Air travel can be a stressful experience, especially when flight delays and cancellations occur.  And if it seems like that happens more often flying in and out of Florida – you’re right. Not at Southwest Florida, though. RSW did not make the list of worst airports. Our airport in Fort Myers is really laid out well. A lot of that can be attributed to it being newer than the ones on the list. Remember when they built an entirely new terminal on the opposite side of the runways and then one day just swapped? I’m so happy that RSW is our home airport, it’s run so well. As for some of the other airports in Florida……..

According to The Bureau of Transportations Statistics, there were 1,042,056 delayed flights in the US in 2022. Vacation experts at Family Destinations Guide have used data from the Bureau of Transportations Statistics to reveal the best (and worst) airports for travel in the US in 2022 by comparing the number of delays in every airport in the US. This study doesn’t take into account the lost luggage issue which has been a big deal lately. 

Let’s start with the worst airports for travel in 2022: 

Airport 

Location 

Flights delayed in 2022 (%) 

Flights on time in 2022 (%) 

Flights canceled in 2022 (%) 

Flight Operations in 2022 

Orlando International Airport 

Orlando, Florida 

28.24 

67.81 

3.52 

108,330 

Newark Liberty International Airport 

Newark, New Jersey 

26.51 

67.07 

5.94 

95,832 

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport 

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 

26.1 

70.39 

3.1 

63,250 

Tampa International Airport 

Tampa, Florida 

25.48 

70.5 

3.63 

54,909 

Miami International Airport 

Miami, Florida 

24.4 

71.92 

3.29 

82,341 

Harry Reid International Airport 

Las Vegas, Nevada 

24.34 

73.51 

1.96 

129,093 

Chicago Midway International Airport 

Chicago, Illinois 

24.11 

72.78 

2.81 

56,186 

John F. Kennedy International Airport 

New York, New York 

24.08 

71.21 

4.42 

102,500 

Boston Logan International Airport 

Boston, Massachusetts 

23.33 

72.57 

3.94 

101,702 

Baltimore/Washington International Airport 

Baltimore, Maryland 

22.41 

73.86 

3.56 

64,155

 

 

4 of the Top 5 airports in this ‘worst list’ are here in Florida. The outlier is New Jersey.  Shouldn’t being in New Jersey be punishment enough besides having your flight delayed?

  • I never fly from Orlando. Is it really the worst?

    Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida, takes first place as the worst airport for travel in 2022, with over a quarter of flights, 28%, delayed. Out of 108,330 operating flights in 2022, over 30,000 were delayed.  

  • The study by Family Destinations Guide also revealed the airports with the fewest delays.

    The best airports for travel in 2022: 

    Airport 

    Location 

    Flights delayed in 2022 (%) 

    Flights on time in 2022 (%) 

    Flights canceled in 2022 (%) 

    Flight Operations in 2022 

    Salt Lake City International Airport 

    Salt Lake City, Utah 

    14.18 

    84.7 

    1.02 

    83,390 

    Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport 

    Atlanta, Georgia 

    16.19 

    81.88 

    1.73 

    237,601 

    Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 

    Seattle, Washington 

    16.49 

    81.51 

    1.79 

    131,027 

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport 

    Minneapolis, Minnesota 

    16.51 

    81.84 

    1.5 

    91,334 

    Detroit Metropolitan Airport 

    Detroit, Michigan 

    16.63 

    81.12 

    2.2 

    96,324 

    San Francisco International Airport 

    San Francisco, California 

    16.64 

    81.58 

    1.65 

    97,638 

    George Bush Intercontinental Airport 

    Houston, Texas 

    16.67 

    80.79 

    2.23 

    93,954 

    Charlotte-Douglas International Airport 

    Charlotte, North Carolina 

    17.93 

    78.53 

    3.28 

    144,760 

    Washington Dulles International Airport 

    Washington DC 

    18 

    78.79 

    2.98 

    41,898 

    Chicago O’Hare International Airport 

    Chicago, Illinois 

    18.13 

    78.44 

    3.13 

    196,925 

  • Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah was the best airport for travel in 2022, with just 14% of flights delayed.

    Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta was the second-best, with just over 16% of flights delayed, followed by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, which was also 16%.  

    A spokesperson from Family Destinations Guide said: Flight delays can be stressful, especially if you travel with young children. Delays and cancellations happen for different reasons. It could be bad weather, airport equipment malfunction, or government shutdowns. 

    However, there are ways to avoid flight delays. Flights earlier in the day tend to have fewer delays, so try and book an early flight when possible. You could also try and book flights in the middle of the week, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, rather than a weekend, as fewer people travel on these days. 

    Try and book a nonstop route rather than a layover, as you’re more likely to encounter delays if you need to stop at an additional airport. You can also check the weather before your flight. If bad weather is predicted, this could cause delays or cancellations. Make sure you do this before you head to the airport. 

  • Family Destinations Guide is an online advice platform. They provided this study.

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