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  3. America's Best and Worst Airports for Flight Delays

America's Best and Worst Airports for Flight Delays

By Sarah L. Stewart
October 24, 2014
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Credit: San Francisco International Airport
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 Chicago’s Midway International Airport, one in three planes left behind schedule, earning it the title of tardiest airport—for a second year in a row. Nearby O’Hare International Airport landed at No. 4, with more than a quarter of its flights running late.

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.”

To find out your odds, see where San Francisco, Dulles, Orlando, and other major hubs rank among the best and worst airports for avoiding delays.
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Best: No. 1 Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

Credit: 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.

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Best: No. 2 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Credit: Courtesy of 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.

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Best: No. 3 (tie) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Credit: © Hemis / Alamy

Flights Delayed: 14.6%

Although delays increased by 1.5 percentage points compared to 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.

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Best: No. 3 (tie) Portland International Airport (PDX)

Credit: Courtesy of 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.

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Best: No. 5 Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

Credit: 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.

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Best: No. 6 Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

Credit: Wayne County Airport Authority/Vito Palmisano

Flights Delayed: 15.8%

Motor City’s economy may be struggling, but departures from its airport are about as efficient as Henry Ford’s famous assembly line. The Delta hub sends off more than 75 percent of its flights on schedule throughout the day, with the only exception being the troublesome end-of-the-workday hour.

Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 6–7 p.m.

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Best: No. 7 Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

Credit: Courtesy of Logan International Airport

Flights Delayed: 16.2%

Call it the tale of two airports: from morning until early afternoon, your odds of leaving Logan promptly average an impressive 82 to 95 percent. But beware the Boston red-eye. The downhill slide starts in the early evening, and by 9 p.m., you’ll face about a 40 percent chance of being delayed.

Best Time Window: Before 2 p.m.

Worst Time Window: 9 p.m.–midnight

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Best: No. 8 Miami International Airport (MIA)

Credit: Heery S&G

Flights Delayed: 16.5%

South Beach pulses to its own rhythm, and at MIA, that rhythm happens to keep time nicely. The airport’s on-time percentage never drops below 75 percent, and all that sunny weather isn’t the only reason why: just ask nearby Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, which ranks among the worst for delays (No. 7).

Best Time Window: Before noon.

Worst Time Window: 10–11 p.m.

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Best: No. 9 Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

Credit: Doug Johnson

Flights Delayed: 17.1%

A high traffic volume didn’t deter CLT’s efficiency. Despite more than 243,000 domestic departures from July 2013 to June 2014—the most of any of the 10 least-delayed airports—it made the top 10 airports for punctual departures. It helps that nearly 60 percent of the airport’s passengers travel on US Airways, which earned a No. 5 ranking among the best on-time airlines.

Best Time Window: Before noon.

Worst Time Window: 5–6 p.m.

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Best: No. 10 Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia International Airport

Flights Delayed: 18.7%

Solid on-time scores throughout the afternoon and evening helped PHL earn high marks. At least 73 percent of flights leave as scheduled during every hour of the day but one. US Airways also dominates the departure and arrival boards in Philly; 42 percent of all passengers are booked on its planes.

Best Time Window: Before 2 p.m.

Worst Time Window: 7–8 p.m.

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Worst: No. 1 Midway International Airport (MDW)

Credit: 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.

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Worst: No. 2 Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

Credit: Courtesy of 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.

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Worst: No. 3 Denver International Airport (DEN)

Credit: © Aurora Photos / Alamy

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.

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Worst: No. 4 O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Credit: Mira / Alamy

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.

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Worst: No. 5 McCarran International Airport (LAS)

Credit: Mira / Alamy

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.

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Worst: No. 6 Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Credit: Courtesy of The Port Authority of NY & NJ

Flights Delayed: 23.9%

Ranked No. 1 for the most delayed departures in 2012 and No. 3 a year ago, Newark continued a gradual improvement, tallying 1.8 percent fewer late flights this year than last. Yet delays still hover at or above 30 percent for nine hours each day, starting around 3 p.m. and reaching a peak in the evening.

Best Time Window: Before noon.

Worst Time Window: 7–8 p.m.

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Worst: No. 7 Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

Credit: Jeff Greenberg / Alamy

Flights Delayed: 23.5%

Mornings at this South Florida airport are as promising as a sunrise over the Atlantic, but by afternoon the departure board looks more like a perfect storm. Nearly a third of embarking flights fall behind schedule by 3 p.m., and that figure climbs above 40 percent by nightfall.

Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 8–10 p.m.

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Worst: No. 8 (tie) Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Credit: Jeff Greenberg/Alamy

Flights Delayed: 22.3%

Thought theme-park lines were enough to sour a fairy-tale vacation? Try leaving Orlando at dinnertime or later. At least a quarter of flights departing this Central Florida hub run late throughout the evening. But MCO isn’t all wicked: on-time percentages stay above 90 nearly all morning. And the airport’s giant aquarium and King Kong video arcade will help you pass any added wait time.

Best Time Window: Before 1 p.m.

Worst Time Window: 10–11 p.m.

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Worst: No. 8 (tie) Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Credit: © AFP/Getty Images

Flights Delayed: 22.3%

If your flight from this outlying D.C. airport is delayed, chances are good you won’t just be late: you’ll be really late. Dulles has posted delays as much as 28 percent longer than the national average. In September 2013, for instance, typical setbacks lasted about 70 minutes.

Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 6–7 p.m.; 8–9 p.m.

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Worst: No. 10 San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Credit: San Francisco International Airport

Flights Delayed: 22.1%

Though ranked second-worst for delays just two years ago, this year the gateway to the Golden Gate scored only a few percentage points lower than the 10th-best airport. Unlike all other destinations on this year’s list, SFO’s delays peak around lunchtime and actually improve as the day goes on.

Best Time Window: Before 10 a.m.

Worst Time Window: Noon–3 p.m.

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1 of 20 Best: No. 1 Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
2 of 20 Best: No. 2 Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
3 of 20 Best: No. 3 (tie) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
4 of 20 Best: No. 3 (tie) Portland International Airport (PDX)
5 of 20 Best: No. 5 Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
6 of 20 Best: No. 6 Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
7 of 20 Best: No. 7 Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
8 of 20 Best: No. 8 Miami International Airport (MIA)
9 of 20 Best: No. 9 Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
10 of 20 Best: No. 10 Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
11 of 20 Worst: No. 1 Midway International Airport (MDW)
12 of 20 Worst: No. 2 Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
13 of 20 Worst: No. 3 Denver International Airport (DEN)
14 of 20 Worst: No. 4 O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
15 of 20 Worst: No. 5 McCarran International Airport (LAS)
16 of 20 Worst: No. 6 Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
17 of 20 Worst: No. 7 Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
18 of 20 Worst: No. 8 (tie) Orlando International Airport (MCO)
19 of 20 Worst: No. 8 (tie) Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
20 of 20 Worst: No. 10 San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

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America's Best and Worst Airports for Flight Delays
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