These US Airports Are Most Likely To Cancel Your Flight & One Destination Is Almost Perfect
You'll want to plan ahead at these airports!
People walking inside an airport. Right: People boarding a train.
Frequent airline travelers know that flight cancellations are no fun, especially when you're left stranded with an unexpected change in long-laid vacation plans and you're stuck figuring out what to do next.
But which United States airports are the worst offenders when it comes to these irritating changes in travel plans, and which are the best? A recent report from InsureMyTrip revealed the U.S. airports that experience the most flight cancellations, and some of the results may surprise you.
According to 2022 flight data, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, NY, had the highest cancellation rate with a whopping 5.5% rate, beating out some pretty infamously busy airports like New York's LaGuardia (No.3) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (No.67).
To put it in perspective, Buffalo's airport sees over a million passengers flying in and out over the course of a year, data from the American Airport Guide shows. From January 2022 - July 2022, Buffalo had a range of 100,000-200,000 travelers a month catch flights.
However, the huge hike in BUF's cancellations last year took place during the December 2022 blizzard that shut the airport down for about five days, and all flights were suspended. That's something to remember the next time you book a winter flight through that area.
"In my tenure since 2005, we've been closed only for a few hours at a time, here and there," Lee Weitz, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's director of aviation told The Buffalo News back in December. "This is, by far, the most we've ever had to close."
The Buffalo Airport is followed in the rankings by Fort Myers' Southern Florida International Airport (No.2), LaGuardia (No. 3), Newark (No. 3), Washington D.C. (No. 4), and Dallas (No.6). Fort Myers, LaGuardia and Buffalo all had cancelation rates over 5%.
Now, if you're aiming to avoid cancellations at all costs, there is one American destination with airports that seems to have flight punctuality down pat.
With near-perfect numbers, three airports on the Hawaiian Islands ranked in last place seeing the least amount of cancellations in the entire country including Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (No. 73), Kahului Airport (No. 74), and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (No. 75).
Kalaoa had the lowest rate of canceled flights in 2022 with a minuscule .67% that is, perhaps, thanks to the chill island vibes and the small number of flights they have to manage — 3,342 a month, says the American Airport Guide, the nice weather also helps.
As if Hawaii wasn't already the ideal summer vacation destination, the seemingly smooth airport experiences might be the final push for you to plan a trip!
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.