US airports with the longest delays revealed

A new study has identified the US airports with the longest average flight delays, with smaller regional airports dominating the rankings.

Decatur, Illinois, recorded the highest average delay in 2024, at 32.89 minutes per flight, according to an analysis by Mood.com using data from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Plattsburgh, New York, ranked second at 32.23 minutes, followed by Christiansted in the US Virgin Islands at 31.23 minutes.

Mason City, Iowa, and Concord, North Carolina, completed the top five, with average delays of 30.85 and 29.72 minutes respectively.

For travel insurers and their distribution partners, the findings highlight the disruption risks associated with regional airports, where delays can have a greater impact on travellers with tight onward connections or scheduled plans.

Cancellation rates also varied significantly. Aspen, Colorado, had the highest cancellation rate among the 10 airports with the longest delays, at 6.54% – more than twice the rate recorded at most other airports in the ranking. Plattsburgh had the second-highest cancellation rate at 3.99%, followed by Mason City at 3.67%.

David Charles from Mood.com said: “What stands out is that the airports with the longest delays are not the major hubs most travellers worry about. Regional airports like Decatur and Plattsburgh consistently recorded delays above 30 minutes per flight, which suggests that limited scheduling flexibility at smaller airports may be compounding the problem.”

Growing demand for real-time updates reflects changing passenger expectations as delays continue to disrupt journeys worldwide.