Airports from Boston to Atlanta have seen a substantial spike in flight cancellations since the summer travel rush began this year compared to the same period in 2024.
Nationally, the cancellation rate is up about 29% from 1.4% of flights being canceled in 2024 to 1.8% so far this summer. Historically, airlines see between 1 and 2% of flights canceled on any given day.
Using data from flight tracker FlightAware, CBS News looked at May 21, 2025 — the Wednesday before Memorial Day — through July 14, 2025, compared to the same period last year, which is shifted by one day.
While there were nearly 256,000 fewer scheduled flights, about an 18% drop compared to summer 2024, the number of canceled flights has been higher by about 1,000 flights.
So far this summer, 27.3% of flights have been delayed compared to 25.1% last year. The average delay time has crept up four minutes to 62 minutes.
The summer travel troubles vary greatly by airport with many on the East Coast experiencing worse cancellation rates than they did last year, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, for the Wednesday before Memorial Day through July 15.
Airports with worse flight cancellation rates than last summer
Here are the airports with the highest increases in cancellation rates so far this summer compared to the same time period last year:
DCA
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport tops the list with a 274% higher cancellation rate so far this summer. Nearly 6% of its flights have been canceled. On-time performance is down more than 10%.
The airport was the site of the deadly crash between an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter in January.
ATL
While Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s cancellation rate this summer of nearly 1.6% is within historic norms, that is up by 257%, and its on-time arrival is down 9.3%.
IAD
Washington Dulles International Airport has seen its cancellation rate surge 104% compared to last year, while its on-time performance is off by just over 10%.
BOS
Boston Logan International Airport’s cancellation rate is 68% higher this year, and on-time performance has dropped by 3.7%.
LGA
LaGuardia Airport has canceled about 5% of flights so far this summer, a 65% increase from last year. Its on-time performance rate is down 6.1%
PHL
Philadelphia International Airport’s cancellation rate is up 63%, while on-time performance is down 2.2%.
Airports with better flight cancellation rates than last summer
These airports have decreased cancellation rates the most so far this summer compared to the same time period last year:
MIA
Miami International Airport has seen a 40% lower cancellation rate this summer with on-time performance up 7.3%.
FLL
Another Florida airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, has a cancellation rate that is 25% lower than last year’s. Its on-time performance rate is up 7.7%.
SFO
San Francisco International Airport’s cancellation rate is down 21%, and its on-time performance is up 5.6%.
DFW
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has seen its cancellation rate decline 17%, while on-time performance has improved 0.8%.
LAX
Los Angeles International Airport’s cancellation rate has fallen 12% this year. On-time performance is up 2.9%.
ORD
Chicago O’Hare International Airport has seen its cancellation rate drop by 9%, while on-time performance has edged up 1.6%.
2025 so far
Looking at 2025 so far, not just from the start of the summer travel season, the total number of flights in the U.S. grew by about 3% compared to the same time period in 2024. There were 4,842,254 flights departing the U.S. for domestic and international destinations between Jan. 1, 2025, and July 15, 2025, while that period in 2024 saw 4,675,727 flights.
Cancellations are up 17% in 2025 with the overall cancellation rate increasing from 1.31% last year to 1.53% this year, according to Cirium’s data. On-time departures are up slightly by 0.29%.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Kris Van Cleave is the senior transportation correspondent for CBS News based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he also serves as a national correspondent reporting for all CBS News broadcasts and platforms.
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