Passengers wait for their delayed flights at gate 15 in terminal five at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 4, 2018, in the Queens borough of New York City. (Rebecca Butala How/Getty Images)Aside from the inconvenience, flight delays exact a huge economic toll.estimated a total economic impact of $25 billion due to flight delays worldwide.estimated the following staggering costs of flight delays:. $32.9 billion total cost to U.S. Economy – more costly than all except Katrina, Harvey, Sandy and Irma. Of that total, $16.7 billion was borne by passengers in lost time and additional travel expenses.
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The gross domestic product was reduced by $4 billion.A 2007 congressional study estimated due to flight delays, about five percent of total fuel consumption.For our list of the most weather-delayed major airports, we considered the raw number of weather delays as well as the percentage of all delay minutes due to weather at 30 major U.S. Airports over a 10-year period from September 2008 through August 2018, the most recent month with complete data.The nation's 30 major airports accounted for 2.8 million weather-related flight delays in that 10-year period, totalling 176.7 million weather delay minutes, the equivalent of almost 336 years of weather delays.We ranked each airport in both categories, then added the rankings to come up with our composite index. The lower the index, the more weather-delayed that major hub was. In the case of a tie, we used the percentage of all delay minutes due to weather as a tiebreaker. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).
While waiting for a flight to Las Vegas, Steven Roberts takes a nap on the floor at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after a snowstorm on January 10, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. Department of Transportation).
On-time Percentage: 81.45 percent. Weather Delays/Ranking: 238,166/3rd-worst. Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 35.35 percent/14th-worst. Composite Index: 17. Weather issues: Thunderstorms, fog/low clouds, occasional snow/iceYou probably already know Atlanta is home to the world's busiest airport. In 2017, almost 104 million passengers traveled through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, with just under 880,000 take-offs and landings.Given all this traffic volume, it doesn't take much impactful weather to trigger flight delays.Low clouds and fog can sock in parts of the Atlanta metro area any time of year, usually in the morning.The more frequent weather headache for flights out of Atlanta is thunderstorms, typically occurring about 50 days a year.While they can occur any month of the year, they're more frequent in the summer, often popping up in parts of north Georgia many afternoons. The storms' slow movement in summer could trigger delays of an hour or more until they finally relent or move sufficiently away from the airport.Atlanta doesn't pick up much snow or ice each winter, but when it does, it can cripple both road and air travel, as it did in.9.
Kennedy International Airport (JFK). A general view of the departures drop-off area in Terminal five at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 4, 2018 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Rebecca Butala How/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S.
(Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. Department of Transportation).
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On-time Percentage: 81.15 percent. Weather Delays/Ranking: 119,275/8th-worst.
Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 41.11 percent/8th-worst. Composite Index: 16. Weather issues: Thunderstorms, fogThunderstorms frequent the Houston metro area 62 days in an average year. These storms can happen year-round, even while the rest of the nation is shivering in the middle of winter.While these thunderstorms can be severe, the key for airport delays, most of the time, is that these storms can move slowly. Instead of a 30- to 60-minute delay, flights can be pushed back for more than an hour if a cluster of thunderstorms takes its time, as often happens in Houston.( MORE: )The city’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico – as well as Galveston Bay, the Houston Ship Channel and numerous bayous – makes it prone to fog.
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Dense fog is seen roughly 18 days a year, while patchier fog is observed 70 days annually.Of course, Houston is at risk for tropical storms and hurricanes, primarily from June through September, but that didn’t factor into the data we studied for this list.7. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). A flight takes off from Logan International Airport on January 26, 2015, ahead of a massive storm expected to hit the region.
(Darren McCollester/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. Department of Transportation). On-time Percentage: 76.71 percent. Weather Delays/Ranking: 117,489/9th-worst. Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 48.73 percent/6th-worst. Composite Index: 15. Weather issues: Snowstorms, fogWintry weather can have major effects on Boston Logan International Airport, where there’s roughly a 50 percent chance of at least one 10-inch-or-more snowfall every season.According to Massport, the organization responsible for the condition of the airfield, most weather events don’t shut down the airport.
Lengthy delays can happen, not just because of snow removal, but from delays from other Northeast hubs.' If New York sneezes, Boston catches a cold,' said Matthew Brelis, director of media relations at Massport. Since most Boston-bound domestic flights pass through New York’s airspace first – even flights coming from cities like Phoenix or Seattle – any inclement weather in the Big Apple can delay flights in Boston.Aside from winter weather, fog and rain can also factor into flight delays in Boston, Brelis said. Additionally, Boston Logan is the windiest major airport in the country. A typical Northeast cold front can produce wind gusts as high as 30 to 40 mph.Boston also lands near the top of the major hubs for average snow – 43.5 inches – and days with measurable precipitation – 126 days a year. Even the most prepared airport would have plenty of weather-related days with that much chaos swirling around it.6.
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The terminal and control tower at Philadelphia International Airport on Nov. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. Department of Transportation). On-time Percentage: 77.33 percent.
Weather Delays/Ranking: 83,071/11th-worst. Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 52.39 percent/4th-worst. Composite Index: 15. Weather issues: Low clouds/fog, wind, snow, thunderstormsAlmost one in four arrivals into Philadelphia is delayed. In some ways, they're a victim of close proximity to other major Northeast airports, and the propensity for delays to ripple through the network.Philadelphia's ranking is probably best explained by The Weather Channel meteorologist: 'If the cloud ceiling drops below 700 feet, you are guaranteed delays.' By ceiling, we mean the base of the lowest cloud deck, similar to the ceiling in your living room or office.Philly sits in the middle of the pack in most of our weather criteria. For instance, they average only about 23 inches of snow a year, with measurable snow 12 to 13 days annually.
Philadelphia is not especially windy, and its 27 days a year with thunderstorms is, again, not too noteworthy.5. Denver International Airport (DEN). (Chin Tin Tin/Wikipedia/Creative Commons)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. Department of Transportation). On-time Percentage: 81.05 percent. Weather Delays/Ranking: 170,935/5th-worst. Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 41.01 percent/9th-worst.
Composite Index: 14. Weather issues: Snowstorms, thunderstorms, hail, tornadoesFormally opened in 1995, Denver International Airport's main weather challenge is snow. Colorado Front Range snowstorms are legendary, occurring as early as October and as late as April.In late spring and summer, afternoon and evening thunderstorms can be almost a daily ritual. This is due to heating of the mountains west of the city, allowing somewhat moist winds to converge and rise near the peaks, building thunderstorms which then drift onto the adjacent Front Range urban corridor.If that's not enough, under the right conditions, the Denver Convergence Vorticity Zone, or Denver cyclone, can form near the airport. This is a boundary of converging air that can serve as another focus for thunderstorm development, some of which can spin up tornadoes. Tornado sightings from the tower at DIA are not uncommon in late spring and early summer.Given the propensity for thunderstorms and the high elevation, it should come as no surprise that the Front Range is also a notorious corridor for large hail. In July 2011, a hailstorm damaged numerous planes at DIA, triggering flight cancellations for days after.
This is not something you'd typically expect to delay your flight.On a personal level, my first weather encounter with DIA was not snow or thunderstorms, but turbulence. In fact, it was my first trip on a plane.Returning to Colorado from a visit home for the holidays, during the descent into DIA, it began to feel like God was shaking the plane like a pepper shaker. That was a slight exaggeration: it wasn't severe turbulence. Thankfully, nobody was injured. But this first-time flyer was rattled.4. New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
(Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S.
Department of Transportation). On-time Percentage: 76.66 percent. Weather Delays/Ranking: 303,526/ Worst.
Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 51.82 percent/5th-worst. Composite Index: 6. Weather issues: Snow, low clouds/fog, wind, thunderstormsNo U.S. Airport had more weather delays in our 10-year study than O'Hare, averaging 30,000 weather delays and over 2.1 million weather delay minutes a year.To be fair, some of those arrival delays might have been because of bad weather at a flight’s airport of origin.
Still, if an incoming flight is delayed at this airport, there’s roughly a 50/50 chance it’s because of weather.Only a relatively lower percentage of overall delays due to weather knocked O'Hare down the list a few notches from past years.Weather systems in the Midwest generally move from west to east. Flights into O'Hare typically approach from the east.
This makes flying around any adverse weather system a challenge.Because Chicago averages more snowy days than any Northeast hub each year, wintry weather can also be a major hassle for O’Hare. The Windy City sees about 28 days of snow per year on average, and O’Hare tops all major Northeastern airports with about 38 stormy days per year.Then there’s the wind. South or southwest winds – the prevailing direction from June through November – can lead to delays, even on sunny days.Chicago is blanketed with dense fog about 13 days a year, which can happen at any time.A poorly timed dense-fog event shrouded O'Hare the day before Thanksgiving in 2012. Traveler volume was extremely high. More than 100 flights were canceled and at least 300 more flights were delayed at O’Hare before the fog slowly dissipated.2. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. The Airport Traffic Control Tower at San Francisco International Airport, put in service in 2016, is the tallest structure in the United States to employ a vertical post-tensioned system designed to enable the tower to remain upright and operational after a major earthquake. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)September 2008 - August 2018 Arrival Statistics(Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics/U.S. Department of Transportation). On-time Percentage: 72.03 percent. Weather Delays/Ranking: 264,025/2nd-worst. Percent of Delay Minutes Due to Weather/Ranking: 65.03 percent/2nd-worst.
Composite Index: 4. Weather issues: Low clouds/fogIf you don't frequently fly to SFO, you're probably shocked by this ranking.
It's strange to see a city where snow is exceedingly rare and averages only two days a year with thunderstorms at the top of the list, or even in this top 10 list at all.The cause of this airport’s problems isn’t extreme weather – it’s fog and low clouds. When the marine layer is persistent, flight delays quickly add up.In the warmer months, moist air from the cool Pacific Ocean is drawn into the Bay Area in the afternoon due to the pressure difference between the hot Central Valley and the chilly coast. This moist air then condenses overnight into low clouds, which hang in place until sunshine warms the layer enough to dissipate them the following morning.During the winter months, fog can be denser as cold air drains westward from the Central Valley and locks in.There’s another problem that contributes to these weather delays:, according to Nerd Wallet.
Two sets of parallel runways make up SFO, and there’s only 750 feet between each runway. When visibility is low, the FAA doesn’t allow planes to land side-by-side unless runways are at least 4,300 feet apart, the report adds.Arrivals must be staggered because of this conundrum, and the delays pile up.As if that wasn't enough, dense smoke from the Camp Fire and other fires in Northern California triggered, not to mention posing.