In an effort to help empower passengers to make more informed decisions while traveling during the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season (June-October), InsureMyTrip predicts which US airports are most prone to delays and cancellations and what passengers should know about airline policies.
Summary:
- Researchers ranked the on-time performance for the busiest airports in the Eastern US, the part of the country that is most impacted by tropical storms.
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is ranked the best overall for handling delays and cancellations during hurricane season. It is also the busiest.
- Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, and John F. Kennedy International are ranked the worst overall for delays and cancellations during hurricane season. All three airports are twice as likely to report a weather delay than any other airport on the list.
- Passengers should anticipate flight disruptions when a storm develops. Nationwide, flight cancellations soared for major US airports in August and September last year due to storms.
This list ranks the overall on-time performance for the 25 busiest airports in the Eastern US during hurricane season.
| Overall Ranking (Worst to Best) |
Airport |
| 1 | Newark, NJ: Newark Liberty International |
| 2 | New York, NY: LaGuardia |
| 3 | New York, NY: John F. Kennedy International |
| 4 | Houston, TX: George Bush Intercontinental/Houston |
| 5 | Washington, DC: Ronald Reagan Washington National |
| 6 | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX: Dallas/Fort Worth International |
| 7 | Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia International |
| 9 | Boston, MA: Logan International |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall |
| 11 | Dallas, TX: Dallas Love Field |
| 12 | Orlando, FL: Orlando International |
| 13 | Houston, TX: William P Hobby |
| 14 | Miami, FL: Miami International |
| 15 | Washington, DC: Washington Dulles International |
| 16 | Fort Myers, FL: Southwest Florida International |
| 17 | Raleigh/Durham, NC: Raleigh-Durham International |
| 18 | Austin, TX: Austin – Bergstrom International |
| 19 | Tampa, FL: Tampa International |
| 20 | Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Douglas International |
| 21 | Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh International |
| 22 | Nashville, TN: Nashville International |
| 23 | San Antonio, TX: San Antonio International |
| 24 | New Orleans, LA: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International |
| 25 | Atlanta, GA: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International |
Peak months for flight cancellations
Peak months for hurricane and tropical storm activity also appears to correlate with a higher number of canceled flights nationwide. For example, the highest percentage of all flights canceled in 2017 was reported during August and September. These months also experienced high storm activity along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast.
| Month | Arrival Delays | Delayed (%) | Flights Canceled | Canceled (%) | Diverted | Flight Operations |
| January | 97,699 | 21.71% | 8,886 | 1.97% | 1,486 | 450,017 |
| February | 64,264 | 15.65% | 6,312 | 1.54% | 980 | 410,517 |
| March | 88,638 | 18.14% | 8,527 | 1.75% | 917 | 488,597 |
| April | 92,143 | 19.67% | 7,398 | 1.58% | 954 | 468,329 |
| May | 96,680 | 19.87% | 4,039 | 0.83% | 944 | 486,483 |
| June | 110,719 | 22.40% | 5,379 | 1.09% | 1,306 | 494,266 |
| July | 110,081 | 21.62% | 5,757 | 1.13% | 1,555 | 509,070 |
| August | 104,709 | 20.51% | 11,007 | 2.16% | 1,286 | 510,451 |
| September | 58,914 | 12.84% | 15,343 | 3.34% | 791 | 458,727 |
| October | 69,027 | 14.39% | 3,303 | 0.69% | 747 | 479,797 |
| November | 51,298 | 11.30% | 1,418 | 0.31% | 575 | 454,162 |
| December | 85,302 | 18.38% | 5,324 | 1.15% | 989 | 464,205 |
| 2017 (Annual) | 1,029,474 | 18.14% | 82,693 | 1.46% | 12,530 | 5,674,621 |
Hurricanes and Airline Cancellation Policies
Flight cancellation policies vary by airline and circumstance. When an airline cancels a flight due to bad weather, most will try to rebook passengers on the next available flight.
Airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight, including:
- Hotel fees
- All-inclusive vacation or resort fees
- Cruise payment
- A pre-paid tour or safari
- Concert or entertainment tickets
Travelers concerned about protecting any pre-paid, non-refundable trip expenses should buy travel insurance.
