Ledger DC Journal - News, Politics & Crime

Worst metro areas for flight delays? Airline delays are twice as common today as in 1990, and the USA Today reports that the New York area, home to five airports, was worst at "on-time arrivals". The newspaper notes in the report that a only paltry" 66.3% of flights landed on schedule from July 2008 through June 2009. That was well below the national average of 78.9%."

The research in airline delays at various airports was done by the well respected Brookings Institution.


Are you sitting at the airport reading this on your laptop or iPhone, you may be at one of the next five cities. The report adds, "Five other metro areas Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco also had higher-than-average delays, creating potential problems for business travelers.

"A lot of those passengers have to be somewhere at a particular time," says Adie Tomer, a Brookings research analyst and lead author of the report. "They're not just checking into a pleasure hotel and going to see the sights. ... These flights being able to land and depart on time are critical."

The best of the big metro areas: Salt Lake City, where 86% of flights arrive on schedule.