These Airports Have The Most Holiday Flight Cancellations

Whether you love the holiday seasons or are a little more of a Grinch, I think we can all agree on one thing — holiday travel sucks. From busy crowds to potentially icy roads on the way to the airport, flying during the last few weeks of the year is full of potential headaches. To further complicate things, Christmas falls on a weekend in 2022.

Luckily, there are things you can do to make the process as painless as possible, including your choice of airport. To help everyone avoid prolonged holiday travel, USA Today recently analyzed Bureau of Transportation data to determine which airports in the United States had the most cancellations between December 15 and January 7, between 2015 and 2020.

These U.S. airports had the most canceled holiday flights in recent years:

1. Aspen Pitkin County Sardy Field (Aspen, Colorado)
2. Charleston AFB/International Airport (Charleston, South Carolina)
3. Norfolk International Airport (Norfolk, Virginia)
4. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (Savannah, Georgia)
5. Piedmont Triad International Airport (Greensboro/High Point, North Carolina)
6. Chicago Midway International Airport (Chicago, Illinois)
7. Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark, New Jersey)
8. La Guardia, International Airport (New York, New York)
9. Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (Providence, Rhode Island)
10. Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (Rochester, New York)

Brett Snyder, the owner of Cranky Concierge travel agency, told USA Today that weather tends to be the biggest factor when it comes to airline reliability. Indeed, a massive winter storm sweeping across the U.S. during the week leading up to Christmas 2022 has threatened holiday travel for millions of Americans.

In the meantime, Snyder recommends that travelers do as much research as possible before their trips.

“You should make sure that you’re aware of your airline’s policies,” he said. “If you’re willing to do the work, try and find what your (alternative travel) options might be in advance.
You can read USA Today’s full ranking and find additional data on the airports mentioned here.