If you’re planning holiday travel, you might want to be prepared for the flight routes that are more prone to delays than others.
A recent study by Holafly, a company that sells international digital SIM cards to travelers, analyzed 100 of the most frequently scheduled flight routes from 20 major U.S. airports to identify where travelers are most likely to face scheduling setbacks. The research utilized historical performance data to forecast 2025 trends.
Overall, the Northeast appears to be a hotspot for holiday congestion. Travelers in Boston and New York, in particular, should brace for potential delays for both domestic and international flights.
The study examined December flight patterns, coinciding with a massive surge in air travel.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. airlines carried more than 83 million passengers in December 2024 alone — a 5.9% increase from the previous year. The volume increase alone can create a domino effect. When one flight is delayed at a major hub like Chicago O’Hare or JFK, it often impacts subsequent departures across the country.
But the data shows that it’s not all bad news for holiday travelers.
Certain routes consistently beat their scheduled arrival times, often due to favorable tailwinds or generous scheduling buffers. The five-and-a-half-hour flight from Honolulu to Las Vegas leads the pack, touching down an average of 42 minutes ahead of schedule.
Travelers flying from Dallas to Los Angeles can expect to arrive about 30 minutes early, while the Denver to Phoenix route typically lands 23 minutes before its scheduled time.
The most delayed flights this December
Here are the flight routes with the most expected delays this holiday season, along with average delay time, according to Holafly’s analysis:
- Newark Liberty to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International: 37 minutes
- Boston Logan International to Orlando International: 32 minutes
- Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International to Philadelphia International: 31 minutes
- John F Kennedy International to Boston Logan International: 18 minutes
- John F Kennedy International to London Heathrow: 18 minutes
- Chicago O’Hare International to Dallas Fort Worth International: 15 minutes
- Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta: 15 minutes
- Boston Logan International to Ronald Reagan Washington International: 12 minutes
- Boston Logan International to Chicago O’Hare International: 12 minutes
- Harry Reid International Las Vegas to San Diego International: 11 minutes
With air travel demand reaching record highs, experts suggest that knowing which routes perform best can help you navigate the busiest travel season with less stress.
For those flying the routes listed above, booking the first flight of the morning can be an effective way to avoid the cumulative delays that build up throughout the day.
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