Two Texas airports with the worst departure delays

DALLAS (KDAF) — Catching a flight soon? A new study from Sudoku Bliss has revealed which American airports are the worst for departure delays, and topping the list is Dallas Fort Worth International, where passengers wait more than 19 minutes on average before their planes even leave the ground. With 25,733 departures in April 2025 alone, that adds up to more than 8,200 hours of passengers sitting and waiting.

George Bush Intercontinental Houston in Texas takes fifth place with average delays of 12 minutes across 13,699 departures. That equates to approximately 2,740 hours collectively spent by passengers waiting to take off.

Top 10 airports with the longest departure delays in the U.S.

Rank	Airport	State	Average delay	Total departures in April 2025
1	Dallas Fort Worth International	Texas	19 minutes and 12 seconds	25,733
2	Newark Liberty International	New Jersey	16 minutes and 57 seconds	10,194
3	Denver International	Colorado	15 minutes and 41 seconds	25,280
4	Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport	Georgia	13 minutes and 33 seconds	28,815
5	George Bush Intercontinental Houston	Texas	12 minutes	13,699
6	Charlotte Douglas International	North Carolina	11 minutes and 50 seconds	20,606
7	Ronald Reagan Washington National	Washington	11 minutes and 47 seconds	12,394
8	Chicago O’Hare International	Illinois	11 minutes and 29 seconds	28,808
9	Philadelphia International	Pennsylvania	11 minutes and 4 seconds	10,802
10	Orlando International	Florida	9 minutes and 57 seconds	14,194

The study analyzed April 2025 data (the most recent available) from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics to rank each major U.S. airport based on average monthly departure delays. Only airports with over 10,000 flights during the month were included in the analysis.