Hidden Warning Signs Your Flight Is About To Be Delayed Or Canceled

Navigating airports can be a real hassle. Security checks are a nightmare, especially with all of the annoying TSA security checks passengers are forced to go through. Some airports are also monstrously huge, and come with mile-long walks to gates (yes, mile-long). Even arriving on time or early — the thing you're supposed to do — can cause your carry-on to get tossed in with checked bags. And then there's the most exasperating problem of all. One that can bungle your bookings, taxis, and entire trip's itinerary: delayed or canceled flights. Thankfully, there are hidden warning signs that might provide a clue as to whether or not delays or cancellations can happen.

Although there's no foolproof way to tell that your flight is borked until it happens, foresight into potential problems often relies on knowledge of past problems. For instance, is your airline often delayed? Air India Express, for example, is behind time 52.7% every day — so, good luck there.  Air China, meanwhile, cancels a full 6.22% of flights on a daily basis. There's also the question regarding the airport's reliability. Take Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), the worst global offender, which sees 53.4% of its daily flights delayed.

Similarly, other predictors rely on knowledge of airline operations. If a flight is fairly empty, for example, it'll be the first on the chopping block. Other insights into flight delays or cancellations employ common sense — like whether or not your airport is in an area that experiences bad weather at a certain time of year. Ultimately, all of these warning signs can help passengers make clever, preventative choices. That said, if an unpredictable problem develops at the airport, there's not much you can do — and no way to know about it beforehand.

It's not like all of us have the option of choosing a different airport, carrier, flight, or traveling at a different time of the year. That said, passengers can use real data prior to booking to help them make more informed decisions in advance to help themselves feel less helpless in the face of potential setbacks.

For starters, passengers can look into reports generated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its statistical arm, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Specifically, the DOT publishes annual reports that provide insight not just into specific airports, but overall flight trends. Their 2024 Annual Report, for example, showed that the smallest percentage of delays in U.S. airports from 2010 to 2023 was caused by security concerns, followed by bad weather, national aviation system delays, and, at the top, carrier delays. This essentially suggests that most disruptions actually stem from airline operational issues and not "external factors beyond their control."

For passengers looking at specific carrier performance, the department's most recent report highlighted that Hawaiian Airlines was the most on-time airline with 87.1% punctual arrivals. Next came Delta, with a big jump down at 77.8%. Most airlines, however, hovered around the 70s, while Frontier Airlines sat at the bottom with 68.6%. Nonetheless, it's worth highlighting the report emphasizes that a 15-minute delay or less is still considered on-time, so these results may be more generous than expected. Outside of the U.S., EuroControl's All-Causes Delays to Air Transport Report discusses similar delay-related statistical information within Europe. Finally, beyond the data, things like an almost-empty gate and scrambling gate agents can also signify trouble, so keep your eyes (and ears) peeled.