No matter how detailed your travel plans are, a flight delay can throw your itinerary off course, especially if you miss your layover.
I’ve been there more times than I can remember, and I’m sure you have, too. You check the airline app before you leave to see whether your flight will depart on time, and even if it’s scheduled as expected, you may arrive at the airport only to be greeted by a delay or, worse, a cancellation. My most recent experience was when an airline, after several hours of delays, canceled my flight at John F. Kennedy International (JFK), and it cost me about $500 to get a flight back home on a different airline. And I'm not alone, JFK ranks lower on the list for delays but has an above-average cancellation rate (2.21 percent).
In this article
Hubs Where Delays Are Most Likely and Why
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), Denver International (DEN), and Miami International (MIA) are the top three airports with the highest percentages of delayed outbound flights, at 27.62 percent, 25.21 percent, and 24.93 percent, respectively. The delays at the three airports are mostly caused by severe local weather, national air traffic control constraints, including ground stops and reroutes, late-arriving aircraft, and major infrastructure disruptions.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth most frequently delayed departure airports are Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) with flight delays at 24.78 percent of the time. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is at 24.38 percent and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is 23.72 percent. These airports experience severe regional air traffic congestion due to high scheduling volume, technical disruptions, and a few inclement weather events.
Hubs Where Flight Delays Are Least Likely
Ranking the best airport with the lowest number of flight delays at only 14.56 percent is Portland International Airport (PDX), followed by Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) at 15.12 percent, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 17.53 percent. The primary factors contributing to the low rate of departure delays are favorable regional weather, more advanced airfield infrastructure, and relatively more efficient airline hub operations.
Other airports least likely to experience departure delays are Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Detroit Metro Wayne County (DTW). Flights are only delayed 17.95, 18.45, and 18.53 percent of the time, respectively. The main reasons for strong on-time performance include efficient layout designs and proactive schedule management. The upper Midwest and West Coast operations have less congested airspace and face fewer compounding ground-delay programs.
Why Cancellation Risk and Delay Risk Are Not Ranked the Same
Delay risk reflects an airport’s ability to maintain scheduled operations despite routine disruptions, while cancellation risk is more closely tied to the severity and length of disruptions. In general, airports often manage frequent delays to avoid cancellations, though sometimes cancellations are inevitable due to the severity of an event.
For example, DEN ranks second in overall percent of delayed outbound flights. However, it ranks 24 out of 30 airports in terms of canceled outbound flights. DEN airport operations are better able to manage multiple delayed flights with a much lower risk of canceling flights. At closer look, DEN and DCA have very similar outbound flight delay percentages (24 to 25 percent). However, DCA has a five times higher risk of canceling outbound flights than DEN.
LaGuardia International Airport (LGA), on the other hand, ranks 20 out of 30 airports in terms of the rate of delayed outbound flights, but ranks second in terms of the risk of canceled outbound flights.
What Can Travelers Do to Lower Your Odds of a Flight Delay?
A strategy to minimize the risk of flight delays and cancellations is to choose airports with strong on-time performance. If that’s not possible, another strategy would be to book early morning flights to avoid the risk of flight delays that accumulate throughout the day. It’s also smart for travelers to avoid tight connections and choose layovers with a reasonable time buffer between connecting flights.
Whichever strategies you choose, travel with a mindset of patience and grace. Everybody is doing the best they can to get everyone to their destination. Just remember that when traveling, some things, like flight departures and TSA lines, are out of your control.
Full Data
Methodology
The team at Travel Bulletin pulled data related to on-time performance, delays, and cancellations by both airline and airport via Transtats, published by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Airport data is based on originating flights from each airport. Data was specifically pulled from the "Airline On-Time Performance Data" dataset, and reflects the most recently published statistics as of January 2026. For this article, data was analyzed for the top 30 U.S. airports by passenger rank. A delay is defined as a departure at least 15 minutes behind schedule.
The Shortcut
Delays and cancellations are two different risks. Denver and Reagan National delay flights at nearly the same rate, but Reagan National cancels about five times as often.
If you have two airports to choose from, look at both numbers before you book. A cheaper fare out of an airport that cancels often can cost more once you're paying for a last-minute rebook.
If your itinerary connects through one of the most delay-prone hubs, build in a longer layover or find a route that skips it.
Book the early flight when you can. Delays tend to pile up as the day goes on, so morning departures have less to inherit.
