With the prediction of this being the worst summer in TSA history due to an increase in travelers, you can’t help but wonder if the wait times and delays will measure up to all the hype. And additionally, what areas are being affected the most for frequent business travelers.
A new article from MileCards.com offers some insight into this predicament. Looking at airport travel delays for the past five years, they found some interesting trends. The month of June is considered to be the worst month of the year for delays at U.S. airports. Yep, more than winter months or holiday season. The main culprits are congestion and summer thunderstorms. The best months for arriving on time are September and January.
Delving further, the Department of Transportation report ranked the busiest airports during summer months since 2010 based on several factors like on time arrivals, the wait time between leaving the gate and taking off, and the wait time from landing to parking at the gate.
Worst Airports For On-Time Summer Travel:
- Newark- 68.4% arrive on time
- San Francisco- 68.4%
- New York – La Guardia – 70.3%
Worst For Waiting To Take Off:
- New York – Kennedy – 29.8 minutes average taxi out time
- New York – La Guardia – 28.0 minutes
- Philadelphia – 23.5 minutes
Worst For Getting To The Gate:
- Los Angeles- 10.7 minutes average for taxi to gate
- Chicago O’Hare- 10.5 minutes
- Dallas – Fort Worth – 10.5 minutes
Worst Airport Overall:
- Newark – (is this really a surprise?)
Which begs the question, what are the best airports to fly through during the summer?
Best For On-Time Summer Flights:
- Honolulu- 86.4% arrive on time
- Salt lake City- 86.2%
- Seattle- 83.1%
Best For Waiting To Take Off:
- Houston – Hobby – 9.3 minutes average taxi time
- Dallas – Love – 9.9
- Oakland- 10.2 minutes
Best For Getting To The Gate:
- San Diego – 3.9 minutes to taxi to gate
- Portland – 4.0 minutes
- San Antonio – 4.1 minutes
Though a lot of business travel can be out of your control, doing what you can to avoid these airports can save you valuable time. Or, if there is no way to avoid going through Newark, for example, come prepared with extra things to keep you busy, just in case you are stuck taxiing.
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I’ve only ever been to five different airports before. I’ve been to Salt Lake City, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles and San Jose. I loved how simple SLC was, but I also really enjoyed Dallas. I think that getting to the gate there is only a problem for those who are running late, because you have to actually take a tram to where you need to be and it goes all the way around the place. However, that is why it is always important to arrive an hour or two early.