2019 Thanksgiving Travel Report: Least Stressful US Airports

InsureMyTrip released a ranking of the 75 least stressful US airports for flight cancellations

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Nov 21, 2019, 10:26 ET

WARWICK, R.I., Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- To help empower travelers to make more informed decisions when it comes to holiday travel, researchers at InsureMyTrip reveal which airports tend to cancel flights more than others and how the latest data trends can aid travelers when comparing travel insurance benefits.

Summary

Hawaii airports are considered the least stressful followed by Salt Lake City (SLC) and Atlanta (ATL).
InsureMyTrip predicts New York's LaGuardia (LGA) will no longer be most stressful for travelers this 2019 Thanksgiving. LGA has improved its cancellation rate this year. The airport previously reported the highest percentage of canceled flights in the country for both 2018 and 2017 (winter storms a factor).
Chicago airports have endured a rough patch with on-time performance issues. Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) and Chicago Midway International (MDW) are currently experiencing the highest cancellation rates in the country, based on available 2019 data. Those numbers don't yet include last week's snow storms which grounded over 1,000 flights.
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 least stressful airports this Thanksgiving, based on flight cancellation rates:

Ranking — City/Airport

1 Honolulu, HI: Daniel K Inouye International (LOWEST)

2 Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport

3 Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International

4 Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International

5 Boise, ID: Boise Air Terminal

6 Portland, OR: Portland International

7 Spokane, WA: Spokane International

8 San Juan, PR: Luis Munoz Marin International

9 Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International

10 Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis-St Paul International

11 Detroit, MI: Detroit Metro Wayne County

12 Anchorage, AK: Ted Stevens Anchorage International

13 Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International

14 Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County

15 Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International

16 Miami, FL: Miami International

17 Las Vegas, NV: McCarran International

18 Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque International Sunport

19 Tucson, AZ: Tucson International

20 Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix Sky Harbor International

21 Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International

22 Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International

23 Reno, NV: Reno/Tahoe International

24 Austin, TX: Austin - Bergstrom International

25 San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International

26 Tampa, FL: Tampa International

27 Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston

28 Ontario, CA: Ontario International

29 San Diego, CA: San Diego International

30 New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International

31 Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International

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

33 Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International

34 Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International

35 Nashville, TN: Nashville International

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

37 Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International

38 Knoxville, TN: McGhee Tyson

39 Orlando, FL: Orlando International

40 Louisville, KY: Louisville Muhammad Ali International

41 Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh International

42 Denver, CO: Denver International

43 New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International

44 Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International

45 Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville International

46 Hartford, CT: Bradley International

47 Omaha, NE: Eppley Airfield

48 Oklahoma City, OK: Will Rogers World

49 Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International

50 Columbus, OH: John Glenn Columbus International

51 Boston, MA: Logan International

52 Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International

53 Memphis, TN: Memphis International

54 San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International

55 Richmond, VA: Richmond International

56 Birmingham, AL: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International

57 Cleveland, OH: Cleveland-Hopkins International

58 St. Louis, MO: St Louis Lambert International

59 Providence, RI: Theodore Francis Green State

60 Milwaukee, WI: General Mitchell International

61 Charleston, SC: Charleston AFB/International

62 Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia International

63 Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National

64 Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall

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

66 Norfolk, VA: Norfolk International

67 Grand Rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford International

68 New York, NY: LaGuardia

69 Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field

70 Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International

71 Burbank, CA: Bob Hope

72 Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International

73 Houston, TX: William P Hobby

74 Chicago, IL: Chicago O'Hare International

75 Chicago, IL: Chicago Midway International (HIGHEST)

This list contains the data for non-stop domestic flights by major air carriers collected in 2019 thus far by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and analyzed by InsureMyTrip.

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.

To schedule an interview with an expert or to request specific research data on US airport statistics, please contact [email protected].

Methodology

Rankings were based on the flight cancellation rate per airport. Airports on the list also reported 14,000 or more scheduled flights for 2019 thus far. Researchers also noted other factors, like hurricanes and winter storms, led some airports to report a high number of canceled flights earlier in the year.

About InsureMyTrip

It's simple. InsureMyTrip finds you the right travel insurance plan, every time. InsureMyTrip is the authority on travel insurance. We are committed to empowering travelers to make the best possible insurance decisions by leveraging our technology, data intelligence, and expertise.

Contact:
Julie Loffredi
[email protected]

SOURCE InsureMyTrip