What are the odds your flight will be delayed? Depends on the airport.
A recent article from eTurboNews discussed airports and how likely it is that a flight will be delayed.
“We all know the drill: you show up at the airport with plenty of time to spare, only to discover that your flight’s been delayed and now you have hours to kill.”
“Where is this most likely to happen? You can’t eliminate delays, of course, but you can play the odds—some airports have better track records than others (as do some airlines, which is why we rank the best and worst airlines for on-time performance). Statistics from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics on flights that departed more than 15 minutes behind schedule (in this instance from April 1, 2008, to March 31, 2009) show the best—and worst—airports for on-time performance.”
America’s Top Five Best Airports 2009
1. Salt Lake City (SLC)
2. Portland (PDX)
3. (Tie) Washington, D.C. (DCA)
3. (Tie) Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP)
5. (Tie) Los Angeles (LAX)
5. (Tie) San Diego (SAN)
5. (Tie) Tampa (TPA)
America’s Top Five Worst Airports 2009
1. Newark (EWR)
2. Chicago (ORD)
3. Miami (MIA)
4. (Tie) Dallas Ft. Worth (DFW)
4. (Tie) New York (LGA)
4. (Tie) New York (JFK)
Travel insurance provides relief to travelers who’s flights have been delayed. The travel delay benefit in travel insurance can be the difference between spending the night in an airport or a hotel while delayed. Expenses such as lodging, meals, local transportation and phone calls are reimbursable through travel delay. There is normally a required amount of time that must pass from the time of delay before the coverage is available. This can be anywhere from 3 to 24 hours. Most travel insurance plans also have a daily dollar limit as well as an overall policy dollar limit. Always refer to the certificate of insurance for details.