CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland Hopkins was among the worst airports for holiday travel last year, with more than a third of all flights delayed or canceled during the busy travel days in November and December.
Chicago Midway International Airport had the most holiday-season delays and cancellations in 2022, according to the analysis, followed by airports in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Houston and Dallas.
Cleveland ranked No. 23 on the list of 25 worst airports for holiday travel, better than Denver (No. 18) and Seattle (No. 20), but worse than Indianapolis (No. 24) and Newark, New Jersey (No. 25).
The website AGamble.com compiled the list, analyzing data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. According to the site, 33.7% of departures from Cleveland Hopkins were delayed or canceled during the period Nov. 18 through Jan. 4.
Chicago Midway, meanwhile, saw 42.9% of departures delayed or canceled.
The analysis looked at the 50 largest airports in the U.S., based on passenger volume.
For perspective, the airport with the lowest percentage of delays and cancellations was Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where 22.5% of holiday flights were delayed or canceled.
Holiday travelers last year probably haven’t forgotten the trauma caused by a large storm that hit much of the United States in the days before Christmas, affecting flights throughout the holiday period, in Cleveland and across the country.
Southwest Airlines, which also had technology problems, alone canceled more than 14,000 flights during the last week of December, which is likely why Chicago Midway, a Southwest hub, tops AGamble’s list of worst airports for the year.
But what about this year? Can you predict which airports and airlines will be most impacted by holiday delays and cancellations?
Want to bet? BetUS.com, an online sportsbook, will take your wager.
For the second year, BetUS has released betting odds for Thanksgiving Week flight cancellations and delays, allowing customers to bet on the nation’s holiday travel woes.
Gamblers can wager on which airlines will have the most delays and cancellations, as well as which airports will have the highest percentage of delays.
As of Monday afternoon, according to the website, Alaska Airlines was the favorite to cancel the most flights, while JetBlue was the favorite to have the most delays.
And the favorite airports for holiday delays? Cleveland Hopkins, thankfully, didn’t make the list. Los Angeles International Airport topped the ranking, followed by San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare.
The initial odds were set based on an analysis of airline and airport performances for Thanksgiving week, going back to 2015, according to BetUS.
Read more: Flying or driving this Thanksgiving? Prepare for crowds, have a backup plan