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Holiday travel report: The most stressful airports in the US

La Guardia Airport, New York.

InsureMyTrip released a ranking of the 75 worst US airports for flight cancellations.

WARWICK, R.I. – To help empower travelers to make more informed decisions when it comes to holiday travel, researchers at InsureMyTrip reveal which airports to possibly avoid and how the latest data trends can aid travelers when comparing travel insurance benefits.

Summary

  • InsureMyTrip predicts New York's LaGuardia (LGA) will be most stressful for travelers this Christmas. LGA reports the highest percentage of canceled flights (4.9%) so far this year.
  • Flights scheduled for departure between 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm are more susceptible to delays and cancellations.
  • If a flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook travelers on the next available flight at no additional charge. – However, airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight.

This is the list of the most stressful airports this Christmas, based on flight cancellation rates:

Rank/Code

City/Airport

1. LGA 

New York, NY: LaGuardia (Worst)

2. ORF 

Norfolk, VA: Norfolk International

3. CHS 

Charleston, SC: Charleston AFB/International

4. ROC 

Rochester, NY: Greater Rochester International

5. PHL 

Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia International

6. EWR  

Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International

7. PVD  

Providence, RI: Theodore Francis Green State

8. DCA  

Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National

9. BUF 

Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International

10. JFK 

New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International

11. BOS 

Boston, MA: Logan International

12. BDL 

Hartford, CT: Bradley International

13. RDU 

Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International

14. RIC 

Richmond, VA: Richmond International

15. CLT 

Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International

16. MDW 

Chicago, IL: Chicago Midway International

17. BWI 

Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall

18. GRR 

Grand Rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford International

19. ORD 

Chicago, IL: Chicago O'Hare International

20. CLE 

Cleveland, OH: Cleveland-Hopkins International

21. CMH 

Columbus, OH: John Glenn Columbus International

22. PIT 

Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh International

23. SDF 

Louisville, KY: Louisville International-Standiford Field

24. CVG 

Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International

25. JAX  

Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville International

26. PBI 

West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL: Palm Beach International

27. BHM 

Birmingham, AL: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International

28. MKE 

Milwaukee, WI: General Mitchell International

29. IAD  

Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International

30. IND 

Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International

31. MEM 

Memphis, TN: Memphis International

32. DFW 

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Dallas/Fort Worth International

33. BNA 

Nashville, TN: Nashville International

34. BUR 

Burbank, CA: Bob Hope

35. STL 

St. Louis, MO: St Louis Lambert International

36. HOU 

Houston, TX: William P Hobby

37. OMA 

Omaha, NE: Eppley Airfield

38. RSW 

Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International

39. DAL 

  Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field

40. MCI 

Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International

41. SFO 

San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International

42. MSY 

New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International

43. OKC 

Oklahoma City, OK: Will Rogers World

44. TPA 

Tampa, FL: Tampa International

45. MCO  

Orlando, FL: Orlando International

46. OAK 

Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International

47. MIA 

Miami, FL: Miami International

48. MSP 

Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis-St Paul International

49. FLL 

Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International

50. DTW 

Detroit, MI: Detroit Metro Wayne County

51. AUS 

Austin, TX: Austin – Bergstrom International

52. ANC  

Anchorage, AK: Ted Stevens Anchorage International

53. IAH 

Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston

54. SAT 

San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International

55. SJU 

San Juan, PR: Luis Munoz Marin International

56. SAN 

San Diego, CA: San Diego International

57. LAX  

Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International

58. ABQ 

Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque International Sunport

59. DEN 

 Denver, CO: Denver International

60. TUS 

Tucson, AZ: Tucson International

61. SJC  

San Jose, CA: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International

62. PHX 

Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix Sky Harbor International

63. LAS 

Las Vegas, NV: McCarran International

64. HNL 

Honolulu, HI: Daniel K Inouye International

65. ATL 

Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International

66. ONT 

Ontario, CA: Ontario International

67. GEG 

Spokane, WA: Spokane International

68. SNA 

Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County

69. RNO 

Reno, NV: Reno/Tahoe International

70. SMF 

Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International

71. PDX 

Portland, OR: Portland International

72. OGG 

Kahului, HI: Kahului Airport

73. SEA 

Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International

74. BOI 

Boise, ID: Boise Air Terminal

75. SLC 

Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International

 

This table contains data for non-stop domestic flights by major air carriers collected in 2018 thus far by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 

Flight 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 also not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight, such as 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 trip expenses should buy travel insurance.

Dealing With Flight Delays
Each airline has its own flight delay policy for passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements. Travelers concerned about delays should be aware of the following: 

  • Generally, early departures are less likely to be delayed.
  • Book a non-stop flight (no stops).
  • When booking, ask the airline about the on-time performance percentage for an individual flight.
  • Closer to departure, check real-time airport data. This will provide timely information on weather concerns or air traffic delays.
  • Be aware of "creeping delays." This is when an airline continues to push back a departure time it can sometimes be extended for hours or lead to a cancellation.
  • If a flight is delayed, try to learn the reason why to better gauge if the flight is in jeopardy of being canceled. – Reasons for delays may include maintenance, fueling, crew issues, weather, previous flight with the same aircraft arrived late, causing the present flight to depart late, or security issues.
  • Some flights will be delayed on the tarmac before or after take-off. As a general rule, DOT prohibits flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours.
  • Passengers with departing flights at busier airports should consider travel insurance with robust travel delay benefits.
News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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