These Airlines Leave You Stranded on the Runway Longest

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Upgraded Points.

Much about air travel has been less enjoyable in the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Travelers have been plagued by cancellations, delays, and lower-quality service — and more and more passengers are responding with complaints and even incidents of air rage.

A tarmac delay is one of the most frustrating experiences for many air travelers. These delays occur while a plane is waiting for takeoff or has landed, but passengers are on the plane and unable to get off. Common causes for such delays include inclement weather, mechanical or equipment issues, heavy air traffic, or unavailable gates.

Federal regulations permit airlines to hold passengers on a plane during a tarmac delay for up to three hours for domestic flights before allowing them to deplane. Each tarmac delay can lead to more headaches from late arrivals and departures, missed connections, and other travel complications.

Not all tarmac delays are the same, however, and much of the variation in the past few years has been driven by tarmac delays classified as taxi-out (between gate departure and wheels-up) and taxi-in (between wheels down and gate arrival).

Other forms of tarmac delays, including multiple gate departures, airport diversions, and cancellations, are more likely to result from unexpected weather or mechanical issues and have remained relatively steady over time. Taxi-in and especially taxi-out delays saw much more change before, during, and since the early days of the pandemic.

The following is a complete breakdown of the airlines with the worst tarmac delays. The analysis was conducted by researchers at Upgraded Points using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. For more information on how each statistic was computed, refer to the methodology section at the end.

1. JetBlue

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 1,228
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 255
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 8.4
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 3.5
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 8,128
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 65

2. United Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 922
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 277
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 9.7
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 6.3
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 16,290
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 217

3. American Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 840
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 249
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 1.5
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 1.1
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 29,400
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 71

4. Delta Air Lines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 738
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 120
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 5.1
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 1.3
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 19,833
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 96

5. Frontier Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 690
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 441
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 6.0
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 0.9
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 3,767
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 23

6. Spirit Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 641
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 409
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 0.2
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 0.8
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 5,211
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 5

7. Allegiant Air

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 505
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 293
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 2.6
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 3.0
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 1,854
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 13

8. Alaska Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 448
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 206
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 2.7
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 1.1
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 3,677
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 21

9. Southwest Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 224
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 81
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 1.0
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 0.3
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 8,379
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 36

10. Hawaiian Airlines

• Departure Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 80
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >1 Hour (Per 100,000 Flights): 87
• Departure Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 0.6
• Arrival Tarmac Delays >3 Hours (Per 100,000 Flights): 0.0
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >1 Hour: 259
• Total Number of Tarmac Delays >3 Hours: 1

Methodology

Researchers at Upgraded Points analyzed the latest data from the Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Air Travel Consumer Reports to find the U.S. airlines with the worst tarmac delays.

The researchers ranked airlines according to the number of departure tarmac delays lasting longer than an hour (per 100,000 flights).

In the event of a tie, the airlines with more arrival tarmac delays lasting longer than an hour (per 100,000 flights) ranked higher. For relevance, all available data from 2022 and 2023 was used in the analysis.

The researchers also calculated the same statistic for arrival flights and the number of tarmac delays lasting longer than three hours (per 100,000 flights) for both departures and arrivals. Tarmac delays categorized as prior to cancellation, multiple gate departure, or taxi-out were considered as occurring during departure.

In contrast, those categorized as taxi-in or at diversion airport were considered as occurring during arrival.