When you’re ready to travel, nothing is more upsetting than a delayed flight. Last year, travelers experienced 2% more delays than the year before, according to Kayak.com
Fortunately, for travelers flying out of the El Paso International Airport, delayed flights and cancellations are not a frequent issue.
The El Paso International Airport was just ranked among the most punctual airports in the United States, coming in at No. 32 out of 100 U.S. airports, according to 2024 data from Kayak.com, a leading travel search engine. The average delay time for the airport in 2024 was 23 minutes with 1.1% cancellations.
The El Paso airport has an average rate of delayed flights below 20% of all departures, which is significantly lower than most of the country’s analyzed 100 most-searched departure airports.
Here are the top 10 most punctual U.S. airports.
Here are some tips about delayed flights
When it comes to delayed flights, not all months are created equal. According to Kayak.com, October is your best bet for getting out of the U.S. on time.
The time of the day also has a factor in increase in delayed flights. There is more chance of an increase in delayed flights, from 6 to 10 p.m. than 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Flights before 8 a.m. have the best results to avoid delayed flights.
The bigger the airport, the more chance of delayed flights. At JFK, nearly half of flights took off late in 2024. The Newark airport did not fare much better. So if you’re passing through a busy U.S. airport, pad that layover. For international trips, fly direct or pick a smaller airport when you can.
When the airline is at fault, think staffing or maintenance issues, you’re entitled to cash back if you don’t accept the airline’s back up plan on delays of 3 or more hours (domestic) or 6 or more hours (international).
Stuck on the tarmac for two or more hours, you should be entitled to snacks and drinks.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso International Airport among most punctual airports in United States
Reporting by Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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