Airports to Avoid This Summer: Where You Shouldn’t Fly From in 2022

Chances are you have already booked a summer break for the family, and the excitement is building. The journey to the airport, the first drink at the terminal bar and the cruise around Duty Free all add to the fun of your time away. However, it is airports that are causing the most holiday heartbreak this year, leaving many to regret not investing in worldwide travel insurance.

With travel restrictions from COVID all but gone (or at least reduced), the demand for trips away has far exceeded the expectations of airlines and airports. The country’s growing economic concerns, plus emigration, are also causing more to flock to airports.

Customer demand has risen so dramatically that at one stage, Heathrow Airport officials told airlines to stop selling flights to allow an opportunity to get back on track.

Delays, cancellations and lost luggage have meant less time on holiday and more time in the terminal, but where does this occur most frequently? We’ve had a look at the data from FlightAware to see which airports lead to the longest delays for passengers, and in the worst case, cancelled flights.

From the end of May to late July 2022, where the first batches of summer travel begun, some airports had close to 50% of their flights being delayed. This issue has largely affected European travellers, with 9 out of the top 10 airports for delays coming from the continent. The other entry comes from North America, which may come as a surprise when considering the volume of passengers passing through other airports in the USA and Canada.

We have looked at the top 5 airports for both delays and cancellations below.

The Canadian airport in Toronto is the largest and busiest in the country. It has seen more delays than any other so far this summer, with a staggering 52.5% of passengers having their flights delayed.

The first European entry on the list is from Germany, usually known for its efficiency and professionalism. Flights operating out of the Frankfurt airport saw 45.4% of flights delayed.

Paris is a hugely popular destination for couples, professionals and those seeking a beautiful city break. Unfortunately, 43.2% of flights have already been delayed this summer.

A trip to Amsterdam is normally full of fun and parties. It is therefore a great shame that this summer, 41.5% of flights have been delayed, diluting the fun atmosphere that a trip to the Dutch capital usually brings.

The first British entry sees one of the leading UK transport hubs causing significant delays to passengers. 41.1% of passengers have found their holiday or emigration plans hindered when using this airport.

A delay is bad enough, but a cancellation is much worse. With a huge increase in demand for flights, some airlines and the airports that host them do not have the infrastructure to sufficiently handle the demand post-Covid. The data provided by FlightAware shows that whilst not as prominent as delays, cancellations were causing significant numbers of passengers to lose the flight altogether. Interestingly, the results are somewhat different from the airports that saw high numbers of delays.

The worst offenders for cancelling flights were as follows.

Chinese airports fill the first few slots, and in Shenzen, 7.9% of flights were cancelled. When considering that there are 36 million passengers being handled by this airport every year, a huge number has had to reschedule their flights.

The first of three entries from the USA in this section is an airport that operates as a gateway to the rest of the USA as well as to Europe, South America, Asia, and Australasia. Regularly handling in excess of 30 million passengers, the 7.4% that have seen their flights cancelled so far this summer may regret not choosing a different airport.

La Guardia is close behind its Newark relative. 7% of flights have been cancelled so far this summer, resulting in many passengers being left stranded for long periods of time as airlines look to reschedule.

The second of the Chinese airports to feature is the 8^th busiest in the world by passenger numbers, handling 40 million per year based on 2021 figures. So far this summer, 5.2% of flights have been cancelled.

Rounding off the top five worst offenders for cancellations is another US airport. Flights leaving Washington National saw cancellations hit 5% during this period. Flights from this airport are purely domestic so if you are looking to travel across the USA, this airport may be one to consider missing as you look to go from state to state.

Wherever you plan to travel this year, remember to look at the options available to you. Many of these airports have others nearby that may fly to the same destination you are looking to reach. Sometimes, a smaller, lesser-known airport may make the difference between arriving on time, or not arriving at all.

It is these kind of situations that can make or break a trip – that is why we have set up comprehensive packages for one way travel insurance, as well as Annual Worldwide Travel Insurance. Contact our team today to get a free quote, and protect yourself from additional expense stress this summer, and any other time you travel.