Stats: Atlanta Airport Named Most Stressful for Holiday Travel

While Delta’s operations at its Atlanta hub may have returned to normal after this weekend’s power outage, the airport received another dubious distinction this week: it was named the most stressful airport for holiday travel in a new research report by InsureMyTrip.

The InsureMyTrip report found that, for the first time in five years, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) is reporting more flight cancellations than Chicago O'Hare International (ORD). Notably, this number does not include the approximately 1,400 flights cancelled by the recent power outage.

InsureMyTrip has ranked the airports most likely to be stressful for travelers this holiday season due to the likelihood of cancelled flights, based on previously reported data for the year:

This table contains data for non-stop domestic flights by major air carriers collected in 2017 thus far by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

*Data excludes over 1,000 canceled flights due to the power outage of December, 17th 2017 at Hartsfield-Jackson International. Those numbers have not been collected yet.

Other key findings from the report:

Weather is the top reason for flight cancellations and delays nationwide.

If a flight is canceled, most airlines will rebook travelers on next available flight at no additional charge. However, airlines are not required to reimburse travelers for losses incurred as a result of a canceled flight. These can include:

• Hotel room
• All-inclusive vacation or resort
• A cruise
• A tour or safari
• Concert or entertainment tickets

Travelers concerned about protecting any trip expenses should buy travel insurance, InsureMyTrip said.

Dealing With Flight Delays

Each airline has its own flight delay policy for passengers waiting at the airport; there are no federal requirements.

Travelers concerned about delays should be aware of the following:

• Generally, early departures are less likely to be delayed.
• Book a non-stop flight (no stops).
• When booking, ask the airline about the on-time performance percentage for an individual flight.
• Closer to departure, check real-time airport data. This will provide timely information on weather concerns or air traffic delays.
• Be aware of "creeping delays." When an airline continues to push back a departure time it can sometimes be extended for hours or lead to a cancellation.
• If a flight is delayed, try to learn the reason why to better gauge if the flight is in jeopardy of being canceled. Reasons for delays may include maintenance, fueling, crew issues, weather, previous flight with same aircraft arrived late, causing the present flight to depart late, or security issues.
• 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.
• Passengers with departing flights at busier airports should consider travel insurance for travel delay protection.

"If travelers are made aware of the possibility of flight delays, they can then use that data to help them compare travel delay benefits during a travel insurance purchase," said InsureMyTrip Intelligence Analyst Danny DeMello in a written release.

Travel delay benefits vary with each travel insurance provider, generally between a five and 24-hour window. The benefit is designed to provide reimbursement for reasonable meals and accommodations while unable to travel.

Tip: Travelers must be delayed for a certain number of hours before this benefit can be applied. When comparing travel insurance, look for the minimum delay time (typically, starting at five hours) to start qualifying for coverage as soon as possible.

Source: InsureMyTrip

Related Stories

Stats: Escaping Politics to Drive 38% of Weekend Getaways in 2018

Stats: Forecasting Worst Airports for Holiday Flight Delays

Stats: 27.2 Million Cruise Passengers to Sail in 2018, Says CLIA

Stats: Record 107.3 Million to Travel Over Holidays, Says AAA