Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and Christmas is right behind that, which means in the coming weeks, a LOT of people will be traveling.
If you’re planning on leaving home for the holidays, you’ve likely already got a plan in place.
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If you’re flying, we’re guessing you already know what your plan is. But a recent study might give you a better idea of how smoothly that plan will actually run.
You’ve likely heard in recent months about major cancellations and delays with different airlines, but if you’re crossing your fingers that doesn’t happen to you, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics recently released a study in which it shows airlines most likely to face delays, based on data from July 2019 to July 2021.
BTS considers a flight to be delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes later than scheduled.
Here’s the thing: There are some airports where, for arrivals, you’re more likely to be delayed than at others.
The Family Vacation Guide broke down data from the BTS.
These airports are the ones that most frequently experience delayed arrivals:
| Rank | Airport | % on time | % delayed or canceled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Newark Liberty International | 75.71% | 24.29% |
| 2. | LaGuardia | 77.48% | 22.52% |
| 3. | Dallas/Fort Worth International | 79.23% | 20.77% |
| 4. | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International | 79.78% | 20.22% |
| 5. | Palm Beach International | 80.34% | 19.66% |
| 6. | Boston Logan International and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International | 80.61% | 19.39% |
| 7. | Orlando International | 80.78% | 19.22% |
| 8. | San Antonio International | 80.97% | 19.03% |
| 9. | John F. Kennedy International and San Francisco International | 81.21% | 18.79% |
The following airports are the ones that least frequently experience delayed arrivals:
| Rank | Airport | % on time | % delayed or canceled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50. | Daniel K Inouye InternationalHI | 88.31% | 11.69% |
| 49. | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta InternationalGA | 87.32% | 12.68% |
| 48. | Minneapolis-St Paul International | 87.27% | 12.73% |
| 47. | Salt Lake City International | 87.22% | 12.78% |
| 46. | Detroit Metro Wayne County | 86.90% | 13.10% |
| 45. | Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International | 85.70% | 14.30% |
| 44. | Portland International | 85.23% | 14.77% |
| 43. | John Wayne Airport-Orange County | 85.12% | 14.88% |
| 42. | Sacramento International | 84.95% | 15.05% |
| 41. | Metropolitan Oakland International | 84.90% | 15.10% |
And just like the study focused on airport reliability, it also focused on airline reliability.
According to the study from the BTS, Allegiant Air topped the charts with the highest percentage of delayed flights during the study, with a total of 27% of flights running behind schedule.
Below are the most frequently delayed or canceled flights.
| Rank | Airline | % on time | % late or canceled |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Allegiant Air | 72.69% | 27.31% |
| 2. | JetBlue Airways | 76.80% | 23.20% |
| 3. | Frontier Airlines | 78.76% | 21.24% |
| 4. | Envoy Air | 80.48% | 19.52% |
| 5. | United Airlines | 81.40% | 18.60% |
| 6. | American Airlines | 81.45% | 18.55% |
| 7. | Spirit Airlines | 82.04% | 17.96% |
| 8. | Southwest Airlines | 83.03% | 16.97% |
| 9. | Alaska Airlines | 83.18% | 16.82% |
| 10. | SkyWest Airlines | 84.01% | 15.99% |
Chances are, most people have already booked their trips, if they’re flying. In that case, it never hurts to be prepared. But for those who still need to buy their flights, perhaps this is a good reference when booking.
Click or tap here to visit the Bureau of Transportation’s website and access the data found in the study.