Even Joe Biden anecdotally knows our airports are terrible, but now there are numbers to back it up: A study by airport advocacy group Global Gateway Alliance found that Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia have they highest percentage of tarmac delays of any airports in the country, the Daily News reports. A total of 6,788 flights were delayed on the runway for at least an hour at the 3 airports last year, leaving passengers stranded on a plane and growing ever more feral. LaGuardia had the highest percentage of delayed flights in the country, while JFK and Newark topped the list of “Extreme Tarmac Delays,” which last between 3-5 hours.
The good news is that more than hourlong tarmac delays happen to less than 1% percent of flights. Only 38 flights were extremely delayed on the tarmac at these airports last year. But delays of 15 minutes or more are commonplace at Kennedy and LaGuardia. Apparently, the best big airport in the metro area is Newark, which came in 3rd of the 3 in terms of number of delays (2661 at JFK, 2457 at LGA, and 1670 at EWR). Chicago’s O’Hare had the highest number of delayed flights, but more flights take off from O’Hare than any one of New York’s airports.
So next time you’re sitting on the runway for 2 hours next to a crying baby and the only thing you have to eat is a packet of nuts and the crew isn’t communicating and you’re cold and tired and sad, try to remember that this only happens occasionally.
(Photo: dmytrok)
