Worst Airports for Thanksgiving Travel

If you’re one of the 25 million Americans who will head to the airport next week in honor of Thanksgiving, The Daily Beast combed through reams of statistics to prep you for the journey ahead.

For the fourth year in a row, we turned to the Airports Council International to figure out the top 50 busiest North American airports. We then compared the percentage of arrival and departure flights delayed at each airport for the current year-to-date (as of Nov. 19^th), and for the most recent Thanksgiving holiday. Each of the four data points was weighted equally.

Joe Raedle/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-sfo-airport_lvu7ql

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 26.6%

Departures delayed, 2013: 22.3%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 26%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 29%

Bloomberg/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-mdw-airport_ajadp8

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 20.2%

Departures delayed, 2013: 30.7%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 18%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 18%

Armando L. Sanchez

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-ewr-airport_nh1ovf

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 27.6%

Departures delayed, 2013: 25.3%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 15%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 14%

Chris Hondros/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-ord-airport_v4l9xh

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 23.4%

Departures delayed, 2013: 27.2%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 15%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 14%

Scott Olson/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-hou-airport_vjbl3n

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 19.1%

Departures delayed, 2013: 25.3%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 16%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 16%

David J. Phillip/AP

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-bna-airport_ehqqet

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 21%

Departures delayed, 2013: 20.8%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 16%

Bloomberg

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-fll-airport_iandjf

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 24%

Departures delayed, 2013: 21.6%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Joe Raedle/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-den-airport_krlhuc

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 21.3%

Departures delayed, 2013: 25.8%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Andy Cross/The Denver Post

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-lax-airport_jj4pog

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 18.9%

Departures delayed, 2013: 17.9%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 17%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 17%

Robyn Neck/AFP/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-stl-airport_pls4le

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 19.3%

Departures delayed, 2013: 21.2%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 17%

Robert Cohen/AP

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-aus-airport_hpjrji

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 21.9%

Departures delayed, 2013: 17.9%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 11%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 17%

Jay Janner

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-san-airport_ea656i

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 18.9%

Departures delayed, 2013: 16.9%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 20%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 17%

Bloomberg/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-jfk-airport_tmgfn9

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 24.3%

Departures delayed, 2013: 22.1%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 12%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 12%

Chris Hondros/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-las-airport_n9ghfm

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 17.7%

Departures delayed, 2013: 21.3%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 14%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 15%

Ethan Miller/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-bwi-airport_vdeyj6

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 19.1%

Departures delayed, 2013: 24.3%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 13%

AFP

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-mia-airport_ppesgz

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 18.1%

Departures delayed, 2013: 19.8%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 15%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 14%

Joe Raedle/Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-mke-airports_ertbio

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 20.9%

Departures delayed, 2013: 18.5%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 11%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 15%

Getty

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-mci-airport_kxujg1

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 21.6%

Departures delayed, 2013: 17.6%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 9%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 17%

Keith Myers/Kansas City Star/MCT

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-iad-airport_dwhroa

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 20.8%

Departures delayed, 2013: 21.5%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 12%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 12%

AFP

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-oak-airport_ukfm4m

Arrivals delayed, 2013: 16.6%

Departures delayed, 2013: 17.1%

Arrivals delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 16%

Departures delayed, Thanksgiving 2012: 16%

Justin Sullivan/Getty

Worst Airports for Thanksgiving Travel

From Chicago to Los Angeles, these are the lousiest places for getting flights off the tarmac, especially on Turkey Day.

The Daily Beast

Trending Now

‘I’m Certain’: James Carville Makes Bold Election Prediction

Former Model Drops ‘Twisted Game’ Bombshell Trump Allegation

Trump Raged at Slain Soldier’s Funeral Bill: ‘$60K to Bury a F***ing Mexican’

Nate Silver Gives Up on 2024 Poll Predictions to Deliver ‘Gut’ Call

Judge Who Dismissed Trump’s Secret Docs Case Could Be in Line for a Huge Cabinet Job