Despite the upcoming rollout of new refund rules, flight delays and cancellations will continue to hamper some unlucky travelers this summer.
However, some airports fare better than others when it comes to getting passengers in the air and at their destination on time.
Air passenger rights company AirHelp recently collected data from across the U.S. to determine which airports experienced the most and fewest flight disruptions in May. Each qualifying airport had at least 10,000 flights last month.
The Northeast performed quite well with New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport each reporting a flight disruption rate below 24 percent.
Top-performing airports also included Utah's Salt Lake City International Airport (18.6 percent) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (20.8 percent) in Minnesota.
The 10 Best US Airports for Flight Disruptions in May
- Salt Lake City International Airport — 18.6 percent of flights disrupted
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport — 20.8 percent of flights disrupted
- John F. Kennedy International Airport — 21.8 percent of flights disrupted
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport — 22.1 percent of flights disrupted
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — 23.3 percent of flights disrupted
- Boston Logan International Airport — 23.4 percent of flights disrupted
- LaGuardia Airport — 23.6 percent of flights disrupted
- Philadelphia International Airport — 23.6 percent of flights disrupted
- Los Angeles International Airport — 24.2 percent of flights disrupted
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — 24.6 percent of flights disrupted
On the other end of the spectrum, busy airports in Texas and Florida struggled to get travelers to their destinations on time in May.
Aerial view of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. (Photo Credit: Dietlinde DuPlessis/Adobe)
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport saw more than 40 percent of flights delayed or canceled. Meanwhile, nearly one-third of flights were impacted at Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Orlando International Airport.
Elsewhere in the South, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (37.8 percent)—an ever-expanding hub for American Airlines—and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (28.4 percent) were also plagued by flight disruptions.
The 10 Worst US Airports for Flight Disruptions in May
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport — 45.6 percent of flights disrupted
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport — 40.6 percent of flights disrupted
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport — 37.8 percent of flights disrupted
- O’Hare International Airport — 34.7 percent of flights disrupted
- Miami International Airport — 31.7 percent of flights disrupted
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport — 30.5 percent of flights disrupted
- Orlando International Airport — 30.5 percent of flights disrupted
- Denver International Airport — 28.7 percent of flights disrupted
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — 28.4 percent of flights disrupted
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — 27.8 percent of flights disrupted
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