What causes delays at airport?

There are three types of airport delays, which we'll dive into below in more detail; those caused by humans, those by machines, or delays caused by mother nature. Human factors include, aircraft turnarounds between flights, crew availability, air traffic controls, and passenger punctuality.



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The largest cause of air traffic delay in the National Airspace System is the weather. The pie chart shows that weather caused 75.48 percent of system-impacting delays of greater than 15 minutes over the six years from June 2017 to May 2022, as recorded in the OPSNET standard delay by cause reports.

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While, aircraft delays can have a variety of causes, including weather conditions, air traffic congestion, mechanical issues, crew scheduling etc. we can broadly classify them into airline operation and maintenance policies, airport characteristics, and human factors are the most significant contributing factors.

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Do airlines intentionally delay flights? There are no winners when it comes to delays. However, every so often, a pilot may decide to delay the flight deliberately.

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Civil unrest impacting aircrew during their layovers away from their home base. Flights operating in the vicinity of airspace with conflict zones. Lone-wolf and terrorism incidents compromising security.

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Staffing issues for pilots and licensed mechanics have been exacerbated by lags in training due to Covid, and the use of pandemic bailout funds by airlines to buy out or force the early retirement of senior employees under the assumption there would be a pipeline of replacement workers at lower costs when travel demand ...

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When a flight delay occurs, you are entitled to assistance and a choice between rerouting, reimbursement, or rebooking. If you arrive at your destination more than 3 hours after your scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to the same reimbursement, rerouting, and rebooking structure as a denied boarding.

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There are several reasons why flights may be canceled, including bad weather, air traffic restrictions, lack of airplane or staff, technical problems, and low passenger numbers.

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According to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (which currently only has numbers through May), 20.8 percent of flights were delayed so far in 2023, compared to 18.8 percent in 2019.

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Here are the airports with the highest percentages of flights delayed around the world:
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport: 51.9%
  • Montreal-Trudeau International Airport: 47.8%
  • Frankfurt International Airport: 44.5%
  • Humberto Delgado Airport (Lisbon): 43%
  • London Gatwick Airport: 42%


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The overall worst airport in the US for delays is JFK, based on our study of over 40,000 flights from the summer of 2022. JFK is followed by Chicago Midway, Newark, Orlando International, LaGuardia, and Denver.

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The most commonly prosecuted offenses at the airport include: Carrying a concealed firearm or dangerous weapon. Possession of marijuana. Possession of controlled substances.

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The most common in-flight medical emergencies involve:
  • Seizures;
  • Cardiac symptoms;
  • Nausea or vomiting;
  • Respiratory problems and.
  • Lightheadedness or fainting.


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The Most Common Reasons For Flight Delays
  • Adverse weather conditions.
  • Bird Strikes.
  • Strikes.
  • Waiting for Connecting Luggage.
  • Waiting for Cargo.
  • Missing Crew.
  • Complying with Flight Crew Rest Requirements.
  • Waiting for Catering.


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According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), there are tarmac delay rules that US airlines must follow: Carriers are not allowed to hold a domestic flight on the tarmac for more than three hours and an international flight for more than four hours, barring a couple of exceptions (like if the pilot deems it's ...

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For domestic flights in the U.S., airlines have to pay you 200% of the value of your one-way ticket up to $775 if you arrive at your destination one to two hours past your originally scheduled itinerary or 400% of the one-way ticket price, up to $1,550 if your arrival delay is longer than two hours.

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