How bad are flight delays at Thanksgiving and Christmas, by airport?
Search your airport for the share of flights that were late or cancelled in Thanksgiving week and Dec 20–31, the best day to fly, and airline results. Four years of U.S. DOT data, 80 airports. Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, Nov 26.
Nationally, 19.0% of flights arrived 15+ minutes late in Thanksgiving week (2022–2025) versus 16.5% in the rest of November. Thanksgiving Day was the quietest day (9.0% late); the Sunday after was the roughest (31.1%). See the findings.
Most late arrivals in Thanksgiving week
| Airport | City | Flights | Late (15+ min) | Normal period | Difference | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRR – Gerald R. Ford International Airport | Grand Rapids, MI | 1,182 | 28.1% | 15.5% | +12.6 pts | 1.6% |
| FLL – Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 6,174 | 27.6% | 19.8% | +7.8 pts | 0.6% |
| ORD – Chicago O'Hare International Airport | Chicago, IL | 17,676 | 26.6% | 18.5% | +8.1 pts | 4.8% |
| DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport | Detroit, MI | 7,908 | 24.5% | 14.3% | +10.2 pts | 0.8% |
| MKE – General Mitchell International Airport | Milwaukee, WI | 1,703 | 23.8% | 14.5% | +9.3 pts | 2.2% |
| PBI – PBI | West Palm Beach/Palm Beach, FL | 2,043 | 23.8% | 18.1% | +5.7 pts | 1.0% |
| DFW – Dallas Fort Worth International Airport | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 18,118 | 23.0% | 20.6% | +2.4 pts | 0.4% |
| MIA – Miami International Airport | Miami, FL | 6,952 | 22.7% | 18.3% | +4.4 pts | 0.3% |
Fewest late arrivals in Thanksgiving week
| Airport | City | Flights | Late (15+ min) | Normal period | Difference | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOA – Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole | Kona, HI | 1,053 | 10.9% | 14.3% | -3.4 pts | 0.3% |
| LGB – Long Beach International Airport | Long Beach, CA | 1,100 | 11.0% | 13.5% | -2.5 pts | 0.2% |
| LIH – Lihue Airport | Lihue, HI | 1,039 | 11.2% | 14.4% | -3.2 pts | 0.6% |
| HNL – Daniel K. Inouye International Airport | Honolulu, HI | 3,869 | 11.3% | 15.8% | -4.5 pts | 0.2% |
| TUS – Tucson International Airport | Tucson, AZ | 1,264 | 11.7% | 12.9% | -1.2 pts | 0.4% |
| ELP – El Paso International Airport | El Paso, TX | 1,193 | 11.7% | 15.0% | -3.3 pts | 0.3% |
| SJC – Mineta San Jose International Airport | San Jose, CA | 3,300 | 12.0% | 13.6% | -1.6 pts | 0.1% |
| BUR – Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport | Burbank, CA | 1,994 | 12.7% | 16.3% | -3.6 pts | 0.4% |