WINTER weather wreaks all sorts of havoc on business travellers. But perhaps the worst consequence of snowshowers, hailstorms and outright blizzards are the flight delays. The best way to avoid these is to steer clear of airports that are especially prone to winter problems. Sometimes, of course, you have to use a particular airport because it's your destination. But if you're picking between a handful of airports to transfer through, the travel website Hopper has you covered.
Hopper combined its own flight popularity data with 2013 Bureau of Transportation Statistics to show which American airports are likely to be worst for winter travel delays this year. (I'd have preferred if Hopper's analysts looked at a ten-year average, but we'll work with the data we have.) Here are the main takeaways:
- Avoid O’Hare in Chicago: 42% of flights there are delayed during the winter
- Chicago, Newark, Denver and Fort Lauderdale have more than a third of flights delayed during winter months
- Airports in warm areas like Florida can be affected by winter storm delays in other places, due to their popularity during the chilly season
- If you are flying out of New York, you are less likely to be delayed if you use JFK or LaGuardia rather than Newark
- Hawaii is your best bet for uneventful winter travel.