These 10 U.S. Airports Have the Worst Flight Delays, According to New Data
New stats show where travelers faced the longest average delays…and it’s not where you’d expect.
A new study by Exoticca, using 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, ranked airports across the country by their average flight delay times. And let’s just say… if you were flying through a regional airport last year, the odds of being on time weren’t great.
In fact, many of the most delay-prone airports in the country weren’t the big-name hubs you’d expect, but smaller spots with limited flights and infrastructure. (And yes, Illinois made this list more than once.)
Here are the 10 airports where travelers were left waiting the longest in 2024, starting from the least bad and working our way up to the most frustrating of all.
10. Belleville, Illinois (BLV)
Average delay: 27.77 minutes | Cancelled: 2.55%
Belleville might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of travel delays—but it still managed to crack the top 10. On average, flights were nearly half an hour behind schedule.
9. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (CIU)
Average delay: 28.02 minutes | Cancelled: 1.37%
This tiny airport in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula had delays just over 28 minutes. Not the worst, but enough to make you nervously eye your connecting flight.
8. Aspen, Colorado (ASE)
Average delay: 28.69 minutes | Cancelled: 6.54%
Aspen is beautiful, but it’s a pain to fly in or out of. Between the high elevation, unpredictable weather, and tight runway space, this airport had both long delays and the highest cancellation rate of any on this list.
7. Dodge City, Kansas (DDC)
Average delay: 28.95 minutes | Cancelled: 3.03%
Dodge City might not be the busiest airport on this list, but the folks flying through it definitely felt the delays. On average, flights were nearly 29 minutes behind schedule.
6. Prescott, Arizona (PRC)
Average delay: 29.07 minutes | Cancelled: 0.55%
Prescott actually had a pretty low cancellation rate, but that didn’t stop it from racking up delay minutes. With limited flights and infrastructure, it doesn’t take much to throw the schedule off.
5. Concord, North Carolina (JQF)
Average delay: 29.72 minutes | Cancelled: 2.28%
It might not be a household name, but Concord-Padgett Regional Airport still made the list thanks to nearly 30-minute delays per flight in 2024. Not exactly ideal for a quick getaway.
4. Mason City, Iowa (MCW)
Average delay: 30.85 minutes | Cancelled: 3.67%
More than 30 minutes behind per flight, and nearly 4% of all flights canceled – yikes! If you flew from here in 2024, you definitely earned some patience points.
3. Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands (STX)
Average delay: 31.23 minutes | Cancelled: 1.17%
Flying to the Virgin Islands sounds dreamy, but getting back out was another story. Christiansted had the third-longest average delay in the country.
2. Plattsburgh, New York (PBG)
Average delay: 32.23 minutes | Cancelled: 3.99%
Not only did flights from Plattsburgh average over 32 minutes of delay, but nearly 4% were canceled altogether. If you were trying to leave northern New York on time… good luck.
1. Decatur, Illinois (DEC)
Average delay: 32.89 minutes | Cancelled: 2.31%
Taking the top (or bottom?) spot is Decatur. With almost 33 minutes of delay per flight, this was the worst airport in the U.S. for delays in 2024. Fun fact: Illinois had three airports in the top 20. Rough year to be flying out of the Prairie State.
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