on the list also reported 18,500 or more scheduled flights for 2018.

Airline 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 not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight. These losses may include such as a 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 non-refundable, pre-paid trip expenses should buy travel insurance.

Contact:
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