Special Report

This Is the Worst City for Airport Layovers

Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

The air travel industry has changed a great deal in a year. Air travel dropped close to zero during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Airports were empty and planes were grounded. Several large airlines nearly went out of business. Holiday travel in 2020 was sharply curtailed. In 2021, though, more than 2.3 million people flew over the Thanksgiving weekend, the highest level since the pandemic began. There were not enough TSA agents at some airports to handle the volume, which backed up travelers on their way to their planes. (These are America’s busiest air routes right now.)

Several airlines have been hit with major delays in the past several months. The most widely covered by the media was a breakdown of the ability of American Airlines to handle all of its passengers. Over 1,000 American Airlines flights were canceled in one day. This left thousands of people stranded in airports. If you’re forced into an unplanned layover at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, head for Dallas – because the worst city for a layover is Fort Worth.

Lawn Love, an online lawn care marketplace, recently released its report on “2022’s Best and Worst Cities for Layovers,” examining 56 of the country’s largest cities and the airports that serve them. The report’s authors wrote, “We looked at each city’s share of delayed and canceled flights and average departure delay time. We also searched for cities that are easy to navigate, especially from the airport, and offer plenty of fun things to see and do without breaking your bank.” (You might end up really liking the city you visit on a layover, especially if it’s one of America’s 50 best cities to live.)

The study considered the share of delay departures, share of arrivals, average length of delays, and maximum delay. The research also included what it cost to stay in the airport, the ease of leaving the airport and coming back, and the safety of the airport. Data came from AreaVibes, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, City-Data.com, LoungeBuddy, Lyft, NeighborhoodScout, TripAdvisor, Uber, Walk Score and Yelp.

The highest overall score for best city for a layover was Portland, Oregon, which received a rating of 66.12. The number of delays and cancellations at the airport is very low. Boise was second at 65.73. It ranked well for similar reasons. Anchorage ranked third at 64.80, and it had the best figure for delays among all airports.

Click here to see the best and worst cities for airport layovers

The city with the worst ranking was Fort Worth, with a score of 37.28. It was followed by Detroit and Newark. The latter is one of the three airports that serve New York City. The other two are JFK and LaGuardia.

Barbara Smyers / iStock via Getty Images

56. Fort Worth, Texas
> Overall score: 37.3

[in-text-ad]

pawel.gaul / E+ via Getty Images

55. Detroit, Michigan
> Overall score: 39.9

ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images

54. Newark, New Jersey
> Overall score: 41.2

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

53. Durham, North Carolina
> Overall score: 42.7

[in-text-ad-2]

lavin photography / iStock via Getty Images

52. Cincinnati, Ohio
> Overall score: 43.9

deberarr / iStock via Getty Images

51. Denver, Colorado
> Overall score: 45

[in-text-ad]

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

50. Raleigh, North Carolina
> Overall score: 45.8

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images

49. St. Louis, Missouri
> Overall score: 45.9

Joecho-16 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

48. Kansas City, Missouri
> Overall score: 46.8

[in-text-ad-2]

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

47. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
> Overall score: 47.3

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

46. Orlando, Florida
> Overall score: 47.8

[in-text-ad]

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

45. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
> Overall score: 47.9

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

44. Cleveland, Ohio
> Overall score: 48.3

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images

43. Dallas, Texas
> Overall score: 48.4

[in-text-ad-2]

bluejayphoto / iStock via Getty Images

42. San Francisco, California
> Overall score: 48.5

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

41. Chicago, Illinois
> Overall score: 48.5

[in-text-ad]

benedek / iStock via Getty Images

40. Memphis, Tennessee
> Overall score: 48.5

Paulbr / iStock via Getty Images

39. Jacksonville, Florida
> Overall score: 50.7

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

38. Baltimore, Maryland
> Overall score: 51.1

[in-text-ad-2]

pawel.gaul / E+ via Getty Images

37. Columbus, Ohio
> Overall score: 51.3

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

36. Charlotte, North Carolina
> Overall score: 51.6

[in-text-ad]

thyegn / iStock via Getty Images

35. Tacoma, Washington
> Overall score: 51.7

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images

34. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Overall score: 51.8

MattGush / iStock via Getty Images

33. Ontario, California
> Overall score: 51.8

[in-text-ad-2]

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

32. Indianapolis, Indiana
> Overall score: 52

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

31. Boston, Massachusetts
> Overall score: 52.2

[in-text-ad]

Matt Anderson / iStock via Getty Images

30. Washington, DC
> Overall score: 52.5

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

29. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
> Overall score: 52.6

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

28. Houston, Texas
> Overall score: 52.7

[in-text-ad-2]

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

27. St. Paul, Minnesota
> Overall score: 52.9

Davel5957 / E+ via Getty Images

26. Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Overall score: 54.2

[in-text-ad]

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images

25. New Orleans, Louisiana
> Overall score: 54.3

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

24. Nashville, Tennessee
> Overall score: 54.4

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

23. Oakland, California
> Overall score: 54.5

[in-text-ad-2]

SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images

22. Tampa, Florida
> Overall score: 54.7

RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

21. Austin, Texas
> Overall score: 54.9

[in-text-ad]

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

20. Santa Ana, California
> Overall score: 55

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

19. Omaha, Nebraska
> Overall score: 55.2

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

18. Phoenix, Arizona
> Overall score: 56

[in-text-ad-2]

photoquest7 / iStock via Getty Images

17. Reno, Nevada
> Overall score: 56.4

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

16. San Jose, California
> Overall score: 56.5

[in-text-ad]

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

15. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Overall score: 56.5

Pgiam / E+ via Getty Images

14. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Overall score: 56.8

DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images

13. Salt Lake City, Utah
> Overall score: 57.4

[in-text-ad-2]

f11photo / iStock via Getty Images

12. San Diego, California
> Overall score: 57.5

aiisha5 / iStock via Getty Images

11. Seattle, Washington
> Overall score: 58

[in-text-ad]

dszc / E+ via Getty Images

10. San Antonio, Texas
> Overall score: 58.2

JasonDoiy / iStock via Getty Images

9. Sacramento, California
> Overall score: 59

Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images

8. Atlanta, Georgia
> Overall score: 59.7

[in-text-ad-2]

DutcherAerials / E+ via Getty Images

7. Los Angeles, California
> Overall score: 59.9

Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images

6. Miami, Florida
> Overall score: 60.4

[in-text-ad]

okimo / iStock via Getty Images

5. Honolulu, Hawaii
> Overall score: 60.5

GCShutter / E+ via Getty Images

4. New York, New York
> Overall score: 63.1

RobsonAbbott / iStock via Getty Images

3. Anchorage, Alaska
> Overall score: 64.8

[in-text-ad-2]

vkbhat / E+ via Getty Images

2. Boise, Idaho
> Overall score: 65.7

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

1. Portland, Oregon
> Overall score: 66.1

The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)

Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.

A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.

 

Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!

By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.