Westchester County Airport Worst In U.S. For Holiday Travel: Study

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Flying out of Westchester County Airport saves holiday travelers the time and hassle of getting to and from JFK, Newark or LaGuardia airports, but a just released study from Forbes Advisor might have you rethinking the convenience of departing from the hometown airport.

In a new study, Forbes Advisor analyzed federal transportation data for the months of November through January to determine which airports and airlines are the worst (and best) for holiday travel. According to the study's authors, Westchester County Airport fared worse than any other commercial airport in the country.

With travel nearing pre-pandemic levels, Americans that will be visiting family or vacationing this holiday season face potential flight delays, cancellations and airfare prices that are up 40 percent from 2021, but the Forbes study finds that Westchester air travelers are even worse off.

Forbes Advisor compared the 100 busiest airports across 10 key metrics from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and found that Westchester County Airport ranks number one among the worst airports for holiday travel.

Westchester County Airport (HPN) had the highest rate of air carrier delays (8.54 percent) and diverted flights (0.80 percent) among the 100 busiest airports, making it the worst airport for holiday travel. HPN also reported the third-highest percentage of aircraft arriving late, on average, across the five years of data studied (7.55 percent) and the fourth-highest percentage of canceled flights (2.63 percent).

To make matters worse, Westchester County Airport had the fifth-highest dollar increase in airfare price between the summer months and the holiday season ($30.49) and the third-lowest percentage of on-time flights on average (75.43 percent).

Other airports rounding out the top five worst:

• Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC): This airport ranks highest for both average airfare price between October and December ($531.87) and average dollar increase in airfare between the summer months and the holiday season ($77.45).
• McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS): TYS airfare pricing between October and December is the sixth-highest among the 100 busiest airports ($446.55), and this airport reported the seventh-highest percentage of aircraft arriving late (6.42 percent).
• Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN): This airport has the second highest percent of diverted flights out of the 100 busiest airports (0.79 percent on average) and the third highest dollar increase in airfare ahead of the holiday season ($43).
• The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID): This airport had the 10th-highest average airfare price for flights between October and December ($436.27) and the fourth-highest percentage of weather delays on average (0.92 percent).

The Forbes advisor study analysis found that JetBlue Airways is the worst airline for holiday travel, followed by SkyWest Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

To find out how the 100 busiest airports and eight of the largest national airlines stack up, check out the full report.