SANFORD, Fla. — Have you found yourself stuck on the tarmac recently in the Sunshine State?
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
A new study shows three of the top 10 airports for delays are in Florida, including one in Central Florida.
The website placestotravel.com compiled data from the U.S. Department of Transportation from January 2023 to February 2024, finding Orlando-Sanford International had the second longest delay times, coming in at an average delay of 1:34:53 across 2,766 flights.
Also on the list were St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport at No. 7 and Punta Gorda Airport at No. 9.
Read: Southwest Airlines to stop service to four airports amid problems with Boeing deliveries
The delays were spread across airports of all sizes with DFW and JFK making the list as well.
“Interestingly, the data doesn’t show a clear trend with regard to the size of airports,” said Jason Wilson, the CEO of Places to Travel. “People may be perhaps forgiven for thinking that due to the sheer number of flights arriving at some of the larger airports such as San Diego International or Nashville International, these larger airports would regularly be seeing far bigger delays.”
Read: GOAA CEO shares vision, strategies for growing Orlando International Airport
A report on airline delays for the Government Accountability Office in 2023 found, “operational challenges, including a need for additional pilots and crew, have made it harder for airlines to manage flight disruptions.”
These disruptions cost both passengers and airlines in lost productivity and money.
The US DOT found delays nationwide were at 23.1% in 2024, compared to 15.9% in 2016.
Read: 3 people involved in small plane crash at Orlando Sanford International Airport, officials say
“However, the findings do still show that a massive number of flights are delayed, resulting in traveler stress and potential missed connections, among other consequences, and the air travel infrastructure needs to urgently adapt to handle the massive volumes of passengers to rectify this,” Wilson said.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2024 Cox Media Group
