By ,
Published November 05, 2015
When booking flights, I always try to factor in the potential for delays. As a Budget Traveler, I know that on-time means better value for my vacation buck. But to be honest, I seldom have the time or patience to pore over the available data. Thank you, Brian Karimzad, Director of MileCards.com, for analyzing Department of Transportation statistics about airports' on-time performance over the past decade and sharing his findings in the Best & Worst Summer Travel Delays report, released today.
Here, seven surprising takeaways that will help you have a better summer:
The Northeast is most prone to summer delays. Five of the 10 worst airports for on-time summer arrivals are in the Northeast, with the three New York metro area airports (Kennedy, La Guardia, Newark - Liberty) coming in worst nationwide. Newark has a 64.5 percent on-time arrival rate since 2005.
June is the worst month for summer delays. A surprising 66 percent of the 50 busiest airports have more delays in June than in July or August.
Go west: Honolulu and Salt Lake City are the best overall for summer on-time performance. Honolulu has a pleasantly surprising 87.7 percent of summer flights on time. Salt Lake City is second overall, with 84.9 percent of flights on time. Even the third best is out west: Phoenix Sky Harbor's on-time rate is 81.5 percent.
Minneapolis and Chicago-Midway are top for on-time performance in the Midwest. Among Midwest airports, Delta's Minneapolis and Southwest's Chicago-Midway hubs are the least likely to experience delays. Midway's 78.7 percent on-time record beats Chicago O'Hare's (71.9 percent).
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https://www.foxnews.com/travel/what-you-need-to-know-before-booking-a-domestic-flight-this-summer