Flight delays during spring break peak around the weekends
Source: Captain Experiences analysis of Bureau of Transportation Statistics data | Image Credit: Captain Experiences
Travelers looking ahead to spring break in 2024Â may be able to improve their odds of avoiding a delay if they time their flights correctly. During spring break, flight delays are much more common on weekend travel dates. Around one in four departing and arriving flights are delayed on Saturdays and Sundays, but less than 20% are delayed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Saturdays also tend to have the longest delays at an average of 75 minutes for both departures and arrivals.
To avoid delays, travelers may also want to consider where they plan to travel. Some popular spring break destinations—including Florida locations like Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), and Miami (MIA)—are among the airports with the highest share of departure delays this time of year. And some of the nation’s busiest airports, including Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International (LAS), Denver International (DEN), Newark Liberty International (EWR), and New York City’s John F. Kennedy International (JFK), also rank highly for delays, which could create issues for travelers connecting through these hubs.
Below is a complete breakdown of the airports with the worst delays over spring break. The analysis was conducted by researchers at Captain Experiences using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. For more information on how each statistic was computed, refer to the methodology section below.