We like to stay positive and emphasize the best parts of travel, eating, drinking and going to shows. But sometimes we have to share not-so-encouraging news that affects how you travel—and that’s the case here.
San Francisco International Airport has ranked pretty unfavorably on a list of airports that cancel flights and experience significant delays. However, we’ll temper that disappointment by boasting about how none of those other airports have a “wag brigade” with a miniature-car–driving Flemish Giant rabbit, a pig and tons of dogs to calm nervous travelers. Those delays just mean you have more time to pet these happy ambassadors, right?
Getting back to the sad truth, investment property exchange service IPX 1031 has compiled Department of Transportation statistics to determine the airports with the most delays and canceled flights in 2024. San Francisco doesn’t top either of these lists, but it does come within the top 10 of both. For delays, San Francisco comes in sixth with 26.56 percent of flights running late. A flight is considered delayed if it leaves 15 minutes or more past its scheduled time. For cancellations, it comes in ninth with 1.75 percent of flights being outright canceled. Perhaps not coincidentally, SFO also comes in fifth on a recent list of the best airports to take a nap.
Another insight from the company is that 32 percent of Americans refuse to fly a certain airline because of past bad experiences and 20 percent refuse to use certain airports for the same reason.
Here are the top 10 airports with the most delays:
1. BWI (Baltimore)
2. DFW (Dallas)
3. FLL (Fort Lauderdale)
4. MIA (Miami)
5. DAL (Dallas)
6. SFO (San Francisco)
7. CLT (Charlotte)
8. MDW (Chicago)
9. HOU (Houston)
10. MCO (Orlando)
Here are the top 10 airports with the most canceled flights:
1. DFW (Dallas)
2. EWR (Newark)
3. LGA (New York)
4. IAH (Houston)
5. PDX (Portland, Oregon)
6. MIA (Miami)
7. tie: ORD (Chicago) and FLL (Fort Lauderdale)
8. CLE (Cleveland)
9. SFO (San Francisco)
10. RSW (Fort Myers)
RECOMMENDED: Stuck on a layover? These airports have great airport art.