US Airports Ranked By Flight Cancellation Rates


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.

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.
  • 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.

  1. Chicago, IL: Chicago Midway International (highest cancellation rate)
  2. Burbank, CA: Bob Hope
  3. Chicago, IL: Chicago O’Hare International
  4. Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International
  5. Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Niagara International
  6. Houston, TX: William P Hobby
  7. Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field
  8. New York, NY: LaGuardia
  9. Grand Rapids, MI: Gerald R. Ford International
  10. Norfolk, VA: Norfolk International
  11. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Dallas/Fort Worth International
  12. Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National
  13. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall
  14. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia International
  15. Milwaukee, WI: General Mitchell International
  16. Providence, RI: Theodore Francis Green State
  17. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco International
  18. Charleston, SC: Charleston AFB/International
  19. St. Louis, MO: St Louis Lambert International
  20. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland-Hopkins International
  21. Birmingham, AL: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International
  22. Boston, MA: Logan International
  23. Memphis, TN: Memphis International
  24. Richmond, VA: Richmond International
  25. Denver, CO: Denver International
  26. Kansas City, MO: Kansas City International
  27. Oakland, CA: Metropolitan Oakland International
  28. Columbus, OH: John Glenn Columbus International
  29. Hartford, CT: Bradley International
  30. Oklahoma City, OK: Will Rogers World
  31. Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis International
  32. Omaha, NE: Eppley Airfield
  33. New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
  34. Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh International
  35. Jacksonville, FL: Jacksonville International
  36. Knoxville, TN: McGhee Tyson
  37. Louisville, KY: Louisville Muhammad Ali International
  38. San Jose, CA: Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International
  39. Cincinnati, OH: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
  40. Nashville, TN: Nashville International
  41. Orlando, FL: Orlando International
  42. Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International
  43. Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International
  44. Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International
  45. New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International
  46. San Diego, CA: San Diego International
  47. West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL: Palm Beach International
  48. El Paso, TX: El Paso International
  49. Ontario, CA: Ontario International
  50. Anchorage, AK: Ted Stevens Anchorage International
  51. Reno, NV: Reno/Tahoe International
  52. Tucson, AZ: Tucson International
  53. San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International
  54. Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston
  55. Austin, TX: Austin – Bergstrom International
  56. Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International
  57. Tampa, FL: Tampa International
  58. Phoenix, AZ: Phoenix Sky Harbor International
  59. Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque International Sunport
  60. Santa Ana, CA: John Wayne Airport-Orange County
  61. Las Vegas, NV: McCarran International
  62. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
  63. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles International
  64. Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International
  65. Miami, FL: Miami International
  66. Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International
  67. Detroit, MI: Detroit Metro Wayne County
  68. Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis-St Paul International
  69. Spokane, WA: Spokane International
  70. San Juan, PR: Luis Munoz Marin International
  71. Portland, OR: Portland International
  72. Boise, ID: Boise Air Terminal
  73. Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
  74. Honolulu, HI: Daniel K Inouye International
  75. Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International
  76. 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.

SOURCE InsureMyTrip