The 10 US airports with the most frequent hour-long flight delays

Discover which US airports experience the most 60+ minute flight delays and the average delay time from AirAdvisor’s AirData. Plan efficient travel for 2026.

Amy Lancelotte

By:  Amy Lancelotte

Last Updated:  20 April 2026

TL;DR

• Palm Beach International Airport is the worst US airport for 60+ minute flight delays.
• LD60+ is the number of flights from the airport delayed on arrival by 60+ minutes.
• AirAdvisor’s AirData for LD60+ reviews flights from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025.
• New York LaGuardia has the worst LD60+ rate of 11.08%.
• The 10 worst airports for 60+ minute delays include major hubs like JFK and Chicago O’Hare, and smaller airports like Jacksonville Airport. So, long delays are not necessarily a reflection of the airport’s volume.

Jump to the top 10 ranking

A delayed flight is never fun, but is it even something you can avoid? Not entirely, unfortunately, as each flight is different, but you can plan your travel around the worst delay offenders. That’s why we developed the AirAdvisor Air Data worst US airports for 60+ minute delays.

Delays of 60 minutes or more are more likely to have a ripple effect on your plans.

So, let’s find out which US airports’ departing flights have the highest rates of 60+ minute delays and how long the average delay times are expected to be.

Methodology

Using AirAdvisor AirData from Using AirAdvisor AirData from the 45 US airports with the highest numbers of 1-hour+ delays from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025. We reviewed both the Long Delay 60+ minute (LD60+) rate and the average delay time.

• LD60+ = An arrival delay of 60 minutes or more on flights departing from the airport.
• LD60+ rate = The percentage of 60+ minute flight delays out of the total flights.
• Delay time = The average delay in minutes.

In all cases, higher values are worse. They mean higher chances of delays and longer wait times. We developed a weighted score that assigns:

• 70% to the LD60+ rate
• 30% to the average delay time

We assigned points based on the airport’s rank from 1 to 45 (1 being the worst), then applied the weights. The result is an overall top 10 list of the worst US airports for long delays that prioritizes delay instances but still values the total time impact on travel.

Key findings in the top 10 worst US airports for LD60+

• Palm Beach International is the worst airport for LD60+ delays, based on both delay rate and average delay time.
• LaGuardia has the highest LD60+ rate at 11.08%, yet the best average delay time of just over 2 hours.
• The longest delay time is at Austin-Bergstrom Airport, where passengers wait 165.7 minutes on average.
• The worst 10 US airports for hour-long delays include 4 from Florida and 2 New York airports – JFK and LaGuardia.
• The top 10 airports’ annual flights range from 26,873 to 386,602, so long delays can happen anywhere.

Rankings for the 10 worst airports in the US for 60+ minute delays

The 3 worst US airports for 60 minute+ delays

#1

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

Palm Beach International Airport tops the list of the worst US airports for hour-long delays. Although this Florida airport has the lowest volume of annual flights in the top 10, the 60-minute delay rate is over 10%.

• LD60+ rate of 10.28%, lower than LaGuardia, Chicago O’Hare, and Ronald Reagan Washington. 
• Average delay time of 140.34 minutes, about 2 hours and 20 minutes.
• Palm Beach Airport also has the worst rate for delays over 3 hours (2.14%).
• To limit your exposure to these frequent long delays, consider an alternative departure point, like Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, which is about 50 miles away.

#2 Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)

Located in Fort Myers, RSW Airport handles around the same number of annual flights as Palm Beach.

• Second-lowest delay rate in the top 10 at 8.88%.
• Second-highest for average delay time – 147.49 minutes (about 2.5 hours)
• Like with Palm Beach, South Florida has some better options, all within about a 2-hour drive. Sarasota/Bradenton, Miami International, and Fort Lauderdale are approximately 100 miles or less away.

#3 Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

PHL has a 60+ minute delay rate of 9.5%, so almost 1 out of every 10 flights encounters a long delay.

• Passengers can expect to wait an average of 142.05 minutes when their flight is first delayed by an hour.
• Philadelphia International has a much higher volume of annual flights than either Palm Beach or Southwest Florida.
• Philly is a popular connection hub for American Airlines, so if you’re taking a connecting flight, make sure you leave yourself extra time. Both Newark and Washington-Baltimore airports are around 1.5 hours away and don’t have the same trouble with 60+ minute delays.

How to use this information to avoid delays and stress

When you’re planning your next flight, consult this data first. Opt for alternative airports that don’t appear in the top 10. Although a swap from Palm Beach to South Florida is only a very slight improvement, the delay chances and/or wait time are better when you choose airports like Fort Lauderdale (even though it’s actually #11) and Miami.

Whenever possible, build buffer time into any connections, including flights, trains, cruises, and rental car pickups. Know that the average delay times stated here are averages, so the actual delay can, of course, be higher or lower than that. Use them as a guide to make informed bookings, and don’t forget the time it takes to disembark and change gates or get to the cruise terminal.

And when you do encounter a long delay of 60 minutes or more, don’t panic. Track flights frequently and contact airlines to re-book as soon as you know you won’t make it on time. You can also try to rearrange your other plans on the go.

To make your long wait more comfortable, many US airlines offer care and assistance when the delay is controllable, which means they provide food, drinks, and even accommodation in certain scenarios. Plus, if the delay reaches 3 hours or more and you’re flying internationally to the UK or Europe, you might be entitled to flight delay compensation that helps mitigate the inconvenience.

Check your flight

Data use rights

AirAdvisor publishes AirData insights based on aggregated flight performance data analyzed for consumer information purposes. Journalists, researchers, and industry professionals are welcome to reference these findings with attribution. Please cite the source as: “Data source: AirAdvisor AirData” and include a link to the original page where the data appears. The full dataset is available upon request.

For media inquiries, data clarifications, or reuse permissions beyond citation, please contact press@airadvisor.com.

FAQs

 Press highlights

• The overall US worst airport for 60+ minute delays is Palm Beach International.
• Both high and low-volume US airports have issues with long delays – Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, and South Florida International are all in the top 5.
• New York LaGuardia and Chicago O’Hare have the two highest LD60+ rates in the USA.

Our rankings are based on two metrics: how often long delays occur and how severe they are. We measured the share of departing flights delayed by 60 minutes or more (LD60+), which accounts for 70% of the score. We then factored in the average delay length, weighted at 30%.

The complete data set is available on request.

Source: AirAdvisor AirData analysis of 5,034,049 flights from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, measuring LD60+ arrival delays.

Author:

Amy Lancelotte

Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Creator

Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with more than seven years of experience producing research-driven articles for global audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.

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