Worst U.S. airports for flight cancellations in 2019

  As the world grapples with the coronavirus, many airlines around the globe have suspended service to and from China and other affected regions. Just this week, Delta Airlines announced it was suspending flights between New York's JFK airport and Milan's Malpensa Airport until early May. The reality is, flight cancellations are a common occurrence. Whether it's the result of adverse weather or mechanical issues, every air traveler will likely experience a flight cancellation or delay in their lifetime. Under normal cancellation circumstances, passengers who purchased travel insurance may be given a reprieve. Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com, recently told CNN that many travel insurance plans provide coverage for an airline shut-down in services due to a mechanical failure, adverse weather or natural disaster. However, "they do not provide for an airline shut-down due to the coronavirus outbreak," he explains. Unfortunately, beyond travel insurance, passengers are left with few options in the event of a flight cancellation. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation: "If your flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook you on their first flight to your destination on which space is available, at no additional charge. If this involves a significant delay, find out if another carrier has space and ask the first airline if they will endorse your ticket to the other carrier... Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements." To uncover which airports have the highest rates of flight cancellations, InsureMyTrip.com ranked U.S. airports according to their percentage of canceled flights in 2019. The online travel insurance comparison site sourced data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) for airports with 19,000 or more reported scheduled flights in 2019. Scroll through the slideshow to see which airports had the worst flight cancellation rates in 2019, according to InsureMyTrip.com

What consumers can do

While each airline's policies differ concerning cancellations, InsureMyTrip.com offers several tips to help travelers deal with cancellations or delays:

• Early departures are less likely to be delayed.
• Book a non-stop flight.
• Ask the airline about the on-time performance percentage for a specific flight when booking.
• Check real-time airport data for information on weather concerns or air traffic delays as the departure time approaches.
• "Creeping delays" are when an airline continues to push back a departure time, which can sometimes lead to a cancellation.
• If a flight is delayed, try to learn the reason why to understand better the likelihood it could be canceled.
• Some flights will be delayed on the tarmac before or after take-off. As a general rule, DOT prohibits flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours.
• Lastly, passengers with departing flights at busier airports should consider travel insurance with travel delay benefits.

Related: 

• Top 5 international destinations for U.S. travelers
• 10 best airports of 2019
• The top U.S. airlines in 2019