US Airports Ranked By Flight Cancellation Rates
Wednesday, February 26th, 2020
In an effort to help empower passengers to make more informed decisions when booking flights, InsureMyTrip reveals which of the country's busiest airports are more prone to flight cancellations and what passengers should know about airline cancellation policies.
Summary:
Chicago Midway International reported the highest cancellation rates in the country, bad storms and the groundings of 737 Max jets likely contributed to the spike.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International continues to make an impressive on-time performance comeback in 2019.
New York's LaGuardia no longer reports the highest percentage of canceled flights in the country. The NYC airport now ranks 8th, a significant improvement.
California wildfires led to a significant increase in flight cancellations for Burbank last year.
Salt Lake City International and Kahului Airport maintain a consistent reputation for punctuality, celebrating another year of shocking low cancellations.
This ranking shows U.S. airports with the most and least percentage of flights canceled. This updated list is based on newly released data, which now includes all of 2019.
Chicago, IL: Chicago Midway International (highest cancellation rate)
Burbank, CA: Bob Hope
Chicago, IL: Chicago O'Hare International
Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International
Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International
Houston, TX: William P Hobby
Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field
New York, NY: LaGuardia
Grand Rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford International
Norfolk, VA: Norfolk International
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Dallas/Fort Worth International
Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National
Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall
Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia International
Milwaukee, WI: General Mitchell International
Providence, RI: Theodore Francis Green State
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International
Charleston, SC: Charleston AFB/International
St. Louis, MO: St Louis Lambert International
Cleveland, OH: Cleveland-Hopkins International
Birmingham, AL: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International
Boston, MA: Logan International
Memphis, TN: Memphis International
Richmond, VA: Richmond International
Denver, CO: Denver International
Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International
Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International
Columbus, OH: John Glenn Columbus International
Hartford, CT: Bradley International
Oklahoma City, OK: Will Rogers World
Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International
Omaha, NE: Eppley Airfield
New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh International
Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville International
Knoxville, TN: McGhee Tyson
Louisville, KY: Louisville Muhammad Ali International
San Jose, CA: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International
Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
Nashville, TN: Nashville International
Orlando, FL: Orlando International
Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International
Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International
Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International
New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International
San Diego, CA: San Diego International
West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL: Palm Beach International
El Paso, TX: El Paso International
Ontario, CA: Ontario International
Anchorage, AK: Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Reno, NV: Reno/Tahoe International
Tucson, AZ: Tucson International
San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International
Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston
Austin, TX: Austin - Bergstrom International
Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International
Tampa, FL: Tampa International
Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix Sky Harbor International
Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque International Sunport
Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County
Las Vegas, NV: McCarran International
Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International
Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International
Miami, FL: Miami International
Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International
Detroit, MI: Detroit Metro Wayne County
Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis-St Paul International
Spokane, WA: Spokane International
San Juan, PR: Luis Munoz Marin International
Portland, OR: Portland International
Boise, ID: Boise Air Terminal
Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Honolulu, HI: Daniel K Inouye International
Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International
Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport
Data Source: InsureMyTrip and The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS tracks the on-time performance of domestic flights operated by large air carriers. Rankings were based on the flight cancellation rate per airport. Airports on the list also reported 19,000 or more scheduled flights for 2019.
Airline Cancellation Policies
Flight cancellation policies vary by airline and circumstance. When an airline cancels a flight, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight.
Airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight. These losses may include such as a prepaid, non-refundable:
Hotel room
All-inclusive vacation or resort
A cruise
A tour or safari
Concert or entertainment tickets
Travelers concerned about protecting any non-refundable, pre-paid trip expenses should buy travel insurance.