Living in the Midwest, I do all I can to avoid scheduling flights in and out of O’Hare Airport in Chicago. I’m always hearing nightmare stories from other travelers, particularly during the holidays, about flights that were either delayed or cancelled altogether. So perhaps it should provide some comfort– but it doesn’t– to read an article about the world’s most-delayed airports, and see that O’Hare barely gets a mention.
The country that wins the dubious honor of having the most-delayed airports is, somewhat surprisingly, Brazil. Brasilia International Airport is the worst in the world for on-time departures, with about 27% of all flights leaving on time. Airports in Sao Paolo (41%) and Congenhas (43%) are only slightly better. Other notoriously late airports worldwide include those in Cairo, Beijing, Mumbai, and Charles de Gaulle in Paris– Europe’s worst.
In the US, three New York-area airports are singled out for their late arrivals: LaGuardia, Newark, and the worst, JFK, with about 40% of its flights late.
Needless to say, if you’re traveling through any of the above airports, bring a magazine. If you’re traveling through Brazil, bring Tolstoy.
Whole thing here.