Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Report: 25% of Flights Delayed or Cancelled at NY Airports
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 4, 2010
Modified Nov 4, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 4, 2010
Modified Nov 4, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Flight delays at New York's three major airports cause a ripple effect that snarls air traffic nationwide, and the U.S. Office of the Inspector General wants the FAA to please consider possibly doing something about it. A new report [pdf] stops short of demanding that the FAA reduce the number of flights scheduled at the airports, but calls upon the FAA to "reexamine" the scheduling rules, or else... there might be another report in a couple of years! Right now one-quarter of all flights in and out of New York and Newark end up delayed or canceled.
In 2008 the FAA imposed new caps barring airlines from scheduling more than 83 flights per hour at JFK and Newark, and 81 at LaGuardia. This is manageable when the weather's decent, but during inclement weather the capacity drops to 64-67 flights per hour at JFK, 69-74 at LaGuardia, and 61-66 at Newark. (It's been estimated that New York causes three-quarters of all delays in the United States, but the report says that's an exaggeration.) As of August, 26 percent of incoming flights at LaGuardia and JFK arrived late or were canceled in 2010; at Newark it's 28 percent. The delays cost the U.S. economy billions.
The Inspector General wants the schedule limits to be more flexible, and points to the rules at London’s airports, where there are fewer flights allowed during the winter months. (London has 20 percent fewer delays than New York.) Of course, the airlines don't want to reduce the flights they squeeze in and out of NY's airports. "There are better solutions than restraining capacity by imposing flight caps," one airline flack tells the AP. "The FAA must ensure that we are utilizing these important airports to their full capacity." And Jeffrey Zupan, a transportation expert at the Regional Plan Association, opposes lowering scheduling caps, because "that’s not solving anything; that’s hoping the problem will go away."
Tagged
airports
flight delays
JFK
laguardia
newark
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Palestinian students at Columbia allege the school 'actively encouraged' their mistreatment
The lawsuit is among a trove of complaints that accuse the school of failing to protect both Palestinian and Jewish students on campus.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Aug 10, 2026 at 6:37 p.m. ET
Feds say pilot of boat in deadly NY Harbor capsize was unlicensed, ignored safety protocols
Manuel Hernandez is facing two charges that allege his negligence led to the deaths.
By
Catalina Gonella
News
Feds say pilot of boat in deadly NY Harbor capsize was unlicensed, ignored safety protocols
Manuel Hernandez is facing two charges that allege his negligence led to the deaths.
By
Catalina Gonella
Judge temporarily blocks NYC pied-à-terre tax rollout after lawsuit
By
David Brand
Long Island man charged with driving while impaired after crash kills construction worker
By
Giulia Heyward
Mayor Mamdani says he urged Trump to restore Haitian immigration protections
By
Arya Sundaram
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .