Airports With the Worst Records for Cancellations and Delays

During a trip last summer, the chief executive of London’s Heathrow Airport asked airlines to stop selling tickets due to staff shortages. Amsterdam Schiphol sets capacity cap. London Gatwick reduced flights for July and August. Air Canada is reducing the number of flights by about 15 per cent.

What should travelers expect in the summer of 2023? And where are delays and cancellations most likely?

Flight tracking website FlightAware may provide a clue: Between Memorial Day and Labor Day in 2022, the US airports with the most delays and cancellations, in order, are: Newark Liberty International Airport, La Guardia Airport and Kennedy Airport in New York; Reagan National in Washington; Miami International; Orlando International; Boston Logan International; and Charlotte Douglas International, in Charlotte, NC

In Newark and Orlando, which were the worst for delays last summer, nearly 35 percent of flights departing from those airports did not arrive at their proper destination. Newark also held the title for most cancellations last summer, with nearly 9 percent of flights scratched altogether.

Globally, the worst percentage of delays and cancellations, in order, are at international airports in Toronto, Sydney, Jakarta, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich and London (both Gatwick and Heathrow). Toronto Pearson stood out from the pack, with more than half of its flights delayed, and 7 percent of departures canceled.

Whether the airport will be the cause of greater travel woes is hard to tell. Some are taking precautionary measures to try to reduce the summer surge.

At Toronto Pearson, restrictions are in place on the number of flights arriving and departing from the airport this summer, and improvements such as contactless check-in and supported staff are being implemented. Amsterdam Schiphol has no plans for summer closures, nor does Heathrow.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration published a note saying that there will be delays in the Northeast this summer compared to 2022, so the agency loosened restrictions on airlines operating in Washington, DC, and New York to reduce disruptions.

But there are some strategies that passengers can use to increase the chances of a pain-free trip. For one, avoiding the airport with the highest delay and cancellation rates last summer might be a good idea. And flying nonstop eliminates the risk of something going wrong with the connection. But since the worst airports are also some of the biggest hubs for major airlines, it is not always realistic to let them, and depending on where you fly from, you may be forced to connect.

But passengers can avoid traveling at busy times, such as when long-haul flights arrive, which can cause congestion. Most overnight long-haul flights from the United States to Europe arrive at their destination city between 6 a.m. and noon local time. The Customs and Border Protection wait time website can give you a sense of the busiest times for international flights arriving in the United States, so you can plan around that.

Booking the first flight of the day can also be a smart move, because if a flight is canceled, you have a better chance of taking another flight on the same day. Making a joint pillow at times is an easy way to prevent headaches.

Staying aware of what complications summer weather can bring can also help. In the past month, smoke from wildfires in the Western United States has affected airports in San Francisco, Denver, Seattle and Reno, Nev. Hurricane season can cause delays in Gulf Coast and Atlantic airports like Houston, New Orleans, Miami and Atlanta. Even the heat itself can cause problems: Last summer London’s Luton airport had to shut down after scorching temperatures caused the runway to buckle, and Phoenix has faced the same problem.