Airports to avoid for travel delays

Flights Delayed: 28.7%

Bring a travel pillow: a whopping 71 percent of flights departing Baltimore in the late evening hours do so behind schedule. Despite a decent start to the day, a cascade of delays begins in the early afternoon; by 8 p.m., you’re actually more likely to be stuck at the gate than not.

Best Time Window: Before 11 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 10–11 p.m.

Worst: No. 3 Denver International Airport (DEN)

Denver International Airport (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Flights Delayed: 27.9%

A 4.6 percent surge in delays moved DIA from fifth place on last year’s naughty list to third this year. Leave by lunchtime to avoid a Rocky Mountain meltdown: starting at 2 p.m., nearly a third of flights depart later than planned, a figure that only gets worse as the day wears on.

Best Time Window: Before 9 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 8–10 p.m.

Worst: No. 4 O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago

Chicago O’Hare (Photo: Nick Harris/Flickr)

Flights Delayed: 26.5%

Last year’s second-worst airport lost another half point off its on-time percentage, but O’Hare still managed to improve two spots in the rankings—thanks to declining performance at other locales. More than 80 percent of flights leave this United hub on time until mid-afternoon, though by late night less than half do.

Best Time Window: Before 10 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 11 p.m.–midnight.

Worst: No. 5 McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas

McCarran International Airport (Photo: Thinkstock)

Flights Delayed: 26.4%

A late night on the Strip isn’t the only culprit for that headache you may get when leaving Las Vegas. In Sin City, the deck is stacked against you: either crawl out of bed early for an a.m. departure, or gamble on an afternoon or evening flight, when more than a third of departures are delayed.

Best Time Window: Before 10 a.m.

Worst Time Window: 6–9 p.m.