Florida Airports Face Major Flight Delays as Orlando International Tops National List for Summer Travel Disruptions Across the U.S.

Have you ever had a flight delay ruin your travel plans? If you’re flying into Florida this summer, you might want to brace yourself for some turbulence—both figuratively and literally.

A recent study sheds light on which airports are causing the most headaches for travelers, and Florida’s airports are leading the pack.

This summer has been particularly rough for air travelers, thanks to a widespread software glitch by CrowdStrike that led to major Microsoft outages around the globe.

On one chaotic Wednesday, American Airlines was the hardest hit, canceling 69 flights. Delta, United, and Spirit weren’t far behind, each canceling more than 20 flights, as reported by USA TODAY.

Essendex, a business text messaging platform, dug into over 500 common flight routes at the 25 busiest U.S. airports to figure out which ones have the worst delay records.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) emerged as the airport with the highest rate of delays.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) came in second, followed by Miami International Airport (MIA), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

The study highlighted that Orlando International is struggling with delays due to a combination of stormy weather and heavy traffic from visitors to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.

Flights arriving from Orlando are, on average, about four minutes late. Of the top 100 most delayed flights, 14 are either arriving at or departing from Orlando.

The route from Orlando to Philadelphia is the most delayed, with an average tardiness of 35 minutes, although flights returning from Philadelphia to Orlando are usually 22 minutes early.

JetBlue’s Performance

Interestingly, JetBlue Airways stands out as having the highest average delay among U.S. carriers, though it’s just one minute late on average.

This isn’t surprising, considering JetBlue has been named the worst airline in the U.S. for delays, cancellations, and long tarmac waits for two years running by the Wall Street Journal.

Delta’s Irony

In a twist of fate, Delta Air Lines, known for its historically good on-time performance, now finds itself with the most cancellations and the second-most delays this week. Before the recent airline outages, Delta flights were arriving 25 minutes ahead of schedule on average.

Current Disruptions

Despite its overall high delay rate, Orlando International isn’t the worst airport for disruptions this week.

That title goes to ATL, followed by DFW, Charlotte Douglas International (CLT), Denver International Airport (DIA), and Chicago O’Hare International (ORD).

When it comes to cancellations, Hartsfield-Jackson International tops the list, followed by Minneapolis-Saint Paul International, Detroit Metro Wayne Co, LaGuardia, and Charlotte Douglas International.

If you’re traveling this summer, keep an eye on your airport’s delay and cancellation stats to minimize any potential disruptions to your plans.