Nonstop flights are great for reaching your destination sooner, plus there’s less chance of delays and lost baggage when your flight schedule doesn’t include a layover. However, because airport operations are primarily designed in a hub and spoke model, connecting flights are commonplace.
When booking a connecting flight, know that your travel experience can vary based on which airport you choose to route through. Weather and airport operational performance can influence whether you'll seamlessly transfer onto your next flight segment or experience flight delays. With insight into airport performance, you can decide which airports may be better for flight connections, and which ones you may want to avoid.
Busy airport; Photo by LawrenceKarn/iStock.com
WHICH AIRPORTS ARE BETTER FOR CONNECTING FLIGHTS?
The United States Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reports the top 30 airports, ranked by departure on-time performance (OTP). This metric considers a flight on time if it operates less than 15 minutes later than the scheduled time.
The most recent data, from January through September 2023, shows the best airport was Seattle, WA (SEA), with 81.81% of flights departing on time.
Rounding out the top five were:
- Minneapolis, MN (MSP), 81.40%
- Salt Lake City, UT (SLC), 80.84%
- Washington, DC (DCA), 80.10%
- Detroit, MI (DTW), 79.63%
Unfortunately for fliers, a downward year-over-year trend is continuing. The best performance this year is worse than last year's best. For example, top performance was 89% in 2021. In 2022, it fell to 83%. For period ending September 2023, it is 81%.
A deeper dive into the data paints a gloomier picture. The top performer in 2022, Salt Lake City (SLC), dropped into third place. Even though Seattle (SEA) increased it’s ranking from 2022 to first place in 2023, its OTP declined. And while Minneapolis (MSP) jumped two spots on the list, their improvement was only 0.31%. San Francisco (SFO), number three in 2022, slid to tenth place with a 77% OTP rating.
Las Vegas airport welcome sign; Photo by ampueroleonardo/iStock.com
WHICH AIRPORTS SHOULD BE AVOIDED FOR FLIGHT CONNECTIONS?
Unfortunately, some very popular airports for connections, such as United’s Denver hub, find themselves at the bottom of the rankings. Here are the top five airports to avoid for connecting flights:
- Las Vegas, NV (LAS), 69.29%
- Denver, CO (DEN), 68.92%
- Baltimore, MD (BWI), 68.23%
- Orlando, FL (MCO), 67.80%
- Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL), 64.47%
Of course, an airport's or an airline's performance can be impacted by several factors. According to OAG, a data platform for the travel industry, these can range from operating at congested airports and in congested airspace to chaotic weather conditions.
Travelers dinning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; Photo by aimintang/iStock.com
OTHER FACTORS IMPACTING FLIGHT TIMES
Performance numbers are just part of the equation. There are other factors to consider when choosing a airport for flight connections, such as weather and amenities.
When flying in winter, try avoiding snow-prone airports like Chicago. Conversely, you might route around Florida when flying during the height of the summer thunderstorm season.
Amenities are essential, especially if there’s a chance for flight delays. Larger airports will have more customer service agents and lounges, and may have more options for rental cars if your delay turns into a cancellation. Shorter delays are also more likely at larger airports, as more flights to more places can get you on your way in less time.
MarketWatch analyzed some of these subjective factors to create their "Best and Worst Airports for Layovers" List. Sometimes, their ranking is aligned with the OTP data. For example, Seattle (SEA) was ranked as a good layover airport for all travelers, while Detroit (DTW) was listed as the best for families, owing to plentiful play areas.
On the negative side, MarketWatch ranked Orlando (MCO) as the worst and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) next, with poor marks in seat availability, cleanliness, and charging stations.