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U.S. Airports That Experience the Most Security Delays [2025 Data Study]
Keri Stooksbury
Keri Stooksbury
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Flight delays are one of the few certainties in air travel. Whether it’s a mechanical problem, a late-arriving aircraft, or the far less common security issue, even a small disruption can ripple through an airport’s schedule and travelers’ plans. But while delays happen everywhere, some airports experience them more often than others.
To identify where travelers are most likely to encounter setbacks before takeoff, we analyzed 1 year of on-time reporting data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) for every flight departing from America’s 60 largest airports. Our study looked at how often flights were delayed, how long those delays typically lasted, and where a rare but disruptive category of delay — security-related delays — occurs most often.
Security delays — defined by the BTS as those caused by terminal evacuations, reboarding due to security breaches, inoperative screening equipment, or unusually long screening lines (more than 29 minutes) — make up only a small fraction of total delays, but they can have a big impact on travelers when they do occur.¹
Keep reading to see which airports test travelers’ patience the most, and which keep things running smoothly, when it comes to getting flights off the ground.
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U.S. Airports With the Most Delayed Flights
Flight delays are a reality for all air travelers, but airports experience them at varying rates.
To see which airports keep travelers waiting most often, we analyzed flights departing from 60 of America’s largest airports between July 2024 and June 2025. The results show some clear trends, especially between airport size, traffic, and time lost on the tarmac.
Based on our analysis, 20.1% of all U.S. flights were delayed, with those delays averaging about 73 minutes. (Note: Only flights delayed by 15 minutes or more are counted in this average.)
While Dallas has the fifth-highest delay percentage, it experiences the fourth-shortest delays, on average. That’s likely thanks to fewer gates and faster turnaround times.
While large airports like Dallas Fort Worth and Charlotte naturally see more congestion, weather patterns and hub traffic likely play a role in their higher delay rates. Palm Beach’s long delays may stem from limited runway capacity and heavy seasonal travel, while Dallas Love Field’s shorter waits highlight the efficiency smaller airports can sometimes achieve despite high local demand.
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC): 15.1% delayed — average delay 62.1 minutes
These airports share 2 things in common: smaller traffic volumes and smoother operations. Less congestion often means fewer delays, and even when they do occur, they tend to be shorter. Western airports like Boise and Portland also benefit from fewer severe weather disruptions compared to major East Coast hubs.
Bottom Line:
Overall, delay rates vary widely depending on airport size, geography, and air traffic patterns. While 1 in 5 flights are delayed nationwide, the causes of those delays vary a bit depending on where you are.
Airports With the Most Security Delays
Image Credit: Upgraded Points
Security delays are defined as delays caused by the evacuation of a terminal or concourse, the reboarding of aircraft because of a security breach, inoperative screening equipment, and/or long lines in excess of 29 minutes at screening areas.
While these types of delays are exceedingly rare and security while traveling is paramount, there are few things more frustrating than having to reboard a flight or experiencing long delays after an already tedious screening process.
Across all flights in our study, the average number of security-related delays was 2 per 1,000 delayed flights nationwide. In other words, only a fraction of delays are tied to security problems, but at a few airports, they occur far more frequently.
Airports With the Most Security-Related Flight Delays (Per 1,000 Delayed Flights)
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL): 7 — average delay 34.3 minutes
Several airports on this list share common challenges. Busy vacation hubs like Honolulu, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale see steady flows of leisure travelers, which can strain security checkpoints during peak travel periods. Both airports in Hawaii, Honolulu and Kahului (Maui), also stand out for their higher rates of security delays relative to total traffic, possibly linked to limited terminal space and heavy international screening requirements.
Meanwhile, Dallas Love Field and Baltimore appear again after ranking among the most delayed airports overall. For these airports, operational bottlenecks may extend beyond air traffic and into screening areas, creating a ripple effect across departures.
Although security-related delays account for a small share of overall disruptions, their impact can be significant. These delays tend to last 40 to 50 minutes on average, and because they’re caused by unpredictable events like equipment failures or security incidents, they’re among the hardest for travelers and airlines to anticipate.
Even so, these cases remain outliers in the broader picture of U.S. air travel. Most airports handle thousands of flights each month without a single meaningful delay linked to security issues, which is a testament to the system’s overall efficiency.
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Methodology
To determine the airports with the most security-related flight delays, we analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) on every flight from July 2024 to June 2025 for America’s 60 largest airports. We collected information on each flight, such as whether it was delayed or canceled, how long those delays were, and what the primary cause of the delays was.
We found the percentage of delayed flights for each departing airport and the average length of those delays that lasted longer than 14 minutes. That’s because a flight isn’t considered delayed until it’s behind by at least 15 minutes.
We ranked the airports in our study based on those parameters.
Final Thoughts
Flight delays are unavoidable in air travel, whether caused by weather, congestion, or the occasional security issue. While some airports struggle more than others, understanding where delays happen most often can help travelers plan smarter and manage expectations before takeoff.
At Upgraded Points, we help travelers make the most of every journey by finding ways to earn and redeem rewards for flights, hotels, and more. Whether you’re flying through a busy hub or a smaller regional airport, a smart travel strategy can turn delays into opportunities — like relaxing in an airport lounge or earning points toward your next trip!
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