Spring Break Flight Data Reveals Best and Worst Airports

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 1:40 PM ET, Tue April 9, 2024

The summer travel season is just around the corner and while many of us are eagerly counting down the days to a well-earned vacation, it’s typically not the flight that gets globetrotters so excited about the R&R ahead.

Between flight delays, cancellations, and various disruptions, flying often becomes the least enjoyable part of a vacation.

And if flight disruption data from spring break 2024 is any indication, there are indeed some airports you may want to avoid in pursuit of the smoothest journey possible for summer travel.

Airhelp, the passenger rights company, recently collected data on airports throughout the United States that experienced the most flight disruptions during March (a.k.a.: high season for spring break travelers.)

And if you’re a savvy traveler, you may just want to hang on to this helpful list for future reference.

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Worst Airports

1. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport - 35.80% of flights disrupted
2. Miami International Airport - 33.19% of flights disrupted
3. Orlando International Airport - 33.03% of flights disrupted
4. Tampa International Airport - 31.60% of flights disrupted
5. Southwest Florida International Airport - 31.05% of flights disrupted
6. San Francisco International Airport - 30.64% of flights disrupted
7. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - 29.75% of flights disrupted
8. Harry Reid International Airport - 29.69% of flights disrupted
9. Palm Beach International Airport - 28.47% of flights disrupted
10. Bob Hope Airport - 28.29% of flights disrupted

Best Airports

1. Kahului Airport - 86.95% of flights on time
2. Honolulu International Airport - 85.39% of flights on time
3. Spokane International Airport - 84.81% of flights on time
4. Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field - 84.65% of flights on time
5. New York LaGuardia Airport - 84.54% of flights on time
6. Savannah/Hilton Head Airport - 84.39% of flights on time
7. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport - 84.21% of flights on time
8. Memphis International Airport - 83.83% of flights on time
9. Washington Dulles International Airport - 83.52% of flights on time
10. Kansas City International Airport - 83.28% of flights on time

In addition to the rankings, Airhelp’s report includes a few additional insights that may be helpful when planning travel.
For instance, the company found that Hawaiian airports have recovered tremendously.

“With the top two most reliable airports in the nation, Hawaiian tourism has signals of a strong rebound in 2024,” says the report.

Florida meanwhile, continues to struggle. The panhandle state is the location of five of the worst airports in America. “This is especially troubling for Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Southwest Florida, and Orlando airports, which were also in the 10 worst airports in February,” says the report.

And one last helpful tip - though not related to summer vacation.

Now is the best time for a Northeast getaway. Why now, you ask, when it’s still a bit chilly throughout the Northeast. Here’s Airhelp’s tip on this front:

“Where early spring Mid-Atlantic/Northeast may not be reliable, its airports certainly are. If you’re looking to visit America’s oldest and most iconic cities, airports in NYC, Washington DC, Boston, and Philadelphia all had airports with over 81 percent of its flights leaving on time.”