Travel delays are pretty much inevitable during the holidays thanks to a combination of factors like high volume and winter storms. But some flyers will have it worse than others when it comes to weather-related delays during the holiday peak. Travel site Upgraded Points analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine the United States airports with the worst weather delays over the holidays, from November through January.
The worst airports for holiday travel delays
Below, you’ll find the 10 airports with the highest average share of weather-related delays during the holiday months. The percentages indicate the delays caused by weather (versus other factors like maintenance issues or air traffic control), with data averaged from 2019 to 2024.
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San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, CA: 42.31%
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Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Newark, NJ: 42.09%
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LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York, NY: 38.35%
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Seattle, WA: 38.07%
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Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, MA: 31.3%
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Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago, IL: 30.8%
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Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP): St. Paul, MN: 29.9%
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George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, TX: 29.57%
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Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), Anchorage, AK: 28.34%
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Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Philadelphia, PA: 26.55%
Most of the airports that top this list are in major metropolitan areas and see significant traffic over the holidays as well as a high potential for winter storms or more extreme seasonal weather. Upgraded Points also found that travelers on Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are the most likely to experience weather delays—these airlines have major hubs at SEA and ORD, respectively.
The least-delayed airports for holiday travel
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Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, HI: 10.97%
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William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, TX: 12.31%
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Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles, CA: 12.41%
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Dallas Love Field (DAL), Dallas, TX: 12.66%
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(tie) San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Diego, CA: 13.31%
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(tie) Miami International Airport (MIA), Miami, FL: 13.31%
In general, these airports are in areas with milder winter climates. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you won’t experience delays when flying through HNL or LAX during the holidays—rather, the slowdowns are just less likely to be caused by bad weather. Upgraded Points notes that the holiday months aren’t even the worst when it comes to weather-related flight delays: summer storms in June, July, and August tend to wreck more havoc on airline schedules.
If you haven’t yet booked your flights for your winter trip, look for nonstop itineraries (even if they cost a bit more), especially if you can’t avoid flying into or out of one of the airports on this list. If you must go through one or more of them, minimize the potential for slowdowns that aren’t due to weather: travel with a carry-on, use a digital boarding pass and ID, and make sure you are receiving push notifications for updates to your flights.
