These Airports Are Likely to Experience Weather Delays During the Holiday Rush

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Travel delays are almost inevitable during the holidays due to a combination of factors such as high traffic volume and winter storms. But some passengers 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 identify the U.S. airports with the worst weather delays during the holidays, November through January.

Worst airports for holiday delays

Below you’ll find the 10 airports with the highest average rate of weather-related delays during the holiday months. Percentages indicate delays caused by weather (versus other factors such as maintenance issues or air traffic control), with data averaged from 2019 to 2024.

  1. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) , San Francisco, California: 42.31%

  2. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) , Newark, New Jersey: 42.09%

  3. LaGuardia Airport (LGA) , New York, NY: 38.35%

  4. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) , Seattle, Washington: 38.07%

  5. Logan International Airport (BOS) , Boston, Massachusetts: 31.3%

  6. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) , Chicago, Illinois: 30.8%

  7. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) : St. Paul, Minnesota: 29.9%

  8. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) , Houston, Texas: 29.57%

  9. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) , Anchorage, AK: 28.34%

  10. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 26.55%

Most of the airports at the top of this list are located in major metropolitan areas and experience significant holiday traffic as well as a high risk of winter storms or more extreme seasonal weather conditions. Upgraded Points also found that Alaska Airlines and United Airlines travelers are the most likely to experience weather-related delays—these airlines have major hubs in SEA and ORD, respectively.

Airports with the lowest delays for holiday travel

  1. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) , Honolulu, Hawaii: 10.97%

  2. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) , Houston, Texas: 12.31%

  3. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) , Los Angeles, California: 12.41%

  4. Dallas Love Field (DAL) , Dallas, Texas: 12.66%

  5. (tie) San Diego International Airport (SAN) , San Diego, California: 13.31%

  6. (connection) Miami International Airport (MIA) , Miami, Florida: 13.31%

Typically, these airports are located in areas with milder winter climates. Of course, this doesn’t mean you won’t experience delays when flying through HNL or LAX during the holidays—rather, slowdowns are 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 wreak even more havoc on airline schedules.

If you haven’t yet booked airfare for your winter trip, look for nonstop routes (even if they cost a little more), especially if you can’t avoid flying to or from one of the airports on this list. If you must travel through one or more of them, minimize the likelihood of non-weather-related slowdowns : travel with carry-on luggage, use a digital boarding pass and ID, and make sure you receive push notifications about updates to your flights.

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