Airports From Hell

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.

Robert Cohen/AP

By The Daily BeastNov 22, 2013

galleries/2013/11/22/worst-airports-for-thanksgiving-travel/131119-worst-airport-gal-tease_od0czb — 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

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