What: The Worst Airports for Flight Cancellations Serve New York
While this summer has been full of flight delays and cancellations, New York’s airports were the worst offenders. According to AirHelp, an air claims management firm, about 2.6% of flights were canceled throughout U.S. airports from May 27 to July 31. But these numbers were much higher at New York LaGuardia Airport (7.7%) and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey (7.6%). In Europe, Oslo Gardermoen Airport (8.3%) in Norway and Cologne Bonn Airport (6.7%) in Germany had significantly more cancellations than the average European airport (2.3%).
Why It Matters: Avoid the Worst Airports, and Fly Early in the Day and Week
These days, not all air travel is equal, and clients should be aware of the airports that are most consistently causing cancellations. While it’s not always easy to avoid the worst offenders — as they are some of the most trafficked airports in the world — it can pay off.
The AirHelp data also reveals the most common times for cancellations (4 p.m. to 10 p.m.), suggesting early flights are the way to go. The research also found that Thursday and Friday are the most common days for cancellations, while Mondays and Tuesdays have fewer cancellations.
Fast Facts: The Top 10 Worst Airports for Flight Cancellations and the Worst Days to Fly
- Rounding out the top 10 list of worst U.S. airports for flight cancellations are Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia (5.9%); Pittsburgh International Airport in Pennsylvania (4.1%); Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts (4%); Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina (3.8%); Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania (3.8%); Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio (3.7%); Miami International Airport in Florida (3.7%); and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (3.6%).
- Rounding out the top 10 list of worst airports in Europe are Bergen Airport in Norway (5.5%); Frankfurt International Airport in Germany (5.1%); Hamburg Airport in Germany (4.9%); Milan Malpensa Airport in Italy (4.7%); Copenhagen Kastrup Airport in Denmark (4.6%); Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands (4.3%); Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden (4.3%); and Duesseldorf International Airport in Germany (4.1%).
- The days of the week with the most flights cancellations (from most to least) are: Friday, Thursday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
