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Airports With the Most Summertime Flight Delays [2025 Data Study]
Keri Stooksbury
Keri Stooksbury
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Summer travel can be unpredictable. Crowded airports, tight schedules, and seasonal weather all play a role in making or breaking your trip. And while some flight disruptions are unavoidable, others depend a lot on where you’re flying and which airline you choose.
We analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to find out which airports and airlines are most likely to cause travel headaches during the summer months. Our study looked at flights from June through August in the years 2022 through 2024, focusing on delay rates, average wait times, cancellation percentages, and tarmac delays.
Keep reading to see which airports and airlines struggled most — and which ones helped travelers stay on schedule.
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Airports With the Most and Fewest Summer Flight Delays
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Summer travel is always in high demand, and with that comes an increase in flight delays. From June through August, an average of 26.4% of flights across the country were delayed, according to our analysis of BTS data from 2022 to 2024. But at some airports, delays were far more common.
Here are the airports with the highest percentage of delayed departures during the summer months:
All 5 airports are known for heavy traffic during the summer, with 3 located in Florida alone. Orlando and Miami are popular vacation hubs, while Fort Lauderdale serves as a major link to Caribbean destinations. Baltimore and Chicago Midway both handle a high volume of short-haul domestic flights, which are especially susceptible to delays thanks to ripple effects from regional weather and air traffic congestion as air travel reaches its apex during the summer.
On the other end of the spectrum, several airports managed to avoid widespread delays and kept flights running on time more consistently:
Boise Airport (BOI) – 15.6%
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) – 16.6%
Airports in less densely populated regions, like Boise and Anchorage, tend to experience less air traffic, contributing to fewer delays. Both airports in Hawaii that we analyzed, Honolulu and Maui, benefit from more stable weather and steady flight patterns, making it easier to keep flights departing at their scheduled time.
The biggest drivers of summer travel delays are airport size, destination vacation popularity, and local weather conditions. Florida cities happen to be in a perfect storm of all 3, making the state a hotbed for delayed flights all summer long.
After determining the places travelers are most likely to get delayed, we wanted to dig a little deeper into the data and find out just how long passengers can expect to wait for any flight they take this summer.
Airports With the Longest and Shortest Summer Flight Delays
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It’s not just how often flights are delayed that matters for people planning their summer getaways — it’s how long they’ll end up actually waiting. During peak travel season, the average delay across all major U.S. airports was 17.7 minutes. But at some airports, delays stretch well beyond that.
These airports had the longest average flight delays from June through August:
Orlando International Airport (MCO) – 26.7 minutes
Miami International Airport (MIA) – 26.6 minutes
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL) – 25.4 minutes
Florida airports continue to stand out, with the same 3 usual suspects taking the gold, silver, and bronze for departure delay times. All 3 serve as major entry points for leisure travelers, often operating at full capacity during peak months. Charlotte and Newark are busy connecting hubs, where delays in other regions can quickly impact outbound schedules. Those ripples may not impact the largest percentage of flights, but they clearly stack up and have travelers waiting for their departures much longer than normal.
Meanwhile, these airports kept average delays to a minimum:
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) – 7.1 minutes
Boise Airport (BOI) – 7.3 minutes
Kahului Airport (OGG) – 7.4 minutes
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) – 7.7 minutes
Unsurprisingly, 4 of the 5 airports with the fewest delayed flights also have some of the shortest average delays. Airports in Hawaii continue to stand out for their ability to keep things moving, which is great for summer travelers visiting one of the most beautiful vacation destinations around.
The lone newcomer to the top 5 is San José. Its smaller size compared to neighboring Bay Area airports is likely the driving force behind its faster turnaround times.
Even when delays happen, not all airports are equal when it comes to how long you’ll be waiting. Sorry, Florida vacationers, but it seems you’re not only going to be delayed when departing this summer, you’re going to be delayed for a while.
Next, we’ll look at how often flights are canceled during the summer and which airports leave travelers waiting longest on the tarmac.
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Summer Time Cancellations and Tarmac Times at Major U.S. Airports
Delays aren’t the only thing that can disrupt summer travel. Flight cancellations and long tarmac waits can make even a short trip feel like a marathon, which no one wants as they’re starting or finishing their summer vacation.
Summer Time Flight Cancellations at Major U.S. Airports
The average cancellation rate across all airports in our study was 2.2%, but some hubs far exceed that expectation. Here are the 5 airports with the highest percentage of canceled summer flights:
Airports in the Northeast are heavily represented at the top of this list, with all 3 major New York City airports ranking among the highest for summer cancellations. These airports operate in some of the most densely populated areas in the country, and even minor weather disruptions and airspace congestion can lead to cascading delays and cancellations.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a top 5 summer travel list without a Florida airport making an appearance. This time, it’s Palm Beach holding down the fort for the Sunshine State.
In contrast, these airports reported the lowest cancellation rates during the summer:
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) – 0.7%
Fewer travelers overall, less congested skies, and more stable weather patterns helped keep cancellation rates low in these areas. Hawaii‘s airports continue to perform well across several metrics.
Oakland’s inclusion in the list isn’t a surprise given its size and relation to larger airports in the area, but Seattle really stands out given its relatively high passenger traffic and status as a major West Coast hub — very impressive.
Average Summer Tarmac Wait Times at Major U.S. Airports
When delayed flights do finally depart, wait time on the tarmac is another key part of the passenger experience. The average across all airports was 18 minutes, but at some airports, it was significantly longer.
These airports had the longest average tarmac wait times in the summer:
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – 30.1 minutes
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) – 25.4 minutes
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – 25.2 minutes
All 5 airports are located in or near major metropolitan areas with limited runway space and heavy traffic volumes. JFK tops the list, with average tarmac waits exceeding 30 minutes, likely driven by high international passenger traffic and the congested taxiways that come with a location in the U.S.’ most populous city. Airports that service other large metros, Chicago and Philadelphia, round out the top 5 with tarmac times in excess of 21 minutes each.
Meanwhile, these airports offered the quickest takeoffs after leaving the gate:
Ontario International Airport (ONT) – 12.2 minutes
Smaller airports with more manageable traffic flows tend to see faster taxi-out times. Hobby inHouston and Dallas Love Field both benefit from serving fewer long-haul routes than nearby international airports, helping keep operations more efficient.
Flight disruptions can take many forms, and while cancellations are the worst-case scenario, long tarmac waits can be incredibly frustrating in their own right. I mean, we’re on the plane, why haven’t we taken off yet?
Now, let’s shift our focus from airports to airlines to see which carriers tend to struggle the most, and least, during the summer months.
Summer Flight Delays for Major U.S. Airlines
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Flight delays don’t just vary by airport; the airline you choose can also make a big difference. Some carriers are more prone to delays during the summer travel season — both in how often they’re late and how long travelers are left waiting.
Let’s start with the airlines that had the highest percentage of delayed flights from June through August:
JetBlue tops the list for the most delayed flights, with more than one-third of its summer departures arriving behind schedule. Frontier and Spirit, both low-cost carriers that operate busy summer routes, also report high delay rates. Even Southwest and American, 2 of the country’s largest carriers, see delays on nearly a third of their flights.
Of course, how long you’re delayed also matters. These airlines reported the longest average delays per flight:
JetBlue again ranks first, with delays averaging nearly 30 minutes. American and Frontier also trend high, suggesting that once a delay occurs, it tends to last longer. Allegiant, while not among the most frequently delayed, still posts longer-than-average wait times when delays do happen.
Travelers may want to factor in more than just price and route when choosing an airline for their upcoming summer trips.
How Every Airport Stacks up for Summer Travel
Interested in how your local airport fares when it comes to summer travel delays? We’ve compiled our full data study for all 60 U.S. airports we analyzed into an interactive table below. You can search directly to find a specific airport or sort through the individual data points to see how yours stacks up.
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Methodology
To determine the airports most prone to summertime flight delays, we analyzed departure data on every flight from the U.S.’ 60 largest airports and 10 largest airlines in June, July, and August in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
For each airport and airline, we calculated the percentage of delayed flights, the average delay time in minutes, the cancellation rate, and the average tarmac (taxi-out) time. All data came from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Final Thoughts
Flight delays and cancellations are a reality for summer travel, but some airports and airlines make those disruptions more likely than others. Whether it’s a high percentage of delayed flights, long tarmac waits, or frequent cancellations, knowing where problems tend to happen can help you plan smarter.
If you’re flying this summer, it pays to be strategic — especially when choosing routes, layovers, or even which airline to book. A little research now can save a lot of time later.
At Upgraded Points, we help travelers make more informed decisions. From choosing the best rewards credit cards to maximize your trips to finding the most reliable ways to reach your destination, our goal is to make every trip smoother. That’s true even when the skies are crowded.
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