You’re Most Likely to Be Delayed Flying From These Airports – 2023 Study

By Patrick Villanova | SEPT 28, 2023

Most air travelers know the sinking feeling of disappointment when they first learn that their flight home has been delayed. Flight delays can be caused for a variety of reasons, the most common of which being late arriving aircraft and air carrier delays such as maintenance problems or fueling. But flight delays are more common at certain airports than others: In 2023, major airports range from having 30% of flights delayed to only 12%.

To better understand where flights are most likely to be delayed, SmartAsset examined flight data for 30 major airports across the U.S. and ranked them based on the percentage of planes that left on time. 

Key Findings

• On-time flights are up 7% since 2021. In May 2023, four out of five flights left on time across the 30 major airports with available data. 
• Newark has the best one-year improvement in on-time flights. While only 58% percent of flights departing from Newark Liberty International Airport took off on time in May 2022, that number reached 77% one year later.
• This Chicago airport sees the biggest two-year improvement. More than half of the flights (52.67%) out of Chicago’s Midway Airport MDW were delayed in June 2021. By May 2023, the number of delayed flights had dropped to 25% – the largest two-year improvement across the 30 major airports. 
• Less than 70% of flights take off on time from Houston and Denver. No airport had a higher percentage of flight delays in May 2023 than George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, where only 69.47% of flights left at their scheduled times. Passengers flying out of Denver International Airport didn’t fare much better. Only 69.85% of flights left the Mile High City on time in May 2023. 
• Flights are most expensive out of Dulles International Airport. The average cost of a domestic ticket leaving this Washington D.C.-area airport was $487.49 in May 2023. That’s nearly $33 more expensive than flying domestically out of the next costliest airport: Minneapolis/St Paul.

Top 10 Airports With the Least Delays

1. Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP)
   No major airport had a higher percentage of flights leave on time than Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. In May 2023, nearly 89% of flights left at their scheduled times, making Minneapolis/St. Paul the most punctual out of the 30 major airports. That was an improvement from a year earlier when 80.29% of flights took off on time. 
2. Detroit, MI (DTW)
   Like Minneapolis/St. Paul, nearly nine out of 10 flights (88.28%) leaving Detroit Metro Airport were on time in May 2023. A year earlier, 80.40% of planes left at their scheduled time. Detroit was also the fifth-most expensive of the major airports to fly from, with the average domestic ticket costing $447.64 in May 2023. 
3. Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
   Salt Lake City International Airport had the lowest percentage of delayed flights in May 2022, but dropped to third-best a year later. The airport, which has received international awards for its snow and ice removal efforts, saw nearly 87% of flights leave at their scheduled times in May 2023. The average cost of a domestic flight from Salt Lake City was $448.55, fourth-most across the 30 major airports. 
4. New York, NY (LGA)
   Flights left New York’s LaGuardia Airport on time nearly 87% of the time, which ranks fourth-best across the 30 major airports. LaGuardia, which is one of three airports in the New York metropolitan area, recently underwent a $8 billion renovation. While nearly 30% of flights were delayed in May 2022, that number dropped to less than 14% one year later. 
5. Washington, DC (DCA)
   Reagan National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia saw 86.31% of flights depart on time and less than 14% of flights get delayed in May 2023. That was a significant improvement from a year earlier when approximately 29% of flights left after their scheduled departure times. 
6. Seattle, WA (SEA)
   Eighty-six percent of flights departed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on time in May 2023, making it the sixth-most punctual of the 30 major airports. Delays fell slightly from two years earlier when one out of every five planes took off late. 
7. Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
   Philadelphia International Airport saw just under 86% of planes take off on time in May 2023, a moderate improvement from two years earlier when 80.67% of flights left on time. The average cost of a domestic flight out of the City of Brotherly Love was $406.34 in May 2023, ninth-most across the 30 major airports.
8. Washington, DC (IAD)
   Dulles International Airport, the larger of Washington D.C.’s two primary airports, saw a significant one-year improvement in on-time departures in 2023. In May, 84.11% of planes took off on time. A year earlier, only 75.76% of flights left at their scheduled times. No airport was more expensive to fly domestically in May 2023, when departure flights averaged $487.49 per ticket.
9. Charlotte, NC (CLT)
   About 17% of flights that left Charlotte Douglas International Airport in May 2023 were delayed, ninth-lowest across the 30 major airports. However, the average cost of a domestic flight from  Charlotte was $453.89 – third-most out of the 30 major airports.  
10. Chicago, IL (ORD)
    One of the busiest airports in the country, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago had the 10th-lowest percentage of delayed flights in May 2023. While 82.59% of planes took off on time, less than 18% were delayed. That was a marked improvement from two years earlier when only 73.22% of flights left on time.

Data and Methodology

This study ranked 30 major airports based on their rate of on-time flights during the month of May 2023. Flights were considered to be not-on-time if there was a delay of 15 minutes ore more. These stats were also compared to the same metric from May 2022 and June 2021. Data comes from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Note: Not all historical data was available for Nashville (BNA) and Austin (AUS).

Financial Tips for Travel

• Credit card points and airline miles can help you offset the cost of travel. Check out SmartAsset’s list of the best travel credit cards in 2023, which may help you find a card that matches up with your travel needs.
• The price of air travel can vary widely in different parts of the country. That’s why SmartAsset recently examined where airfares increased the most between 2022 and 2023. 
• A financial advisor can help you save and budget for discretionary expenses, like travel and vacations. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. 

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