Holiday Travel Report: Most Stressful US Airports

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

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Dec 13, 2018, 15:09 ET

WARWICK, R.I., Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- 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	City/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 State
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

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.

To schedule an interview with an expert or to request specific research data, please 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.

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.

SOURCE InsureMyTrip